AN INCONCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9086, 11 May 1908, Page 4

AN INCONCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION.

The inquest which was held in Wellington on Friday' as to "now and by what means"" the late Mr Joseph Petrie, Mayor of Greymouth, came by his death on April 6th, possesses more than: ordinary interest, inasmuch as. the chief witnesses of the fatal accident are apparently "lying low." The facts so far as they have come to light at the inquest are these:—On the 6th April Mr Petrie was in a tram car travelling to Newtown and pulled the bell to stop. The car slowed down, but did not stop, and as Mr Petrie was about-to alight the car had speeded on again. In attempting to alight he fell on hia face and'was badly injured. The tramcar was brought to a stop some twenty or thirty yards further on. The conductor took the names of three passengers who had been sitting in front of deceased, and one passenger remarked that it was "sheer murder," as the man had pulled the bell. The matter was never officially reported, and the City Solicitor told the Coroner that although he had since interrogated every tramway man who was working cars passing the scene of the accident that night he could discover no one who appeared to know anything of t;-,e accident. Mr Petrie lingered on until a few days ago when he succumbed to his injuries. Had he died at the time of the accident doubtless the tramway officials concerned would have been discovered; but after a lapse of a month their identity seems to have been entirely lost. It is remarkable

that fchr tramway authorities should never Inve ascertained immediately after the accident why it was not reported, as an account of the affair appeared in the local papers at the time. The verdict of the jury was that of accidental death, but there ia some reason to believe that the fatality was contributed to by the action or want of action on th« part of others, and tin.' public mind will not re.st satisfied with the inconclusive verdict armed at. The Wellington papers are calling for further enquiry into the matter, and one journal gops so far as to urge that the detectives should be set in motion to discover the motorman of the car from which the d< fell, as the incident is too serious to be allowed to drop, a.id may involve a charge of manslaughter.