FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1234, 27 May 1880, Page 2

FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.

A sad gun accident happened at Hautapu on Monday, resulting in the death of Richard Selby, third son of Mr William Selbv. Being a general holiday two friends of Mr Selbv's, Mr Well*, of Cambridge, and Mr Hosking, had come out for a diy's shooting, and Mr Richard Selby took his gnnand accompanied them. They were out around the farm all the morning, returning to the house to lunch about noon. Aferward«, they again went out, but Mr Hosking feeling tired Mr Selby proceeded without him. They went up the farm together but met with very few birds, and at length Mr Selby suggested that they should separate and return in the direction of thu house by difierent paddock*. This was done, and owing to the trees and fences intervening they soon lost bight of each other. This was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon A few minutes afterwards Mr Wells heard two reports of a gun, but naturally enough took no particular notice of it and proceeded to the homestead. Mr Selby not making his appearance wlv n he was expected, Mr Wells went round into the paddock with the intention ot meeting him, but he had not gone manyyaidwhen he siw him lying on his f ac-j on the ground. Turning him round he saw a gun-shot wound on his left breast. Life was quite extinct. He acquainted the poor boy's father of the fact, aud with the assistance of Mr Hosking they carried the body into the house, which wasscircely ahuudied yards away. How the accident happened cannot be explained. The deceased was not in proximity to any fence, and it in difficult to believe that he was guilty of carelessness, because he was a splendid bhot, and thoroughly understood the use of a gun. The probability is that he .stumbled and fell on the muzzle of the gun, which, by some moans or other, being probably at full cock, exploded. The melancholy cir iiuns>tance was received with tokens of the deepest e>oiTow all over the Cambridge district. Deceased was only eightcei yours of ago, and had passed the greiter portion of his life in Cambridge and Hautapu. Ho was a young man of good attainments and excellent promise, and his fr.ink disposition a*id kindly ingenuous n iture endeared him to everybody. The liveliest sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents in their terrible grief.