THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT OXFORD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1812, 16 February 1884, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT OXFORD.

The following resume of the testimony taken at the inquest on the body of Patrick McManus, was crowded out of last issue :—: — It appeared that the deceased in company with three other men named Thomas Hoy, Robert Johnson, and James Carroll, proceeded on horseback from Oxford to Lichfield on Sunday. They arrived there in time for dinner, and left to return home about 4 o'clock. When about a mile fiom Lich field deceased and Hoy had a few words about a wager, and dismounted for the purpose of settling the difference. The other two al&o dismounted, when Carroll took Hoy by the shoulder and told him to get on his hor.se which Hoy complied with, No blows had been struck. Hoy, when on his horse, galloped off in front ; Johnson followed about 400 yds, behind, McMamiß about 200 yds. behind him, and Carroll brought up the rear about the same distance behind. This order ivas maintained forabout a quarter of a mile, when on turning in the road McManus got out of sight of Carrul, and when the latter turned the bend he came upon deceased lying on the road, having fallen off his horse unnoticed. Carroll called upon Johnson, and both got deceased on to his horse, believing he was only temporarily stunned. Seeing he could not ride they took him off and laid him down in the fern and remained with him for about two hours. They tried once more to rouse him up but failed, and then left to procure a conveyance to biing him home. At the time deceased fell off his horse Hoy must have been a mile ahead, and altogether out of sight, and knew nothing of the occurrence until Johnson's arrival at Oxford about 10 p.m. that evening. Deceased was brought to Oxford in the conveyance, and arrived there about 2 p.m. the following morning. A messenger \vas despatched for a medical man at dayJighf. to. Cambridge, when Dr. Cushney went out, Irtfe, however, was extinct before he arrived, Dr, Cushney h.Qld a post mortem examination on the body, and his evidence was to the effect that there was no external marks of violence on the body. He found that the neck had been broken by the fall, pnd that the injury thus received was sufficient to cause death. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony : " That the deceased had accidentally met his death through falling from his horse."

Messrs W. J, Hunter and Co. have received instructions from the Sheriff of Auckland to sell at the Cambridge Yards on February 2Otb, 84 hors.es of various sorts, double buggy, plough!,