THE HUNT ACCIDENTS,

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2671, 24 August 1889, Page 2

THE HUNT ACCIDENTS,

Thk melancholy accidents that occurred at fcho drag hunt at Cambridge on Wednesday, have cast quite a gloom over tho whole neighbourhood; which was particularly noticeable in tiie town on the evening of that day. As a rule the town is very gay on the evening of the closing day of the season ; the hotels arts crowded, and everyone who has been following the hounds i« recounting the numerous hairbreadth escapes they have had and the wonderful jumps they have, taken. LSut on Wednesday, what a change ! Everyone seemed appalled at the disastrous finish to the day's sport, and made for home as quickly as possible ; indeed, the town seemed quite deserted and was quieter than on an ordinary night. The coroner having decided that it was necessary to hold an inquest upon tho remains of Mr John Taylor, it was held at Bardowio where tho body lay, six of tho deceased's friends acting as jurymen. It was a purely formal enquiry, three witnesses testifying as to tho manner in which deceased mat with his death. Tho following verdict was returned :—" That deceased was killed by a fracture of the skull, caused by a fall in the hunting field." After the inquest was closed, the jury drew up the following resolution, which was presented to Mr Taylor by the foreman: —"Before separating we desire, to tender our deepest sympathy with Mr James Taylor and the other members of the family in their bereavement." The deceased was univer sally liked and respected by all classes, and his less will be greatly felt, more especially by the youngor members with whom he was a'great favourite. Ho was to have attended a dance on Wednesday night, and the previous day when asked by a friend not to forget it, he replied, " I shall be there if I am alive," little thinking that ho would at that time hat'o met with such a, sad end. The deceased was an excellent horseman, 21 years of age, and was insured in the Australian Mutual Provident Society for £1,000. There was no stiffness in the jumps, as the majority of riders successfully negotiated them, only two of which were stiff ones—several at Gwynnelands last year were much worse—and with the exception of the two who were seriously injured, there was only one other who came olf his horse, that we saw or can hear of, and ho was a Maori who got hung up in a briar fence,. To call the drag a hunt is a farce ; it is a steeplechase, and from the rash manner in whbh ten and twelve at a time would, from all directions, charge a fence, we think it a miracle, that more accidents did not occur. Most of the horses had had uiinuerh before the end of this drag was reached, but several riders wore notr" content and finished by jumping into MiTaylor's stockyard. Mr Piiton was unconscious the whole of Wednesday, but Dr. Cuslniey thought the symptoms were slightly more favourable. The remains of the late Mr J. Taylor were conveyed to Auckland by yesterday's train for interment in the Tamaki cemetery. It was put on board at the Hautapu station, having been carried from Bardowie by a few of deceased's friends. j Our correspondent states: —"Great indignation was expressed in Cambridge yesterday e*eniug at a paragraph that apl peared in the Herald, under the. heading of lOhaupo, which states that hunting in WaiIkato is a farce. If the writer had been in r Cambridge he would have had a lively five minutes."

Mr Charles Pa tun was much worse yesterday, both his breathing and pulse being accelerated. Tho change for tho woiso came on at about 5 a.m., and tho doctors think that blood is again oozintr on to the brain. They advised trepanning, and Dr. McKellar, ot Auckland, was at once telegraphed for, with instructions to take a .special train us far as Hamilton, where Dr. Kenny wwuld meet him. Dr. McKellarleft Auckland at 7 o'clock, and reached Hamilton at 11 last night. Latest. A telephone message received iate last night from Tamahero stated that Mr Paton showed more favourable symptoms.