Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1883-04-07 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

DISTEBEISTNG GUS ACCIDENT. 'tondos on Tnmday tQhe Joint, Waits; Ada* ihi., clerklviiving at 16, Selby-road, South- 'Penge-piskir, Amide& was charged before Mr. Chaves, the snag magistate, with causing the death of George ,Arthur Prost, 24, livigg at 15, Selby-road, by shooting him in the head with a rifle Mal the garden of N 0.16. Mr. Armstrong, solicitor, appeared irot the pvisoner Inspector Gibbs Stated Unit ittibut s*ht o'clock on Monday night he was informed tfiet a Oung man had been shot. He went to 15, fielbproad, and saw the body of Mr. Prest lying he idae dining-rmm. The prigoner was in No. 15 in_ the custody cif a constable. On the way to the police-station the prisoner said, "1 wenritibY the garden of my blithe to lite off the rifle, and intended 'firing it into the railway embankment at tbe end of th,arden, but as a train was passing ~ I turned tower the house. The rifle was at full I cock. I was about to put it at half•cook when the hammer slipped and the' rifle exploded. The rifle dropped from My hands at the time and fell upon the lawn. I sew the shot had gone through the ' window of the next house, and was goingout to see what damage had been done, when I met Mrs. Prost, who said, 'You have murdered my boy • run for a doctor.' Near Anerley-bridge I met Dr. Gafton, Who drove me back, and we found Dr. Tamer had already arrived." The witness examined the house and found a hole , through the window of the beak dining-room, a hole through a partition wall of the passage, another bole in a picture, and an indentation in tim wall. The bullet was split into three pieces, and one piece had gone through the partition wall into the'passage. By Ms. Meow : The embankment of the railway was about 30ft. from the house at the bottom of the garden. The embankment was about lift, high. By Mr. Armstrong: The prisoner midi several times that he was very sorry. He was going to show a young hid how the rifle worked. Mr. John Print, brother of the deceased, said he I was a tea broker. About ten minutes peat seven o'clock cn Monday sight he Was sitting In the dining. room with the deceased. He was about a yard from him. They were b9th reading, the deceased having his back to the window. Suddenly the witness heard, several reports as of firearms, but took no notice, a. it was a constant occurrence. A further report, louder than the others, was followed by a crash of glass, and then the deceased fell from hie chair on to the floor. The witness saw he was wounded on the head. Dr. John Sidney Turner, surgeon said he found the deceased at tbe point of death, He oiled in four or five minutes. The witness found very extensive injury at the back of the skull, which wee the cause of death. The bullet bad struck him on the side of the head, and had carried away the whole of the Lack part of the skull. The witness found two porisss of a bullet In the well, and another piece was aft handed to him. t Mr. John Fred said the deceased-eras** acquainted with the prisoner. By Mr. Armstrong: There was no ill-feeling between the deceased and the prisoner. Spencer Wickes, a young man living at No. 17, Selby-road, said he was in his garden and the prisoner in his. He had been firing off blank cartridge, and the sister of the witness remarked that the report was not very loud. The prisoner upon that put a ball cartridge in the rifle. Witness wanted to Are it, but the prisoner would not let him and pointed it towards the railway bank. The witness called out that a train was coming, when the prisoner turned round sharply and the rifle suddenly exploded. The witness coald not say whether it fell or not. They thought at first that the bullet had gone through an open window. When the prisoner found what had been done he was greatly distressed. Mr. Armstrong said he had substantial bail. Mr. Chance said the question would arise as to the real amount of carelessness shown by the prisoner. He 4:alternated to accept two sureties in £2OO each. The prisoner was also bound over in £4OO. The twee was then adjourned.  i.,5.".11.137175.11111.P`: THCIAELING' RZICAREABLII mutinamom- inn