Page:Accidents and disasters on land.pdf/20



A serious accident occurred in this town on the afternoon of Friday last. A fine young animal, the property of Mr Anderson, of Shearington, had been put into a gig for the first time, and was driven a few miles out of town by Mr Johnstone, horse-breaker. On returning to town, the driver called at a house in Assembly-street, to shew a gentleman how very quiet the horse was, and while reining up, the head stool of the bridle unfortunately got so loose, that the bits dropped out of the animal’s mouth. On discovering this, Mr Johnstone alighted to put matters to rights, but the horse suddenly lowered his head, and as the bearing rein was fixed, the blinders shifted from his head to his neck, and enabled him to get a view of the vehicle behind, to which he had been harnessed for the first time. This so alarmed him, that he started off, with the driver clinging manfully to his mane, until they reached the Commercial Bank, where Mr Johnstone, by a sudden jerk of the shaft, was pitched to the other side of the street. When fairly unrestrained, the affrighted animal careered along Irish street with the greatest fury, and at length his head came so violently in contact with the iron railing in front of the corner shop, immediately under the County Tax Office, that he was killed in one moment, and dropped down as motionless as if he had been struck by lightning. A number of persons witnessed the accident, and it is a great mercy that no farther mischief ensued.