A second
sad fatality within a short time occurred Sunday morning when John
Seymour Olds, a teamster living on Grove street, lost his life by
being kicked and tramped upon by one of his own horses.
Mr. Olds has left the house
about 9:30 and was working around his stable doing the odd chores when
the accident occurred.
[Private] Herbert Hammond of
the 98th [Battalion], who was home from Welland for a visit with his
parents, who live on Talbot street south, went around to Grove street
to see Mr. Olds that morning and was in conversation with him at about
10:40, before he came down town to join the soldiers' parade to
church.
Shortly before noon Jos.
Taylor, a neighbor, was passing and thought he heard a strange noise
in the stable, which is back from the street about seventy feet.
The stable door was shut and
when he looked in he saw the unfortunate man lying beneath the horse's
feet.
Having heard that the horse
was a vicious one, Mr. Taylor did not risk stirring him up, but ran
across the stable yard for John Peddle, who lives on the adjoining
lot, and who had driven the horse until a couple of months ago.
When the two got to the stable
it was with difficulty that they got the horse to move. They found Mr.
Olds lying face down at the foot of the stall, with his left hand
turned under his body and the horse standing on the upper part of the
arm.
He was still living when he
was removed, but died without gaining consciousness in about half an
hour afterwards.
There were a number of horses
in the stable and the one under whose feet Mr. Olds was found was
known to be ill-natured but not excessively vicious. It was not a
young horse and stood in the centre stall, behind which there was
plenty of room to pass.
Mr. Olds was bothered some
with rheumatism and some think he may have fallen under the horse, but
most people believe that the horse kicked him as he passed behind it.
He had several wounds on the scalp and face, and his arm was badly
broken. The coroner deemed an inquest unnecessary.
The late Mr. Olds was about
fifty years of age and leaves a wife and five children, the youngest
two being in their teens.
The funeral took place on
Tuesday afternoon from the family residence to Walsh Methodist
cemetery, and was under the auspices of the Oddfellows' Lodge. Rev.
Mr. Newcombe conducted the services at the house and Rev. Mr.
Ostrander at the grave. Wm Scott and Harry Little conducted the lodge
ceremony.
