Frances Hilda Fisher, 1876-15/8/1895.

Deaths.

Fisher. — On the 15th August, 1895. Frances Hilda, daughter of T. R. Fisher, of St. Clair; aged 19 years. — Funeral will leave the house at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday, 17th, for the Southern Cemetery.  -Evening Star, 16/8/1895.

Around Dunedin

A very sad occurrence happened yesterday, when Miss Frances Hilda Fisher, aged 19 years, daughter of Mr Fisher, Inspector and Director of the Standard Insurance Company, was accidentally killed. It appears a small party of young ladies accompanied Miss Fisher and her brother on a ferning expedition in the Woodhaugh Valley, on the road to the reservoir, when a huge boulder came bounding down the precipitous bank on the side of the road. Before the boulder reached them it broke in two, the larger half striking Miss Fisher and knocking her down, the ribs in the region of the heart being crushed in, death being instantaneous. The merry young party were panicstricken, and to make matters worse, they were a considerable distance from any house from whence to obtain help. Quite a gloom has been cast over the district that such a bright young life should have met with such a sudden and awful death, and unfortunately Mr Fisher, her father, is away in Melbourne.   -Wairarapa Daily Times, 20/8/1895.

KILLED BY A ROLLING STONE.

An inquest was held at St. Clair on Friday afternoon before Mr Coroner Carew on the body of Frances Hilda Fisher, who was killed at Woodhaugh on Thursday. Harold Hill Fisher said that his sister was born at Nelson, and was nineteen years of age. Between half-past two and three o'clock on Thursday afternoon he, the Misses Royse, deceased, and some others left to go fern-hunting up the Reservoir road. A collie dog was with them. They had crossed the creek above an old quarry, and were walking up the side of a hill when witness heard a noise, and at the same moment saw a large stone rolling and pitching down the hill. The rest of the party called out "Get out of the road." Before the boulder reached them it broke in two, the larger part striking his sister on the chest and knocking her down. When picked up she was dead. Witness could not account for the stone becoming detached from the side of the hill. There were cattle in the bush, and they might have moved the stone, but he was satisfied that there was no person about the place where the stone started from. Kate Royse, who was one of the party, said she was pulling a fern when she heard the noise of the descending stone. Dr Macpherson stated that he and Mr Arthur Fisher were driving along George street to the scene of the accident, when they met a trap conveying the body. Witness made a cursory examination at the hospital, and afterwards saw the body at Mr Fisher's house. The ribs over the region of the heart were broken in, and that was sufficient to account for death. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased was accidentally killed. [Miss Fisher was a niece of Mr and Mrs J, B. Green of Blenheim.]  -Marlborough Express, 21/8/1895.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.  DCC photo.