The Late Ninian S Forbes
the China Mail which, coming via the Siberian Railway, has just arrived in Greenock, brings an account of the death of Mr Ninian S Forbes, Greenock, who was accidentally shot in Tientein on Sunday 16th February. Mr Forbes was 24 years of age, and formally resided at 31 Finnart St. He was for six years in the employment of Messrs J and J Denholm.
an inquest was held on the 17th instant at the British Consulate General concerning the deplorable accident, which resulted in the death of Mr Ninian Stuart Forbes on Saturday night last at the officers mess of the Middlesex Regiment. The evidence shows that a British Officer was explaining the mechanism of a Winchester repeating rifle to an officer belonging to the Imperial German Forces; the rifle was believed to be unloaded, and the mechanism is such that, if it should be loaded, the pilling of the lever ought to extract a cartridge in the same way that it extracts an empty cartridge case if the trigger has been pulled. The lever of the rifle was pulled at lest a dozen times, when suddenly a cartridge, which must have been in the magazine,, and which had not hitherto exploded, went off. Just at the very moment that the cartridge was fired in this unexpected manner, Mr Forbes, who had been moving from place to place in the ante room of the officers mess,, happened to get in line of fire. The bullet severed the jugular vein and although Dr Shaw was present, did everything that was possible, death ensued painlessly a few minutes after the unfortunate young man, who was a frequent and valued guest, was struck.
