The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-05-28 00:00:00

POOLE.

Mum Ft= SafooL =it-Si-131'as Church on Smiley
morning the vicar (the Rev. F. Pocock) preached • sermon
in aid of this achool, and the sum of ,C 9 12a. 11d. was
collected.
Si/TICS Or SONO. —The selecUon of sacred aings lately
given at the Colston Hall. Bristol, by • choir of MOD
voice, was ming by the children of the lisotiet SunAsy
School on Tuewiay evening. Mr. J. Foal* prailid.d at the
harmonium. and the children acquitted themselves well.
Short addresses were delivered by the Rev...f. H. Osborne,
who occupied the chair. and Messrs. W. Lankeeter. R.
Allen. and W. Mate.

SHOCKING AND FATAL ACCIDENT TO A
ILITIAMAN.
- . .

On Monday afterno; iie—Borough Coroner held an
Inquest at the Railway Hotel on the body of a Sher-
borne Militiaman named Robert Waters, who met
with • shocking accident on the railway near Poole
station on Saturday night, and died, from the effects
of the injuries he sustained. on Sunday evening. Mr.
Robert Turner WS/ chosen foreman of the jury. Mr.
Mears and Mr. Colson attended the enquiry on behalf
of the London and South-Western Railway Company.
The first witness called was Charles Burt, • ganger
of the Poole district of the South-Western lway,
who said it was his duty to walk up the line two mile
from the Poole station every morning before the first
train pogo& On Sunday morning about 20 minutes
to seven, he was walking up the dna, and about 200
yards from the Poole station be found deceased lying
by the side of the railway on his face, in an unconscious
state. The &messed was breathing, and he went to
the station for assistanos as quickly as possible.
Samuel Ley and Jame* Dnnford went to the
and he gave information to the police. The body wa.,
about four feet from the metals, and there was • pool
of blood near deceased's head, which had a wound at
the back.
Samuel Ley, toreman porter at Poole station, said
the last witness informed him of the accident about 20
minutes to seven on Sunday morning, and he went
with James Dunford and another man to the spot.
He turned deceased over, and wiped the blood from
his face. He heard • gurgling noise in deceased's
throat, and they took him to the station aa soon as
possible. The lag train on Saturday night peeved
over the spot about four minutes to 10 o'clock. The
engine and carrier!. of that train had been examined,
but there was no sign of the accident. The body was
on the left hand side of the line. The surgeon arrived
within a few minutes of the body being brought to the
station. By the doctor's ogles he afterwards removed
the deceased to the Station Hotel. He believed
deceased must have been struck by • passing train.
He produced a Glengarry cap he picked up near the
body, and it I ad a hole in it the same side as the
wound in deceased's head.
Herbert Alfred Lawton, district nugeon to the
South-Western Railway Company, said he was celled
by one of the porters a few minutes after seven on
Sunday morning, and be wont at once to the railway
station and saw the deceased lathe porter's room there
He examined deceased, and found be had sustained a
compound depressed fracture of the skull, on the right
side, at the beck. The fracture was Aoat an ugh
and shall across. Be had doomed properly attended
to, and then examined the spot where deceased was
found. He next proceeded to the Dorset Militia
encampment and reported the osee to the
acting surgeoe, who returned with him to the
poolg station. Acting under his authority he
ordered the removal of the deceased to the
Station Hotel. Subsequently, in consultation with
the Militia surgeon, he operated on deceased, and
removed the &premed portion of the bone. He never
recovered from the effects tif the injury, and died
shortly altar six o'clock the same evening. The cause
of death was the fractured skull and consequent shock,
,No other bona was broken. Judging from the position
' in which the body watt found, and the situation of the
' injury, he was of opinion that deceased was sitting on
the end of one of the sleepers, and that the foot-board
of the down train struck hirn and rolled him over.
Samuel John Hornsby said he was captain of the
G Company of the Dorset Militia, win ware at
present stationed at Plangisld. The deceased was a
private in him company, and had been under his
command for about five years. He was a rasarkibly
'toady, quiet man. Deceased drew 7s. on flatarday
out al his bounty to remit to his wife Ho was off
duty on Saturday at half-past four and had to rspart
hionsif again at tea o'oioak.