The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-07 00:00:00

A DISTRESSING GUN ACCIDENT.

In London, on Tuesday, at the Lambeth Police.
court, Walter Adam Phillips, clerk, living at 16,
Selby-road, South Penge-park, Anerley, was charged
before Mr. Chance, the sitting magistrate, with caus-
ing the death of George Arthur Prest, 24, living at
15, Selby-road, by shooting him in the head with a
rifle from the garden of No. 16,

Mr. Armstrong, solicitor, appeared for the prisoner.
Inspector Gibbs stated that about eight o'clock on
Monday night he was informed that a young man had
been shot. He went to 15, Selby-road, and saw the
body of Mr. Prest lying in the dining-room. The pri-
mover was in No. 15, in the custody of a constable.
On the was' to the poliee-station the prisoner said, "I
went into tau garden of my house to fire off the rifle,
and intended firing it into the railway embankment
at the end of the garden, but as a train was passing
I turned towards the house. The rifle was at full
cock. I was about to put it at half-cock when
the hammer slipped and the rifle exploded. The
rifle dropped from my hands at the time and fell
upon the lawn. I saw the shot had gone through the
window of the next house, and was going out to see what
damage had been done, when I met Mrs. Prest, who
'You
iear ellVYenabatrNt ARM',
back, and we found Dr. Turner had already arrived."
The witness examined the house and found a bolt
,through the window of the back dining-room, a hole
through a partition wail of the passage, another bole
in a picture, and an indentation in the wall. The
bullet was split into three pieces, and one piece had
gone through the partition wall into the passage. '
By Mr. Chance: The embankment of the railway
was about 30ft. from the house at the bottom of the
garden. The embankment was about 14ft. high.
By Mr. Armstrong: The prisoner said several times
that he was very sorry. He was going to show a
young lad how the rifle worked.
Mr. John Prest, brother of the deceased, said he
was a tea broker. About ten minutes past seven
o'clock cn Monday night he was sitting in the dining.
room with the deceased. He was about a yard from
him. They were both reading, the deceased having
his back to the window. Suddenly the witness heard
several reports as of firearms, but took no notice, as it
was a constant occurrence. A further report, louder
than the others, was followed by a crash of glass, and
then the deceased fell from his chair on to the floor.
The witness saw he was wounded on the head.
Dr. John Sidney Turner, surgeon, said he found the
deceased at toe point of death. He died in four or
five minutes. The witness found very extensive injury
at the back of the skull, which was the cause of death.
The bullet ha a struck him on the side of the head,
and had carried away the whole of the tack part of
the skull. The witness found two portions of a bullet
in the wall, and another piece was afterwards handed
to him.
Mr. John Prest said the deceased was not acquainted
with the prisoner.
By Mr. Armstrong: There was no ill-feeling between
the deceased and the prisoner.
Spencer Wickes, a young man living at No. 17,
Selby-road, said he was in his garden and the prisoner
in his. He had been firing off blank cartridge, and the
sister of the witness remarked that the report was not
very loud. The prisoner upon that put a ball cart-
ridge in the rifle. Witness wanted to fire it, but the
prisoner would not let him and pointed it towards the
railway bank. The witness called out that a train
was coming when the prisoner turned round sharply
and the ride suddenly exploded. The witness coald
not say whether it fell or not, They thought at first
that the bullet had gone through an open window.
When the prisoner found what had been done he was
greatly distressed.
Mr. Armstrong said he had substantial bail.
Mr. Chance said the question would arise as to the
real amount of carelessness shown by the prisoner. He
consented to accept two sureties in £2OO each. The
prisoner was also bound over in £4OO. The case was
then adjourned.