The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-07-31 00:00:00

THE BATH BRIDGE ACCIDENT.

THE BILL THROWN OUT.

At the Summer A.-izes commenced at Wells, on
Wedneelay, Mr. Jostles Lindley in chanting the
Grand Jury referred to the Bath accident and said
they would no doubt recollect that it &nee from the
falling of a bridge which led from the Great Western
Railway station to the Agricultural Show Yard. An
Inquest had been held on thom who met with their
death', on the occasion, and at present the matter
Pimply stood upon the coroneen impainiVon. which
had remitted in a ver let of "111anslaughter against
the five persons named in the calendar. The cam,
had, on an application to the Court of Queen's Iteneh,
been removed to that Covert for hearing, and if they
(the grand jury) f rien,l a true bill against any of
those whose names appeared in the calendar, the
; case would not be tried at these smith+, lnet at the
1 Court of Queen's Bench. They would have to pee
with whom they had to deal, for in thin county, as in
others, the verdlietn of Coroner's imptisitioni were of
an sweeping • character that people sometimes, in a
moment of excitement, returned verdicts of " Man-
Slaughter" against persons againnt whom the Ca4P on
investigation olrviougly broke down. Twn of those '
charged live,' at a ,li+tance from the bridge, and,
except being proprietors. had nothing to do with it.
Mitchell wee a resident of Bath, and attended to the
bridge and its repairs mon+ than any other proprietor,
which made his case different from that of the others.
His Lorlship detailed the circomstancss of the
erection of the board inviting vieeitorn to ern-. the
bridge to the chow, and I,Xid the meention we.. whether
, Mitchell wax to blame in erecting it and allow-
ing the public to go over in unknown nmnbers with-
'mat brat ascertaining the ntrength of the bridge. The
material of the bridge appeared to be good,
1 and the deviiin not bad, bnt it we.. defective, which
Williams. who Wilt it from want of skill, did not
; foresee. It had sten,' from friq2 to the time of the
accident, each isesibly neitizar Mitchell nor any one
; wan to blame for the detect Hie I,ordsilln Olen
, described the accident, and said there was a little diA
crepancy in the evidence ao to what part of the breelg,a
gave way hut scientific tentimonv rather tended to
prove that it gave way near the toll bar. They would
have to consider who wan to blame for thin if any at
all. It tras quite possible those proprietors who were
*wet aeol k now nothing about It were liable to civil
eserfirms. but Cee nLI not are on what grounds they
entel4 ha criono4ly jithie. Mitchell's case was
elltlertes, and it wail log veto o e.y whether his
negligence wan so,* a. to inflect ter So I,:t.nishment.
In inviting the public a,. the bridge nt .11114.1
hutEte me it wan safe. With israpi to Tanner, ;e
could w 4 ace, with any method of rear.ojny, bow be
could he held reaponsible for the safety of the hshiZs.
I.ater in the day the Wand Jury threw out the bill
againat all the priaonerw

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