The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-18 00:00:00

A STRANGE AFFAIR.

On Saturday an inquest was held by Mr. Humphreys,
coroner for Middlesex, at the White Hart 'Tavern,
Clifton-street, Finsbury, London, on the body of a
buy named Jan Strangeways, aged thirteen. Mr.
Vann, solicitor, appeared on behalf of James Loader.
a boy thirteen years of age, who had been arrested on
suspicion of having caused the death of the deceased.
The deceased was the son of a vellum binder, and
on Thursday afternoon his mother gave him permis-
sion to imite a boy named James Loader to play with
him, and then she went out. When she returned
about seven o'clock, she was unable to obtain admis-
sion. A Mrs. Dean, at her request, entered at the
window and opened the door and let her in. In the
back parlour the deceased was found lying on the
hearth dead and covered with blood. On the table
were two knives, one of them a carving knife, with
blood on it. A poker, which had evidently been made
red hot, was on a chair, the canework of which was
nearly burnt through.
Mrs. M'llonald, the landlady of the house, said
that she had heard the deceased and Loader playing
together, talking and laughing until about six o'clock.
At that hour, or a little before, she heard some one ro
quietly along the passage, and gently shut the street
door. She heard no one stir in the house after that,
and when going out before seven o'clock she noticed
the back parlour door about two inches open.
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Police-sergeant }lades, acting inspector at the Old-
street police-station, said that information of the facts
was brought to him at a quarter to eight o'clock on
Thursday evening, and he went to 55, Clifton.street,
and there he saw the deceased dead. He then went to
see about the boy Loader. He was the son of s trades-
man living at 9, South-street, Finsbury-market. He
returned from Strangeways' house at about six o'clock,
and saying nothing about what had happened, had
asked for his tea, and by his mother's account did not
appear to be in the least excited. The witnesistold the
boy that it was his duty to examine his hands and
clothes, and he did so, There Wla, no sign of blood
on either. Loader said that he had left Strang.eways
sitting in a chair with nothing the matter with him.
Witness said to him, "Wan it an accident while you
were playing?" and he said, "No," but he could not
liak witness in the face; he hung down his bead.
When asked about the red hot poker which had burnt
the chair he answered that he knew nothing about it;
he left deceased all right. Witness said, "Very well.
You were the last person with the dead boy and you
will be summoned before the coroner. You will then be
put on your oath and will have to tell the whole truth."
He had been cautioned in the usual way. He con-
sidered for a minute, and then he said, "Well, I will
tell you all about it." He then made the following
statement which was reduced to writing: -

1, James Loader, wish to maka a statement respecting the
death of John Strangeways. Ile came to my father's shop,
No. 9, South-street, Finsbory-market, and asked me to go
home with him to No. 55, Clifton.street, Finsbury. I went
with him, and we both played together In the hack parlour
with n small engine. We thought we heard some person in
the front parlour. John Strangeways placed the poker In
the lire and made It hot. Re then took the poker hi his left

band and the knife in his right, and I took a knife also, sad
we both went into the front parlour. We then returned
into the hack parlour. I walked In front John Strangeways
came behind me and ran against the door. The knife,
which he was carrying backhanded with the point down-
wards, ran into ho groin, lie then drew It out and placed It
on the table and said, "I shall bleed to death." lie then
attempted to sit on • chair, hut fell across the fender I
lifted him up and placed Tim against a chair in the corner of
the room. I gave no alarm, but left the house and went
home to set my tea. laid not tell my father or mother what
had happened. It was about six o'clock when this took
idace. 'Signed, JalfEs LOADER.
The witness added that when the prisoner was being
taken to the police-court on Friday, he said, "I was
afraid my father would beat me if 1 told him about it,
and I said nothing. We used often to play at robbers.
We did not hear any one in the front room, but we
pretended there were robbers there, and we went in t
fight them."
The father and mother of Loader said he was always
a very quiet, mild boy. I-le wee fond of the deceased,
and was continually plowing with -him. Dr. Thomas
Chandler said that on Thursday evening he was called
in to see the deceased about eight o'clock. The body
was quite stiff, and death mast have taken place two
hours previously. There was a wound in the de-,
ciased's groin nearly three inches deei,, which the end
of the carving-knife just fitted. The weapon had
penetrated from above downwards, and had divided
the femoral vein. Death must have ensued in five
minutes ; he had no doubt faintest and had fallen off
the chair and died. Fnim the direction of the wound
if insist have been self-intlicted. If another person
had indicted it it would have been in a more slanting
direction. A person standing behind the deceased
might, perhaps, have caused the wound, but it was
hardly probable that it was so caused. Mrs. Strange-
ways said that her son was very fond of playing at
robbers and at soldiers. He was rather excitable.
She believed the deceased's death was accidental. Mr.
John Strangeways, the deceased's father, was also of
opinion that the occurrence was accidental.
The jury returned a verdict "That the deceased
wee found dead from a wound in the groin, and that
the said wound was occasioned by his own act through
misadventure."
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