The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-09-22 00:00:00

THE GOMER-STREET MURDER.

When the morning business was disposed of at the
Police-court, before Mr. Baffles yesterday, Thomas
Neesham was brought up for final examination, on a
charge of having murdered his wife Anne. in gomer-
street, on Tuesday night. The evidence given Was the
same as that which we published on Wednesday and
Thursday at the inquest held on the body of the deceased
woman. It being so recently before the public in
detail, it is not necessary to repeat it here. The depo-
sitions of the several witnesses having been taken, the
parties were hound over to prosecute, and the prisoner
was fully committed for trial on the charge of wilful
murder.

CORONER'S COURT.-YESTERDAY.

THE ACCIDENT IN LIME-STREET TUNNEL
ON THE KNOWSLEY REVIEW DAY.

The Coroner held the following inquests :
On the body of John Fewks, a guard belonging to
one of the passenger traius of the London and North-
Western Railway. He was 46 years of age. Mr.
Gill, solicitor of the company, was present. From the
evidence of Mr. John Jones, the station-master at Edge-
hill, it appeared that deceased was the guard of the
London train that arrived at Edge-hill, on the Ist inst.,
at 5.30, the day of the review at Knowsley. The train
had to stop in the tunnel, as all the lines were full,
consequent on the trains going to Knowsley. At 5.40
a train, with nine carriages, came from,. Dayton. It
had a break carriage, and the breaksman's name is
George Ward. He was ordered to lower the carriages
below the points near the mouth of the tunnel ; the
train was going about two or three miles an hour then.
In consequence of his not putting on the breaks pro-
perly, the train started down the tunnel. He sent an
engine down, with a porter and lamp in front, thinking
Ward would hare stopped the train in the middle
of the tunnel, which was not done. The engine re-
turned in fifteen or twenty minutes, and then he heard
of the collision, and of the injury to the deceased.
If Ward had obeyed the directions you gave him, would
the collision have been arrested ? Most decidedly; there
was nothing that I am aware of to prevent his obeying
the orders.—Was he, in your opinion, guilty of gross
negligence in not obeying the orders ? I must say it
was a want of judgment; the first of September was the
day of the great review at Knowsley Park ; the crowd
was enormous ; there was not great confusion at that
time, but afterwards we were very busy indeed.
Ward was asked if he wished to ask Mr. Jones any-
thing, and he said not ; but that he applied the break
as well as he could, but it was not sufficient to the
work.
Mr. Jones—lt was quite sufficient, if properly applied.
James Marshall, one of the door keepers, said he was
in the train at the time with deceased, who was knocked
out, and witness was knocked inside ; the carriages came
down very fast.
Edward Marsh stated that the break wos in good order
before the collision; he had examined it. It was sufficient
to stop the carriages below the points if properly applied.
ETe went to Tiaytcn and back with it before the acci-
dent, and it. was then in good order ; and if properly
applied would have stopped the carriages, if nothing
happened to it from the time he saw it.
Mr. Henry Ran-don, surgeon from the Royal Infirmary,
stated that the deceased was severely injured in both
hands; one had to be amputated, and two fingers of the
other hand also. He died inconsequence of the injuries.
Mr. W. Nicholson, the station master at the Lime-
street station, was examined as to the programme of the
day, and said, extra trains were run every ten minutes
or quarter of an hour, from 12 till 3, but there was no
alteration in regular trains. There. *as plenty of
room from Eilgehill-to the place where the collision took
place, for Ward to put on his break. The tunnel is a
mile and a quarter in length, and the collision took place
about 300 yards from the button. The level is lin 90.

To the Jury—The break was on someway, for he was
going perhaps five miles an hour, so he must have hail
the break on.
Fields Parker stated that be examined the break after
the accident, and found the rack partially forced out by
pressare--it would take a great (teal of pressure to turn
in the wrong way ; can't say it had been turned the right
way—the collision might or might not do it, Or a colli-
sion would do many things. There is only one way to
tilrn it to stop ; if it. had been ea the right way the
collision would net have tarried it the way we found it.
To the Jury—The break is worked by a rack ; the break
was off the wheel when I got. it..
The Coroner asked Ward if he wished to say any-
thing, but he declined. The Coroner then summed up,
and said no doubt all caution possible was used by the
company's servants to prevent an accident. He called
attention to the evidence of Mr. Jones, who said, if his
orders had been properly obeyed the accident world not
have taken place.
The Jury, after a consultation of a second, returned
verdict, of accidental death.
ALI,EGED WITT' ST NATION.—The next inquest was
• -8.11
on the body of Anne Walker, who died in the West
Derby Workhouse, as it was alleged, from starvation by
her husband,
William Walker, a porter, who lived in
Anne-street, Mill-road. The facts of this case appeared
in our report of the West Derby Board of Guardians.
The husband is in the custody of the Workhouse officers
on a charge of neglecting his family. Mr. Cobb appeared
for the man, who was present. The Rev. John Allen
slated that his attention was called to the deceased on
Sunday evening,the 12th August, and he saw her in
St. Anne-street,' Mill-road. Fotind her Very ill, soffer-
ing from some disease in the head. 'Recommended a
medical man forthwith, as he considered her case one of
great danger. Spoke to the husband when coming
down stairs, and said as he (the husband) wag not,
a member of the Church of England, 'he hoped he
had no objection to his visit, and he replied he had not.
Saw her again on the Tuesday and Thursday following.
Found a medical man had seen her, and her state of
health was better. Enquired her circumstances, as the
house was wretched, and she aaerve. ill a weak state.
She told him she had no means for her husband had
taken from her purse Ss.!and did not leave her a penny.
Mr. Cobb said that was not strictly evidence, but he
would not object to it. The rev. gentleman went on to
say that he says her from time to time until she was
taken to the workhouse. There was no food in the
hoase, and she could not live long without some nourish-
ment. He went to her father and said, as a clergyman,
he would not be doing his duty, if he did not tell him
that his daughter was dying for want of nourishment
and medical aid. The rev. geutleman gave an account
of the filthy state of the place. Went subsequently to
the workhouse and had her removed there. His opinion
was, and is still, that she was dying from the want of
nourishment. She lived in the workhouse eight or nine
days. The rev. gentleman was cross-examined by Mr.
Oobb, and be said his opinion was, that on the 12th of
August the family was 'destitute. and the man out of
employment. • Understood the husband to say that 'Dr.
Taylor was called, or was about to be called to her.
She told him that her husband spent his money in
cooksheps, and they had very little to live upon. 'She
put her band frequently to her head, but was not deli-
rious; she had been recently confined.—The coroner
complimented Mr. Allen on his kindness and humanity.
Mr. Bramham, relieving-officer of the West Derby Ur!ion,
stated that he visited deceased, and found lier a
wretched state, and gave her an order for two shillings'
worth of food and a doctor to see her. Removed her to
to
the workhouse on the Bth September. After some
ahiu t; o this day.
,tll3 wife of a man
further evidence, not of material interest, the further
l, whonntl earnedo
keeps a bad house at No.
named hearing of the case was adil;
Qns a the
mheos eadyohif ill
Rupert-street. The deceased was given to drink for,
Tears past, and was very drunk on Wednesday; on
Thursday morning she was taken in a fit, and shortly
afterwards she died. Verdict, " Died from apoplexy:'
On the body of
,Mathew Mulligan, a dock -labourer,
32 years of age, who lived at 3 court, Brook-street. It
appeared that on Wednesday be was at work on board a
ship called the Wayfarer, when he fell by accident
overboard, and Ras killed. There was no blame to any
one. Verdict, "Accidentally killed."
On the body of William Hunter, a varnish maker,
who was run over in the street, and died from the effecta
of the injuries. There was no blanie attached to any
one, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

NEW MAGISTRATE.—Mr. Chilton, one of the newly
appointed Borough Magistrates, sat yesterday in the
Second Police Court for the first time, but he did not
take anz.part in the proceedings.
'ST. JANIKS'S DEBATING} SOCIETY.—The session was
opened last evening at St. James's 'School-room, St.
James's-road. There was a large attendance of mem-
bers. Officers were elected, new members enrolled, and
a syllabas of subjects for discussion drawn ap. The
first paper of the session will be read in a fortnight,
A soiree will likely take place before Christmas.
BIRKENHEAD POLlCE.—Yesterday, at the Police-
court, Robert M.Gregor, auctioneer, of Hrandon-street,
was brought np on a charge. of assaulting his wife. Mr.
Brethertcn prosectited'; • and the casehaVing been proved,
the defendaiit Wil'boarid over to keep the peace, himself
in £lOO, and two
.sureties in £5,9; twelve months, im-
prisonmentdefault.--A in defaolt•4 nlan.lWll6lT4omes Murphy,
charged with hayipg been absent from his car on the
Woodside stand, was fined 10s. and costs, this being his
seventh offence.—Several beerhouse informations were
also heard, all of them being for keeping open after the
closing .hour on Sunday evening. Brien 11111oivan,
Field-street, was fined simply in the costs; Daniel Cal-
laghan, Watson-street, 10s. and costs; and Jas. Owens,
Brook-street, was also fined 10s. and costa,—.Edward
Gaffney, who has already been fourteen or fifteen times
in custody, was summoned for bring drunk opd
disor-
derly, He did not attend; but shortly after 'the curt.
rose, he rnade his appearance .at, the Po:Ar,e-016'e in a
state of Bercelti plesttis„ Vierice he N'i4f44 oincg tr44l4reAl
to the.blidevelt:
NlCi9a,ur4E Ps..!tEas.--Mentiou has h?en made of the
discovery of o new kiwi of paper fnr making cigarettes,
fold We 11OW And, from the Algiers journals, that a
manufactory has been established in that city for work-
ing this new invention, The paper in question is made
• from the refuse stalks and portions of the leaves which
hate been hitherto thrown away or burnt as useless. It
has been calculated that the value of the rags from which*
the paper for cigarettes has been usually made, amoi;knted
annually to from 9,000,000 f. to io,oompx rive-hene.
tit which France will detelXolathls invention may be
therefore rei-Aly c6iieelied, and no doubt can exist but
that The 'Manufacture must be attended with great
success.