The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-30 00:00:00

THE PELSALL HALL COLLIERY
ACCIDENT.

moat AT.

The work of bringing up the eighteen bodies found
on Friday night was not completed until nearly eleven
o'clock yesterday. The nineteenth still remains un-
discovered, but is suppoied to be buried beneath a mass
of rubbish at the foot of Jigger-hill. About one o'clock
on Saturday morning the explorers had succeeded in
bringing seven bodies to the surface, and wexe
conveying another along the roadway when their
lights were extinguished by choke damp, and they were
compelled to leave the corpse they had with them and
run for their lives. Mr. A. Lindop and Mr. J. W.
Baker, two of the party, were severely affected, and it
was found necessary to take the former home. Yester.
day he had recovered sufficiently to return to the pit.
On Friday night various experiments were tried under
direction of Mr. J. P. Baker, Government Inspector, for
expelling the damp, but without success until about four
o'clock yesterday morning, when, by means of anew cross
heading, the ventilation was restored, and it was found
possible to resume the work of clearing the roadway.
It was nine o'clock, however, before the heading where
the bodies were was reached, and in less than two hours
more they were all brought to the surface and removed
to the "Station Inn," where oak coffins provided by
the proprietors were in readiness.

THE FUNERAL OBSEQUIES.
rho funeral obsequies of twenty of the victims of
the great colliery disaster took place on Monday
afternoon. The scene was one which will never be
forgotten by those who witnessed it. From an
early hour, in spite of a drenching rain and bitterly
cold wind', thousands or persons thronged the
neighbourhood of the church. The service was
timed for two o'clock, but it was nearly three
before the whole of the bodies arrived. Many
of them during the Light had been removed to their
homes. The first to arrive at the church (which was re-
I served for relatives and mourners) was that of Frank
lkes, 18. The mourners and pall-bearers were all
young men of about the same as deceased. The next was
that of Thomas Starkey, aged 70, the only one which
was conveyed to its last resting place in a hearse. The
names of the others who were buried are Richard Hyde,
28; Charles Asbury, 21; George Cassell, 27; john
Starkey (son of the above Thomas Starkey) 28; Joseph
Hollis, 21; John Roberts, 15; Steven Lawson, 12;
Charles Capewell (no age given) ; Edward Williams,
37 ; Michael Cash, 47; Charles Cash, his son, 15;
John Mater, 43; George Ball, 38 • Thamas Hawkes
or Allcock (no age given) ; John Hayward, 38;
Thomas Hollis, 28 ; Thomas Starkey, 12 (the grand-
son of the above Thomas Starkey) ; Thomas Coleman,
17—Coleman and Halter were Roman Catholics. John
Hubbart, 17, was buried on Sunday at Aldridge parish
church.
In the course of the service on Monday the Rev. J.
Turner made a few remarks on the great calamity
which had called them together. He alluded to the
uncertainty and shortness of life, and impressed on all
the necessity of being in readiness. The discourse
created a profound impression.
At the grave a most harrowing scene was presented.
. The sorrowing relatives pressed forward to get a last
look as the coffins disappeared one after another.
Many of the women fainted away. The immense
multitude observed a decorous silence and gradually
. dispersedafter the ceremony was over.
MONDAY.

The search for the missing man, Wm. Richards, is
being prosecuted with vigour. The whole of the head.
logs and workings have been explored, but without
success. A heading has also been thuried through the
jigger, where he is sunposad to be concealed under the
rubbish and mass of fallen roof.
This evening a town meeting was held at Walsall,
under the presidency of the Mayor. There was a
large attendance, and among the speakers was Mr.
C. Forster, M.P., who moved a vote of sympathy
with the bereaved. He alluded to the necessity for
scientific education among a mining population, and
expressed his belief that the Mines Regulation Bill of
last session would result in great good.
Further contributions to the relief fund were an.
nounced amounting to DO/

than assure the Court that whatever day Shifty might
think prow to appoint for the trial be should be ready
to proceed with it, and be would leave the appoiet-
ment of the time of the trial unreservedly in the hands
of the Court itself, satisfied that they would make the
beet posaible arrangement, comistently with the public
convenience.
M. Sergeant Sleigh suggested whether the trial had
not better begin after next Term, but
The Lord Chief Justice said there would then arise
a greater difficulty as to the continuance of the trial,
because then there would be only a mouth before the
_ . —-- would then arise also
. . .

Circuits commenced. There
difficulties as to adjournment of the trial; difficulties
it would be better to avoid. HA thought it was better
for the interests of justice to avoid an adjournment,
and to let the trial, when once commenced, go right on
to its conclusion.
Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Serjeant Sleigh assented to
thig.
The Lord Chief Justice observed that there were
two indictments for perjury, and it would be necessary
to have them tried by separate juries. It would be
convenient, therefore, that the counsel for the prosecu.
tiou should before the trial came on make their elee.
tion on which indictment for perjury they would pro-
ceed. (Counsel assented.) He would add that the
Master reminded him that fifteen days notice of trial
was rtquired-
Mr. Hawkins assented, but as to the continuance of
the trial after Term be reminded their Lordships that
in the cave of O'Connell, which was tried "at Bar"
in Ireland, there had arisen an objection to the con-
tinumce of the trial, which was one of the grounds of
error. [The objection, however, was only to "the
form "of the notice of continuance, and it was entirely
overruled by the Judges and the House of Lords.] He
did not say that it was a valid objection, but he thought
it right to mention it.
The matter then dropped.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Saturday morn-
ing, the Lord Chief Justice, seeing the Attorney-
General in court, said—We have been considering, Mr.
Attorney-General, what should be done in the case of
the Queen v. Castro. We have considered, in the
first place, that, desirable as it is that the case
should be taken at the earliest possible moment,
we find, as I have already stated, that it is out
of the question to hope that it can be taken this
term; and that being so, we have had to consider
whether it can be taken in Hilary term. A serious
obstacle presents itself to that, because there is reason
to doubt whether, if webegin the trial in that term, we
can go on with it and dispose of it before the com-
mencement of the spring circuits ; and if we have three
judges sitting engaged in tiying this cane, great incon-
venience will arise in mating the necessary arrange-
ments for the spring circuits. It seems to us that, as
the case has already stood over for so long a time, the
beet way will be to postpone it until next Baster term.
Four days of that term will be required for hearing
motions for new trials; but on the fifth day we can
commence the trial, and proceed with it to the end,
without the risk of interfering with the summer
circuits.
The Attorney. General : I am much obliged to your
lordship for the information. I will let Mr. Hawkins
know your determination.
The Lord Chief Justice :1 have made the statement
because I thought it for the convenience of all parties
that they should know an early as possible what day
we have fixed for the triaL
Mr. Justice Blackburn: Of course the defendant
must be informed of the day.
The Attorney-General: I will let Mr. Gray, the
solicitor to the Treasury, know your lordships' deci-
sion, and he will at once communicate with the solicitor
on the other side.
The Lord Chief Justice: We can draw up the rule
next term.