The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-12-25 00:00:00

DEATH FROM STARVATION NEAR
kiDDERMINSTER.

Mr Elwin Docker (Ciis-tritt coroner) held an in-
quest at the Town Hall, kidderrninster, upon James
Haynes, aged sixty. who died while iieiug conveyed
from Shenstone to Kidderminster Workho4sef on
Saturday. Toe evidence showed deceased died
under very sad circumstances,—William Jordan, of
Shenstone, identified the dec_etsed, wh3, he said,
waS" a tabourer. Ile had been sleeping in pigstyes,
•stables, or Whalmir be could get in : and had no
friends or relatives as far aawitness knew. He had
done about four days' wok i si weeks. Deceased
came to the back door of the Piough Inn between
one and two oil .Saturday morning, and tarred.
Witness was sleeping at tee house, and he Went
to the window and asked what he wanted. When
trees told the time, deceased said he thought it
was later and t'ent n\lay.—E lward Jordan, land-
lord W.* the Plough Inn, Shenstone, said at nine
o'clock on Saturday night tk3 herd a moaning in
the pigstye at the back of. the hdusto and found the
deceaeed there. He had two old jackets ever him,
and was inside the coy: red part of the stye ife
appe.are I to be starved and frozen with the cold, and
w.ts too far gone to speak. WitneF,s had him carried
into a :flied, and gave him some brandy. wrapped
him it some ktekets, and made a fire, Dr. Fitch
was paKing about ele-?en o'clock, and was called in
Tile doctor said d ceased had better be removed
to the Workhouse, and witness sent for a trap and
started with him. He died as they were 5-oing up
the Butts. When he reached the Workhotn*,
the Master of the Botha refused to admit the
deceased's body without an order from the relieving
officer. Witness thereupon went to the latter, who
sent a verbal inc'ssage, and when w:tness got back
he found the body had been " &int out ".of the cart
and taken to the dead-house. Deceased was not in
a fit state to be taken into the house, beinq ragged
arid dirty, and there was no room where 'he coald
be put. He delieved deceased died from starva!ion.
—Mr. C. D. Fitch, surgeon, Chaddesley Corbett,
said he saw the deceased in a workshop at the back
of the Plough on Saturday, and he was on a car-
penters' bench, partly in the shed and partly outside,
There was a fire outside near him. Some men and
women were rubbing deceased, who was very cold
and unconscious. He was not actually frozen, but
hail suffered very much from expes.ire to cold, As
decea-ed had no home, he thought it was better to
r move him to he Workhouse than I ave him wh-re
he was. A fire in the open air was not much to
warm him. If had been left where he was he would
have died. He did not comi ler the removal of the
deceased hasteed Lis death. Witneis's father was
the parish doctor, but his father was nit sent f, .r.
Witness had been told that there was a man at
Shenstone who was 4ing of starvawn, and that
caused him to go across.—The Colone, said it wee
one of thee unfortunate Cases where they feud
man homele s and frientless, ant no doubt had he
been treat d differently when first di'scovered he
might have r covered. As it was Le appeared
t ) have d.ed of cold and starvatioa The jary
returned a v..edict of "Death from exposure and
starvation."