The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-11-19 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT AT THE EXCHANGE.

CORONER'S INQUEST
Mr. Richard Griffiths, merchant, who was run over and
so severely injured on Wednesday last, at the Exchange,
Tithebarn-street, died in the Northern Hospital on
Friday afternoon, and an inquest was held on Saturday
afternoon, touching the death. The deceased was much
respected, and a large number of his friends were
present. A most respectable jury was sworn to enquire
into the cause of death. It may be remembered that
the horse and dray that caused the death of the lamented
gentleman belonged to Messrs. Smith, Mumford, & Co,
brewers, and was driven by a mall named Richard
Robinson, who was in custody of the police, and who
was present at the investigation. Mr. Cobb appeared
for him. The first witness was
•Mr, John Harald, a commission Merchant, who resides
at Holt-hill, Tranmere, and who said he saw the accident
about half-past eleven on Wednesday last. The driver,
and another man, was in the cart (a spring vehicle,
laden with barrels of ale) ; the driver was going at a
rapid pace—seven or eight miles an hour, at least. The
men tried to pull up after the accident, but they could
not do so for forty yards or more. He thought the
horse was driven at much too rapid a rate, considering
the thoroughfare. He did not think the horse ran away.
Joseph M'Creath, a warehouseman, who lives in.
Lonsdale-street, stated that he was accustomed to horses
for forty years. He saw a spring cart in Chapel-street
on the morning in question, going at a Smart trot. He
saw the accident ; and, in reply to Mr. Cobb, said the
horse went seven times faster after the deceased was
knocked down, and the two men in the cart tried to stop
him. To the jury, he said the deceased might have seen
the cart coming, and if he had stepped back one yard,
the accident might have been avoided.
Charles Clegg, a porter, was examined; and said he
saw the accident. The horse was a spirited one, and
was going very sharp at a trot. Saw the deceased put
up his hands, and heard him shout to the driver, as if
to stop. He thought the driver was not paying atten-
tion. There was a space of from three to four yards
between the deceased and the horse when witness first
saw them. The speed at which the horse was going
was a very improper one. Thinks if the driver had
been attentive, he could have pulled up. The shaft of
the cart first caught the deceased at the back of the neck,
and the horse knocked him down-with his head. Wit-
ness picked up deceased. The witness was cross-
examined by Mr. Cobb, and said if the horse was on a
fair forward road, he would be going from six to seven
miles an hour.
William Gaskill and William Tyrrell, porters, and
Charles Grimes, the man who was with Robinson in the
cart at the time, were examined. They gave different
versions of the case, and also stated that the horse was
going at different rates of speed, from four to six miles
an hour. They all seemed to think it was an accident.
A conversational discussion took place between the
coroner, Mr. Cobb, and the jury, in reference to the
law and the bye-laws of the 'town on the subject of
driving ; and after some time
Surgeon Work Man, of the Northern Hospital, was
examined as to the injuries that caused death, and said
death was produced 'by effusion of ,blood on the brain,
the result of external violence.
Mr. Cobb made a few observations to the jury, and
said the question was this--was the man Robinson
grossly negligent, and driving furiously, and with
utter carelessness, that caused the unfortunate accident.
He contended that the unfortunate affair was a pure
accident,: and not the fault of the prisoner. He said,
driving at the rate of five or six miles an hour, was al-
lowed by custom in Liverpool, and the prisoner was
only going at that pace, and had the deceased looked at
one side or other, the accident which all deplored,
would not have happened.
The Coroner then went over the evidence, and said it
was a mistaken notion that drivers had that they could
drive at the rate of 'seven miles an hour. That all