The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-27 00:00:00

Zonurstt!Shirt.

HENST-RIDGE

THI FATAL ACCID/NT TO • STATION•MAIITIIL —On
Thursday an inquest was held before T. Wybrants,
Req., M.D. coroner, at the Henstridge Ash Inn, and a
respectable j ury, of which Mr. Coombs was chosen fore-
man, on the body of Mr. John Mitchell, when the fol-
lowing evidencewas given :—Thomas Wear, guard of
the goods train when the aocident happened, said he
was well aqminted with the deceased, who acted as
agent at the Henstridge station on the Somerset and
Dorset line. He had to fulfil all the duties required
there. Lest Monday the deceased stopped the train
by signal, as he had two empty trucks to go with the
train. Next to the engine they had three loaded
trucks. The engine stopped opposite the points and
the deceased cut off the engine to go on into the
siding. Witness got out of his van and saw the
engine go over the points into the siding; he then
ran on to the platform where the dsoesssd was stand-
, lug, who mid we have two emptice to go on. The
engine then came back, from the siding with the
trucks; those which were loaded were then left on
the line towards Templecombe. We shoved the
empty trucks out, and signalled the engine driver to
comeback. The deceased was standing wit bylines..
When the engine came back, which it did very
steadily, the deceased jumped down in front of the
trucks that were coming back. He (witness) mid
"You bad better conic out and let the engine come
back to the train." Mitchell said, "I will go out
and stop here," and then jumped on the platform,
and signalled the driver to back cautiously. The
engine then came back very slowly ; there were two
places to couple up. Witness ran and jumped behind
the empties to couple them to the hinder part of the
train. Dammed was then on the platform, whilst
I engaged coupling, which did not take but a very
short time, witness heard some one cry out, and
thought from the voice it was the dammed. He
gave two dreadful groans. Witness then looked
, under the train, and between two of the trucks on
the rails saw deceased's leg, which be pushed off
with his foot. Dammed was lying with his feettowarda
Teirpleoombe. He was not then dead. Witness
called the assistance of the engine driver and fireman,
and they,with the deceased's wife, who came from her
house, came to his help. Deceased breathed Untie
after he was laid on the platform; they than got him
into the station-house and sent for Mr. Long, surgeon,
of Stalbridge. Witham believed dammed jumped
between the trucks to couple them, and was caught by
the buffers. He did not believe any one was to blame-
-George Fisher, firemen on the goods train, stated
that on the day in question the deceased signalled
the train back. He got in twice to couple the trucks
but the first time he did not catch them. He then
signalled • mooed time Witham could not see
whether deceased went under or between the waggons.
As the trucks got close to each other be (wittiest)
put down the break. On hearing a cry wiener saw
the deosased's leg oa the line, which he appeared to
he dragging off. The former withas then called to
him and he found the clewed lying between the
truths. They shunted very cautiously, and be did
not believe the engine driver or any one else was to
blame. —Mr. R. Long, surgeon, of Stalbridge, said
be was sent for to see the deceased on Monday after-
noon. When he arrived he was quite dead. Witnem
examined the body, and found two or three bruises
on the stomach; the deceased was no doubt caught
between the bufiere of the trucks.—The coroner
briefly slimmed up, and the jury returned • verdict
of " Accidental death, and that no blame was at-
tached to any one."—Mr. Wood, travelling inspector
of the line, was present on behalf of the company.
We are gratified in being able to add that subecrip•
Lion lists on behalf of the widow and children of the
deceased have been opened, and the appeal liberally
responded to. The jury also handed beck their fees
to the coroner on the poor woman's behalf.

INQUEST ON THE BODY OF AN largirr.—At the
same time and place, and before the same jury, an
investigation took place into the cause of death of an
infant named Charlotte Perry, the illegitimate child
of one Jane Perry, who died on the previous Monday
morning. Various rumours having been circulated
in the village that the deceased child had either been
starved to death from want of proper nourishment
or by exposure to cold, the police constable residing
in the village very properly communicated the awe
to his superintendent, aud it it was determined to
have the case investigated by • jury.—The evidence
taken was as follows :—Tamar Clerk, who stated
that she acted as midwife in the village, deposed that
she attended the confinement of Jane Perry, who
was delivered of a healthy and strong female child
on the 25th September. The mother was not
married. It was her first child. Witness attended
the child four days and it got on well. She saw it
twice between that time and the time of its death.
a fortnight before which she noticed that the child
was very ill. On Sunday morning she was sent for
to see the child, and found it dying. She heard it.
moaning outside. When she examined the child
the next day ita hands were clenched. Did not see
any marks upon it, but the place where it was was
so dark she could not see properly. On the fourth
day after its birth the mother laid she had no milk,
but upon her requesting her to look, milk flowed
from her beeasts to the ground,—The mother of the
deceased child was then sworn. She positively
declared that she had never neglected the child, but
, stated that she bad not much milk. Mr. Parsons
surgeon, saw the child twice and his mutant once,
It was then suffering from sore eyerg—The police-
constable very closely cross-examined the mother, by
the coroner's permiesion. She did not leave the child
nearly the whole of two days. She also denied that
her mother told the policeman to fetch a doctor on
the previous Saturday night—The grandmother of
the child, who said her Dame was Samson, but that
she went by the name of Cherritt, was then ex.
arnined. She stated that the child suffered from
the bowel complaint, and that it gradually wasted
away. She also stated that her daughter did not
neglect the child—The Coroner, in summing up,
said that it was much to be regretted that a medical
man was not called in before the child died. He
then read over the evidence, and told the jury if
they were of opinion that the child had been crimi-
nally neglected by its mother, they could have a
post-mortem examination made of the body, but
be considered there vu no evidence to oontravert
that of the child's mother and grandmother. —The
jury then retuined a verdict that the deceased died
by the "Visitation of God."—There appeared, how-
ever. to be but on. opinion amorist tbs. jury, that
though the evidence was not conclusive as to the
child being criminally neglected, yet it. death will
not regretted by the mother or grandmother, and
that their manner of life reflected great discredit on
them.