The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-18 00:00:00

waittlrefaksomi
went' with him
again On Satr
of Mr
. me to
you to
"Come

said, after we had gone a 11t4e distance, that I should be
o,liged to rest, and he then sad, "Don't di op 'em, for God's
sake, or elie you'll break 'em " I said, "1 shan't break
'em; I know how to handle hair." When he left me in the
cab, he sal4d, "I hall see you Stokes, At seven o'clock, a 4
your house." I merely said, "All right,"' and f, Howe& thai
cab. The woman who ebtered the cab with Wainwright was
not the woman who asked hinv for money in my presence.
To a juror: He knew that Vainwright's brother kept the
"Hen aid Chickens" in the Borough. It is shut up now. I
don't know how Wainwright got the key of the premises.

Why didn't you give Wainwright in charge at once when
you first discovered the contents, !dl the Lpfaresiki?—Well,,X.
knew that he was a proud man, and a man of a daring spirit,
and I thought if he had cut bodyjip, lhe.ka4reiçu).veyri
in his pocket he xnPght,shbdt 00.
.1 - a A r
Did you ever See the two women in company together 7—No.
Do you think that the two women knew:each
dare say they did—they could not be Off" knowing one
another. I know Alice Day was often watching him about.
I don't know whether the umbrella which I saw at the wine-
house belonged to the missing young_wonian.
Police constable Ile4y repealedk •
given before the police magistrate od3rondik, whichwas
the effect that the attention of himself and another con-
stable was called by the witness Stokes • to Wainwright,
who offered them first £5O and then £2OO apiece if they
would let him go and take no farther notice of the parcels.
Both prisoners were conveyed to Stone's-end police station,
where the parcels were opened. One contained the trunk, the
other the head and extremities of a human body. There
were altogether eleven pieces. When asked to account for
the possession of the body,Wainwright replied, •tSend for my
friend Mr. Martin, and in his presence I *ill -snake a state-
ment." Inspector Fox sent for Mr. Martin, and on his
arrival Wainwright made a statement which was taken down
by the inspector. The parcels were afterwards given over to
Mr. Larkin, the divisional surgeon of police.
Inspector Fox, M division, 'co repeated his former evi-
dence, and said that when ask ol for his name and address,
the male prisoner gave it as e.enry Wainwright, 78, New
road, Whitechapel, where he worked for Mr. Martin, and the
female also gave a correct aduress. The male pritoner asked
that a friend of his (Mr. Martin) might be present when he
made his statement in answer to the charge at the police-
station.

1 E]

the eviibtff

By the Jury: The female prisoner was made acquainted
with the contents of the parcel at the station before she
made her statement. J obtained the knowledge that t
parcels contained the portions of a body from the surge),
who made an inspection of them.
Mr. W. C. Stoker, solicitor, said he had been inGructed
the brother of Wainwright, who formerly kept the "lieu
and Chickens," to watch the case for the accused, and
' I
answer to his questions, „.
The Inspector said that he took down the statements at
Abe time they were made, put the accused weremot asked to;
sign them. The mould in the grave, which appeared to be
fosh, at the warehouse, 215, Whitechapel-road, consisted to
Marge extent of chloride of lime. 1 t i
By the Jury: I found an umbrella, which was torn, on the
floor above the warehouse. I found nothing in the shape of
clothing.
The Coroner, addressing the jury, said: I have had a com-
tmunioation made to me by Superintendent Garforth, stating
,!that he has received a letter from the Home Office, who
write that it is the intention of the Treasury to take up OA
investigation of this matter; The solicitor to the Treasuryo
Mr. Pollard, has been instructed to prosecute in this case,,,
and I have been desired to take such •evidence only sile,
will justify me to remand this inquiry. I have no doubt_
that on the next occasion of our meeting we shall have a
more complete acrount of the examination of the content*,
of the parcels, and whether they relate to the whole of one
or more b )dies. An examination will no doubt be made
to see if the indentations on the stones in the warehouse
correspond with the axe, and also it the hair on the axe is a
port,on of that of the deceased. This latter point is of
immense importance, and great care will no doubt be taken
in the comparison. .1
Superintendent Garforth : It occurs to me that you might
like to have the adjourned inquiry as soon as possible, and
I would suggest the 21st tinst. I think it very probable
we shall have two or three remands before the magistrate,
and that you will find it necessary to adjourn your investiga-
tion more than once. The friends of the young woman wha
has been missing from home for more than twelve months,
have some evidence they wlsk to bring forward, and they
have but little doubt that the body found is that of the--
The Coroner : I understand that is the case; at all events
I let the evidence be produced on the next occasion.
The inquiry was ultimately adjourned until the 24th itist

SHOCKING CATASTROPHE IN INDIA.
TWO HUNDRED PILGRIMS DROWNED.
A correspondent writes as follows from Madura,
August 8, to the Madras Mail :—lntelligence has been
received at this station of a frightful catastrophe,
which befel a party of pilgrims to the Mahalingam
shrine, on the Tinnevelly frontier, on the evening of
Sunday last. If we are to believe the reports of re-
turned pilgrims, more than 200 persons were drowned
under'circumstances of the most heartrending charac-
ter. Thirty-three of the Madura pilgrims have been
either carried away by the mountain torrent or are mis-
sing; and it is frightful to think how many more, from
Tinnevelly or other parts, may have shared the same fate.
The shrine in question stands on the summit of one of
the Saduragiri hills (literally four hills) which form .a
portion of the Saptoor estate, though included in the
Tinnevelly district.„ The direction from Ikl.dura is
south south-west, find the dititance nearly 50 miles.
What particular manifestation of Siva this shrine was
, built to commemorate I cannot at present tell, nor is
it known where the first devotee from whom the pre-
sent one traces an unbroken line of succession estab
lished himself; but, however that might have been,
thousands of people from all parts of the country flock
thither in this part of the year to get cured of fancied
or real evils, and, if possible, to lay by a store
of blessings for themselves and their children.
From the base of the hill long circuitous
path leads up to the shrine, for a distance
of ten miles or so, along fearful chasms, and deep,
meandering mountain torrents, and through meshes of
cane-brake or other underwood. The pilgrims arrived
at the shrine, used to pass a night or so in the jungle
without anything like a roof over their heads. The
dry bed of the mountain torrent that skirts the
shrine used to be their quarters; and there
they cooked and ate their meals, sung and danced,
and otherwise made themselves comfortable. On the
evening of Sunday last, there was the same spectacle
as used to be in former years—thousands of men,
women, and children were talking' or eating, or
dancing in the sandy bed: hundreds of sheep and
fowls, brought up to be sacrificed, stood in mourn-
ful groups, each waiting its turn • some pilgrims, more
religious than the reit, were rolling in front of the
shrine or performing other equally curious evolu-
tions—in fact, everything went on without a hitch. At
five p.m. there was a tremendous shower of rain ten
minutes later, the hitherto dry bed was full, and the
water rushed down headlong carrying those who
could not force their way through the crowd, and the
general confusion was rendered still more dreadful by
the darkness. Many dead bodies intercepted by
roots and bushes were picked up in the bed; a good
many were seen floating on towards the Waptrap
tank; some were found jammed between stones, and
only a few of the ill-starred lot saved themselves by
catching hold of some friendly bough.

SHOCKING COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—
ELEVEN LIVES LOST.
The Correspondent of the Daily News gives the following
particulars of a shocking colliery accident which happened
in the Shrepshire coal field, on Saturday mornihg last, by
which eleven lives have been lost
At six o'clock in the morning the pit's com-
pany assembled on the bank to descend to work in
Henry Guy's pit, at the Donnington Wood Colliery of
the Lilleshall Coal and Iron and Engineering Company,:
of which Earl Granville is the chairman. A detach-
ment of six men first went down, and then a second of
five men. Henry Guy, the chartermaster, remained
at the top with three men for whom he could not find
work. After the eleven miners had 'descend64 ,
horse was let down by arrangement. No one, how-
ever, was at the bottom of the shaft to receive
it, nor did the shouts of Guy and his helpers at the
top meet with any response. This occasioned alarm,
and a descent was made by the downcast shaft. This
revealed that a portion of the pit had "fired," and
that it was wholly full of carbonic oxide, and other
deadly gases, which, when, Inhaled, cause almost
instant death. The alarm now spread with great
rapidity, and the pit bank was quickly thronged, not
only with men willing to risk their own lives as a for-.
lorn hope in seeking for the corpserof relatives, friends,
and neighbours; but also by women frantic with grief
frem the sudclencleeolaticin whith had fallen upon them;
for only three of the eleven men were under twenty
years of age. By "hratticing," and by re-opening a
road twelve yards in length which had become filled-
up with debris, it became possible to pass from the
bottom of one shaft to the bottom Of the other. In
effecting this much risk was run by the workers,
who now and again had to leave and return to
bank, stupefied by the poisonous gas', which the little
air they could carry with them ,by the aid of the
bratticing was insufficient to sweep out. Presently
the carcase of the horse was found at the bottom of the
upcast shaft, and beneath it were the dead bodies of
the two miners who had been told off to receive the
,ianimal so soon as it had beenlet down. ,The other
nine men, there was reason to believe, were all lying
dead in the "inset," above five-and-twenty yards
from the bottom of the np-cast shaft. Upon descend-
ing it would be their duty to remain there until the
fireman, who was one of their party' had gone round the
workings with his 'test lamp, and had reported all safe.
It was not possible, even with all the temporary means
available, directed though they were by men of science
• and skill, to get air that could sustain life at any
nearer point to the deceased than seven yards. The
air beyond that point could be breathed for only a few
moments, and no light could live in it,. Into this
deadly seven yards one or other of the brave Miners
who constituted the forlorn hope blindly rushed, .grOp-
ing with outstretched hands, trying to clutch 4 :body:
and drag it into' the' 'air and the light. Again and
again the noble fellows tried, now failing, now succeed-
ing; and dead miners and half-dead rescuers were hent
alternately to the excited attendants who thronged the
bank at the top of the downcast shaft. Surgical aidw
was there, and it proved of great service in tilei•eitor4:
tion of the unconscious miners,who so'nobly worked tfo-
reach their dead comrades.
...Qf only. ()WA the eleven
could it INS said that there was about him even,thie
faintest 4emblanc,e of life—whilst all the rest had been
fatally ppisoned *aid; 15erhaps; ten Mitrotes of- their
reachingalua..`!inf,et.'.: and, war.** thereiore; stiff and
eold, when they were clutched in the darkness, he pea.,
sessieg a more robust constitution than they,, was yet
warm. So soon as it was reported thet the poor fellow
was alive the excitement ieastgens.,e tt ;he surgeon
oon (Ripened the lilt airt -----`the an was beyond
all human aid. In no one of the dead was there distor-
tion of either features or limbs, but the lamp-black as ound
the nostrils was an indication only too true that
they had breathed " fire-stink " and carbonic oxide.
Further exploration showed that the gas had come
from an accidentally fired coal which was burning
slowly in an air-way some 80 yards off. The pit is
working the yard coal and the yellow stone, and there

vee,

Lee Colliery. Mr. iNlaurice went into-the pit, and was
for some time overcome by the gas. William Poppett,
the head sinker, was at the bottom of the downcast
shaft for several hours without coming to the surface;
and Williata Pitehf.ord;Robort Worraff, JameirPitch-!
ford, and George Hariolcks were the btite men who!
risked their lives in the effort to get out the bodies of
theii coinrades.

I to the

All the bodies were got out by noon, and removed
.5-TH homes which they had formerly inhabited near
to the pit. The following is a hot of •tile 4atd :-
James Morgan, Wrockwafdlttcod Thomas Teke,,
Moss; James Wagge, Potatoe-row ; James White;
OldAir44Arninanutl giyjn.poirgerefillivid Guy,
St. G-e-orges ; James Stanworth, St. George a ; Edward
Guy, St. George's; Charles Hayward, Wrockwardine-
<rigid ; Alfred Guy, Moss; James Guy, Oakengates.
Emmanuel Guy was the fireman, and he is brother to
the charter master.

F-Rr A -
kTI VA thirttii the el bilAiaa4
miners was solemysed. The larger number were
interred at St. George's, and the rest at Wrockwardine
Wood and elsewhere. They were all young men, the
fireman, who was the oldest, being just over forty years.
Five, however, were married, and three of them leave
families. The chief officers of the Lilleshall Colliery
displayed respect and tenderness. The coffins had all
3en supplied from tile work*, and' had heen fifiished
with due regard to tile feelings of the relatives. The
widows will be allowed to remain a twelvemonth in
the company's cottages rent free, and some assistance
will be rendered them during that time, while every
effort will be made to find employment for those chil-
dren whose labour can be made available.

Mr. Lloyd, the manager of the company; Mr.
Green, the mine manager, who had the pit under his
immediate supervision, together with Mr. Maurice,
the other mine manager of the company, are evincing
unmistakable concern and grief at what has happened;
and they are doing their utmost to arrive at such a.
knowledge of the cause of the calamity as shall pre-
vent the repetition of the disaster at any other of the
numerous pits of-the Lilleshall Company, which have
, for long years been in course of working.