The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-07-05 00:00:00

POOLE.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT HAMWORTHr.
BRUTAL CONDUCT.

T he inquest was commenced on Friday last, and
was held at the " Ponsonby Arm'," before the borough
Coroner, G. B. Aldridge, Yugo and • jury of whieh
Mr. G. F. Wanbill was the bovine% Mr. H. T.
Trevanion (sad in his absence his ropresentstive, Mr.
W. If. Curtis) watched the Cala on beh slf of the
widow and children; and Mr. Dickinson, Town Clerk,
for the Quay Trustee..
The first witaess was Samuel Hoare, toll-keepir at
the bridge. On Saturday, hessid, he saw the deceased
go into Poole, about seven in the evening; but he did
not Nee him again. He was • steady, sober man, sad
not given to drink. About • quarter to eleven the
same night George Hibbs, • farmer, of Lytchett, sod
George Paull, fish dealer, of Hamworthy, drove over
the bridge in their earts. Hibbs was sober, but Paull
appeared the wore. for liquor. Persil was generally a
fast driver, but he did not appe ir to be going psr-
ticularly feat on that occasion. The lamp over the
toil-house, and •Is the one on the Poole side, were
lighted; but the one on the Efamworthy side was not,
as the gas manager (Mr. Sudden) had given orders
that it was not to be lit in summer. It was not a
very dark night.
In answer to Mr. Curtis, witness said there woe •
fourth lamp, which had not been used for year.; and,
In reply to Mr. Dickinson, he said the accident
occurred on the bridge trust.
Mary Orchard, wife of a railway porter, was at the
toll-house about • quarter to ten that night, when
some one paned by and said "Good night," and
another party remarked "That s Willis."
The widow of deceased stated that he was absut
thirty-five years of age. She socdutpanled hire to
Poole, leering him just rater ton, up to which time he
had only hsd on. glare of bor. He wee brougot
home about a (orter to eleven. He sdd "Oh, Gems
d iwn, mother,' but did not speak again. He was
quite sober.
Mr. Harbert Lawton, surgeon, of Poole, described
the injuries the deceased had sustained. There was
an abrasion of the skin soda dent in the skull Lome-
diately beneath it, on the top of the back of the head
on the left side, a small wound near the left eye,
another near the left ear, and • wound of &beat an
inch on the left leg. Ho wee suffering from coocuasion
of the brain,_ and complained of Injury to his Left
shoulder. He died on Thursday morning, from
inaammation of the brain. His opinion woe that he
was struck by the shaft on the rightside of the hood,
was knocked down, end the welitcoing over him
caused the wound on the left skis, was perfectly
sober.
In reply to Mr. Curtis, Dr, Lawton said the deceased
was conscious enough at times to answer questions,
but was very reticent, and would not say anything
about the accident.
Mr. George Hibbo, farmer, of Lytchett, who wee
driving one of the Us' s that pissed through the gate
shortly after the UnUtiten 4as man, said he was quite
sure he ran over no one. When he got to the school-
house the vehicle behind him pissed him, and the
driver of it, who also had a b sy with him, said something
abont running over s unisons. His own trap was • low
pony one, the other a high two-wheeled.
By Hr. Dickinson: He did not stop to ask the man
wh at he meant.
Edmund Short, • porter at the Hamworthy Junction,
said Paull drove up there a few minutes before eleven
to know if any mackerel had come. He was the worts
for liquor.
Junes blaseeiwhite, a lad of 13, in the employ of
Paull, revs a very clear amount of the transact! in.
He said when they got over thisso4 he felt
the cut jerk as though it went over mg. The
wheel went up. Paull said I'i'. been run over
something, and witness said" I think you'd better....
Ti this Paull made no answer, He was the worse for
drink, but bad not had eery much. The cart will
shout two yards from the wall. When they got to
the other side of the ochoolroom. Paull and the other
ist bad • race. Oa Sunday he told him the man was
run over, and that morning be came downstairs and
asked him how he was, and be had not seen him
sinec._ _
—— . -

By Mr. Curtis: lie felt only oass jerk. Paull had
not told him what to say.
B 1 Mr. Dickinson The other cut was close in
front of them.
The toll-keeper, re-Nallsd, said that this wet false.
Henry Eaton, grooer's assistant, described finding
the poor man lying in the road, and be also salt that
at the oboe of the acddent the two trap. mos have
been 60 yards apart. It was eery dark at the ,p ,t in
quisation.
Mr. Alirn, boat builder, of Ham, helped take the
deceased home, and heard him say, in answer to his
wife, he did not know who had done it.
The boy Musselwhite, re-calls,, thin added, in
direct contr idiction to whit he had previously said,
that Paull told him to get out and go back sod see
who the man wax • but, although be gs. out of the
cart, he was too froihtened to go back. He couldn't
toil what frichten him.
The invest, was then adj snrsed for a week.