The Press.
London, England, 1858-11-20 00:00:00

1130

but recovered after shedding a flood of tears.) She
then proceeded to say—When we got to Ditton
Church it wanted four minutes to three o'clock.
When we go, to Ditton Plough we went into the
kitchen. She bad a glass of cherry-brandy, and I
had a glass of brandy and water. We then went
into the parlour, where she had another glass of
cherry-brandy, and we went across the green to the
boat-races. We were gone about ten minutes, and
then returned to the Plough. She returned with
Mrs. Ford to the Plough. I and the latter went
into the parlour, and she went on to the kitchen. She
was gone about ten minutes, and then returned to
the parlour. The two gentlemen into whose trap
we got came in there. I never saw them before in
my life. She had another glass of brandy and water
in the parlour, and smoked a cigar. Sho had smoked
another in the fly. She was smoking and drinking
in the parlour about half an hour. She bad more
than one glass of brandy and water there. She had
three glasses of brandy and water there, but Mrs.
Ford drank with her, and one glass was upset and
the contents spilt. The two gentlemen (Mr. Pear-
son and his friend) were in the room when the three
glasses were ordered ; they were in conversation with
us. I asked the gentlemen whether they were
walking or driving. They said they had a trap, and
I asked them to take me for a drive. They con-
sented, and one of them and myself also asked de-
ceased to go, and she consented. I and one of the
gentlemen were behind, and deceased and the other
in front. The thinner of the two gentlemen (Mr.
Hulbert) was in front; he was sitting on the driving
side. As we were going to the trap, deceased said,
" Who is going to sit in front'" I said, " I am."
She said, " No, if I go I shall go in front, and I shall
drive." They very much wished her not to drive,
but she would, and when on the road they begged of
her to give the reins up, but she would not. She
got in first, and the reins were given to her by a lad
who was standing by. I believe she was then ex-
cited by what she had taken, or she would not have
driven. She was not drunk, however. She did not
drive fast at first, and when near the turnpike she
whipped the horse, and drove through the turnpike-
gate galloping. She turned on the high road towards
Cambridge, but ,hen turned back and drove through
the Newmarket-gate towards Bottisham. She then
went quietly some distance, and then would whip the
horse again and urged him on to the gallop, and the
latter continued galloping up to the time of the acci-
dent. I several times begged her not to go so fast,
as I said I 2ould hardly hold on. I told her I was
sure there would be an accident if she did not give
up the reins, but she would not. The gentleman
next her attempted to take the reins from her, but
she snatched them away. There was a cart close to
our trap in front, but whether she ran against it or
not lam not able to say. I felt a jerk, and was
thrown out instantaneously. The gentlemen gave
her no permission to drive, but wished her not several
times. She said, "I can drive. I know how."—Tlie
coroner having summed up, the jury returned a
verdict of " Accidental death," the foreman adding
that they were of opinion the death of the deceased
was attributable to herself alone. A post-mortem
examination revealed that the death of the deceased
was caused by concussion of the brain—a slight bruise
on the forehead, and a graze, scarcely perceptible,
down the side of the face being the only outward
marks of injury.
A MOST EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT occurred last
week on the North-Eastern Railway. The engine of
an eleven o'clock train from Newcastle to Shields and
Sunderland, after leaving the Felling station, broke
down in a deep cutting approaching a long tunnel
which runs underneath the village of Heworth. At
the moment that the engine broke down, the driver
and guard knew that a heavy goods train, drawn by
two large engines, was following them, and that the
fast train from York and Manchester and London
was due, and might pass any moment along the
opposite pair of rails. The passengers, to avoid
being smashed by a collision with the goods train,
would have to escape across those up•rails on to the
opposite embankment The engine driver, thinking
this the lesser of the two dangers, called on
the passengers to jump and clamber up the
opposite wall for their lives. All who heard got out
of the carriages, and the ladies had to be pulled up a
six-foot wall ; all, however, were not able to get up
in time. The guard was sent back to warn the goods
train ; but though its drivers saw him and took off
the steam, they were not able to pull up in time,
and they ran into the passenger train, sending a first
class carriage off the ways, and half across the up-
pair of rails. In a moment, after this occurrence the
fast train was discovered emerging from the tunnel,
and it was seen that it had all its steam on. The
ladies who had not escaped on the embankment,
were held close to the will, and the train dashed
against the first class carriage that lay in her way,
smashing its end to pieces, and tearing twu or three
other carriages of the standing train off the rails.
On it dashed, however, and, having ascertained at
the Felling station that no one was killed, the engine.