The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-23 00:00:00

INQUEST ON THE LATE SIB GILBERT EAST.

The inquest on the body of the late Sir Gilbert
East. Bart., was held on Tuesday at the Hyde Town-hall,
where a large and curious crowd had smenabled. The
inquiry was watched by Hr. J. H. James, the deceased's
solicitor.
Various witnesses gave evident* identifying the corpse,
and detailing Sir Gilbert's movements on the Saturday
night before he fell off the Hyde pier. It was shown that
he had passed through the pier gate about 1 o'clock on
Sunday morning walking " in rather a stupid manner;" but
"as a female was with him" this excited no apprehension
in the mind of the gatekeeper, who, after the accident,
kept " the female" in the toll house till four in the morn-
ing, and who, after ahe had left, found en the floor her
gloves, one of them having the thumb torn off. The ex-
amination of Sir Gibert's companion is thus described by
the Hampshire Telegraph . •
The next witness was announced to be Mies Graham,
and the crowd in the hall at acts directed their attention
to the appearance of a fashionably-dressed person, appa-
rently about 26 or 28 years of age, who approached the
tilde with art air of perfect indiffereecs to the nature of
the inquiry.
As soon as she was directed to a seat facing the Coroner
she rather loudly exclaimed, " Well, here I sm. What do
you want with me?"—(Expreetions of surprise.)
The Coroner—lf you will sit down quietly I will tell
you. I want you to take en oath. Witness—Take an
oath ! Well'
The Coroner—Yes. I want you to moor that you will
tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help your
Jehovah. Will you kiss the book' Wittises—l have
kissed the book, and now you must give me one second or
so to collect myself.
The Coroner—By all means.
Witness wee then examined. She deposed—l have been
acquainted with the late Sir Gilbert Beat, Bert., between
• t and nine years, end have lived with him during the
w le of that time, and have passed as his wife. I came
with him to Hyde during
.the present summer, and I was
on bawd his yacht with hm. Ido not know when it was,
but it was the " proper season," I expect. (A laugh.) On
Saturday evening, the 11th of August, I came on shore
with him between eight and nine o'clock. We went
together to Mr. Barnad's and he left me there while be
went to the club. It was about five minutes to nine o'clock
when he left me there ,• he was not at that time, I ant
sorry to say, quite sober. He returned to me at Hr.
Barnad's at ten minutes or a quarter to one, and he was
then not ether. He had a glass of brandy and soda water
at Mr. Berned's, filled his pipe, and appeared to be in
very good spirits. He said be was pleased that he had
entered his vessel, and given a cup for the match. I did
not find fault with him for being late. About tea
minutes afterwards we left the house. It was a dark
night, and although it was raining neither of us had an
umbrella. I took his arm before I got to the pier gate,
and as the large gates were shut I released his arm to go
through the narrow gate. After we got through, I did
not Wm his arm again.

The Coroner—A» yoususe of that t Witneea—Yee.

The Coroner—Nevir afterwards?
Witness—Never. I am quite sure of that. I walked
rather fast, a little in front of him, down the pier. I I
said, " I must walk on a little faster. as I am afraid I
shall get so wet," and he said he would follow me.
That was all that was said between us on the pier until
I heard him slip.
The Coroner—You had no quarrel or any words with
him ? Witness—No.
The Coroner—Nothing of the kind? Witness—No. I
heard him walking behind me, as I knew his footsteps
"naturally." About two or three minutes after we got
on the pier I beard his foot slip, and I heard him cry out
"Oh ! oh !" I turned round, and followed his voice, but
I could not see any one. I ran to the spot from which I
=this voice proceeded, and I felt his hands clinging
he wood-work of the pier, and he said, " I am
right !" His body was then inside the railings.
The Coroner—Was be hanging from the outside?
aese—No. I am curtain hts body was inside the pier.
Re said to me, "If you don't let me go, you must come
over ; I can swim." I kept hold of him as long as I could,
but I cannot say what pert of him it was, as I was so
much excited.

---
The Coroner—At the time he said "I am right," where
was he ? Witness (sharply)—How do I know! He was
swimming from me, I suppose. I had previously heard
him drop into the water.
The Coroner—How long before that had you hold of
him!—Witness (aria answering stisrpl7)—l don't know.
I can't tell. I did not see him drop into the water. I
heard him.
The Coroner—How did he get on the outside of the rail-
ings?—Witness—Hl was not outside.
The Coroner—Then how did be fall ?—Witness—Why, the
same as any other person, of comm.
In answer to other questions, during which the witness
appeared much excited, she explained that the deceased
was on the side of the railings facing the water, and there-
I fore en the outside. She continued—l don't remember
bow long it was after I heard him slip that I saw him
clinging to the rails. I screamed for assistance after I
beard him drop into the water. Ido not remember
whether I saw him when I was close to the rails and he
was clinging to me.
The Coroner—Bat you felt him ? Witnese—No. I can't
tell, it's no use asking me.
The Coroner—Did you struggle at all. Did you attempt
to save him' Witness—Of course I did.
The Coroner—Did he catch hold of your hand' Wit-
ness—l can't tell whether he caught hold of mine, or I
caught hold of his, but I felt him.
The Coroher—Did you see the steps? Witness—l think
be thought his boat was as the steps.
The Coroner—But if be was clinging to the side of the
pierhow could he slip down the steps! esio—l can't tell.
That's as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I expected
to findhis boat at the end of the pier, but we had not got
half way when I heard him slip down. The last words I
heard him say were, "Oh, Line, what will you do r
The Coroner—You never had hold of his arm after you
got on the pier, then! Witness—No.
The Coroner—Was there any reason for that ? Witness—
No ; only that I thought I should get wet, and wanted to
walk fast.

The Forema
Wither—No.

-Wu it naval for you to go on in front

The Foreman—Was he cheerful ? Witneee—Yes.
The Foreman—Then why did you not assist hint down
the pier ? Witness--Lord bless the man, bow can I tell ?
Bye Juror—When I had hold of his baud I was not
standing on the water-box, but on the pier.
The Coroner—Are those your gloves ? Witness—l
don't know. . . _

11;s&oner—Wluit became of those you wore thatnight?
Witness—Oh, yes, those are the awns. They were wet,
ant' that is the reason the thumb coos, off.
_ . .

In answer to • juror witness mid—l hosed him swim
after he fell into Ms Titer. . •

The 6;01181-11714yOus passed the dope when you
heard him slip ? Witaisse—No.
A Juror—klad you ever beard him threaten to commit
suicide? Witnem—Never. I never heard of each a ridieu-
lona thing.
By Mr. James—Sir Gilbert only had two glasses of
" very nearly nest" brandy before he left the yacht.
Witneeess were next examined se to the eon —en at the
body, and the result was in favour of the sappositics of I
death having occurred from drowning, unamorapanied
with violence.
In summing up the coroner regretted that particulars I
could not be eacertained as to the actual falling into the
water, owing perhaps to the exeitement under which the
woman (Graham) was labouring, a feeling whisk the jury
could understand after having seen her excitable arum.
The 'nu retired, sad after a brief oonsellation an-
nounoed they were agreed that the deceased was
drowned, but that there was no evidence to show haw be
came into the water.
The Coroner—Do you mean to ray that he was found
drowned, or that on this particular day he was drowned?
Of course, the verdict is yours ; but upon that will dread
the manner is which it is framed.
The foreman—We believe that be we. drowned.
A verdict to that edict was semedionly rotoread, and
the proceedings wore brought to a ekes.

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