The Sun.
London, England, 1831-06-24 00:00:00

INQUEST AT MERTHYR-TYDVIL.

Minutes of evidence taken before EVAN THOMAS,
Esq., at the Castle Inn, Merthyr-Tydvil, ou Friday
last, one of his 1113jesty's Justices of the Peace,
acting in and for the county of Glamorgan, on an
inquiry concerning the death of John Hughes and
others, on Friday, the 3d day of June instant :
William Thomas, Esq., Comb, surgeon—ln about
an hour after the mob had dispersed from the front
of the Castle Inn, eight bodies were removed by his
direction into the coach-house, behind the inn, and
nearly at the same time William Roberts came to
him and told him there was a wounded man in his
house, which was close by. He went there instantly,
and found a man, whom he knew to be John

Hughes, in Roberts's house. He examined him,
and found n ball had entered the centre of his back,
and come out rather above the navel. He died
between ten and eleven o'clock that night; he has
no doubt his death was caused by that gun-shot
wound. In about an hour and a half before he died,
when the man knew that he was dying, he asked
bin how he came to be shot. He said he was tote

ning away with a soldier's musket, but before he
could do so he was shot. He said he had been an
old soldier, arid in six engagements, and never was
wcunded before, and that he ought to have died a
better death. Witness was present when the firing
at the Casio commenced by the soldiers of his Ma-
jesty's 93d Regiment. He came to the Castle Inn
just as the soldiers halted on their arrival. A large
mab accompanied them. A large proportion of the
men were armed with bludgeons, some with the
handles of mandrels, others with parts of miner's
pickaxes; a man amongst them hada red flag on a long
pole. The soldiers halted in the middle of the street,
rather above the house. The mob got close around
them in a dense mass, so that it was almost impos-
sible for them to use their irrms. Some bread and
cheese were then brought out to them, after which
they were moved to the pavement in front of the
Casle Itin, and near to the house. Here they were
hemmed in again. Before this movement the She-
riff read the Riot Act. He saw a man called Lewis
the Huntsmsn get up to the lamp-iron, and support
himself with the assistance of the mob below. He
addressed them, saying, " We are met here to have
our wages raise], instead of which the masters have
brought the soldiers against us ; now, boys, if you
are of the same opinion as I am, let us fall upon
them and take their arms away." He then dropped
down. His speech was in Welsh. In a minute or
two witness observed a movement in the crowd,
when a rush was made on the soldiers. Several of
them were disarmed. At this moment witness
came out to the front door of the house, and there
saw the mob, three or four upon a soldier wrestling
for their muskets. Four or five of the soldiers were
upon the ground, and at the same instant a volley of
stones, cinders, sticks, &c., were sent against the
windows. No firing had taken place at this mo-
ment. There was a conflict on the steps, the mob
three or four times making their way into the house,
and being as often repulsed by two soldiers in the
passage, arid the special constables behind them.—
The soldiers in the passage had been able to
bring down their muskets to the charge; a
firing commenced from the windows above, but,
not till several of the soldiers had been struck down;
some onein the passage then gave the alarm that the
mob were coming in at the rear of the house;
hearing this, witness led an officer and three soldiers
into the yard behind ; the yard is very narrow; the
mob had then advanced half way up the yard, and
were within a very few yards of the back door;
they fell back a lit le, and then assailed the soldiers
with a shower cf stories and brickbats ; the soldiers
fired, two or three of the mob fell, and then drew
back, and were driven through the stable-yard into
the street by the end of the house; it war then said
the mob were approaching by the field; witness
went round to see; met Lewis, the huntsman, re-
turning by the river side with a musket in his hand.
Heard him call out to the others to stop and stand
their ground. Witness then went home by a cir-
cuitous way through Ynisgoy. The soldiers were
firing in the street, and the mob were firing from
the cinder bank in the rear of the house. He thinks
there was firing from thence before Lewis could
have got there.
Several other witnesses were examined, and de-
posed to the mob having attacked and deprived
some soldiers of their arms before a single shot was
fired by the military. The Major who commanded
the detachment was severely cut. Nothing could
exceed the exertions of the officers to prevent the
unnecessary shedding of blood. They called out to
the soldiers to cease firing, even whilst the mob were
firing upon them.
The Jury brought in the following verdict
" We unanimously find that John Hughes came to
his death by a musket-shot wound, fired by a soldier
of his Majesty's 93d Regiment, whose name is to
the Jury unknown, and that it was a justifiable ho-
micide."

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