The Sun.
London, England, 1824-04-26 00:00:00

SUOGKING ACCiDES4' aiflol.Sl,o
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CORONFIR'SINQUEST..
• have akady4l'Atii-iceirtne Thal occurrence
which' took-place oh Wddnesday lett upon a Gentleman named
Perno, residing et Ei,eham Hill, proceeding froth London 4.
his one-horse &gist, accompanied by a Lady named %Ale Mak,e
koul:• Attemptihgto pass On the near side of Brown and Clo.fei
Wineanton waggon, met with a repulse from the driver, who.
drawing his foxe-horseacioss the road, obliged Mr. V.,to back
his 1164.3 e and Pius- on the other side. What thb- giver's ob'-
ject was does not appear, for-no sooner had Mr..Pekao Lached
tile fore-horse on the other.side, than- the animal turned aside,
in consienence of what -is alleged to. have been done bithe
driver, arid became •entangled 'in the hat-meta .of Mr. Peittata-
horse.- The driver aware, it is said, of the entanglementoai
proceeded, and in a short time the gig was upset. Mr., Pan?.
n d r s Alec-kb-LA were thrown out with great viotencei• and;
dre .dful to relate, the off wheelsofthe waggon passed over-the
Lady's head.- We need scarcely add, that she was immediate,
ly killed. The reader may form some idea of the die'edrul
condition of'thia unfortunate Lady when we state that her liekd
was crushed and flattened under. the -broad• wheels of a send.
horse waggon, heavily laden. , Mr. STIRLING, the Coroner,
having issued his Wartatif; an inquest was On Friday held- en.
the liddy at the-Duke's Head Inn. • • • .
yr:illiam Burnett sworn.—He resided at East iledfont, and
was guard of Jones's Whitchurch weggon. On lirednaidak
evening he was coining from London • -with his waggon, coif
Brown
down the road towards Bedlam, be obaezeed
Brown and Brice's Wiecanton waggon, and a sand cart before
t'lern. The gig whir contained' the deceased and Mr. Perno
was also coming from London, and both 'waggon and sans:l-
ean were proceeding at a moderate pace; the gig was pro-,
ceeding at the rate of bur or five miles an hour, :and passed
waggon aggen and kirid-cart in.perfect safety. Brown and Brice's
waggon was drawn by seven horses, and walking at a.
pace.; when the gig came up to thia. waggon it attempt 4
pass on thel'near.side, but the guard, who was driving, pitlleti
in his horsey to the near side ofehe road, preventing the Gentle-
man passing on that Side, and .he then went to the off side to
pass ; the fore, horse of the waggon by some means went to.that
side, and becaMe enthfigleet with the harness of th4..,gig.—:;:
They had "proceeded but a very short distance
' tvhert
gig was upset; he went up to it, and fotind the broad vihoplii
of the waggon had gone.. over the LadY's head, the waggoula
time going
,on, entangled in the gig harness. The guard
who -had the conducting of the. Waggon went on as far as
ham, and although he was aware of the accidenti.elid not stop,
The reason the Gentleman give: for pasiing on the near side
was to avoid the dust, but the stoppage on both sides must have
been -occasioned, by. the, ;waggoner, who aaid Something to the
horses.
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The. Jury-were anxious _to. ascertain • be* near the Waggop
was to the neat side. A beadle said it was eiteeily a yard 44
a half frern the peth, which, rendered it rather irteular Mr.
Perno should make an attempt to pass on diet side. Severek
of the Jury observed it was plain the. waggoner intended,-
in the first instance, to priVent Mr. Perno pa.ssing, and the
question was,. whether the horses were drove willfully •on the,
other side.
Mr. Penro was then called into the room. On entering he
seemed quite overpowered by his feelings, and said lie hoped
the Jnry would have spared biaattendance.,
..The CORONER said their object .was io ascertain- the reek
fact, and as Mr. Perno was, the only person actually on the
spot, it was his evidence alone flea would either convict the
man or exculpate him. They did not wish to hurt his feel
ings by calling him into the mom, but it was a duty they owed
to the public to make every inquiry, and that just.ce might be
done to all.T,artie.
.111 r. Perno then stated, that observing a vast Cloud of dust
raised on the off side, be came up to the Wincanton waggon-;
and conceiving there was room, attempted to pass on the wrong
side • the driver:prevented him by drawing his fore homes to-
wards the ditch;: had he net. done so, he could have passed-,
there being abundance ef room : he immediately passed to his
own'side, and drove on towards the leaders' beads, intending,
to expostulate" with him on his conduct. The driver immedli
ately cot at his horses, and they as quickly tiew back from the
ditch; enclosing the gig and entangling the harness: the man
did not attempt to stop the horses but dragged 'his gig several
yards : it was at length overturned, and both. were thrown oat,
deceased being killed on the spot. ...
'William Dean, the driver of the sand cart was next ext.
mined-:, His evidence 'was corroborative of the former evidence,
with this variation, that he considered the waggon was three or
four yards from the near side. when Mr. Perno attempted to
pass; nor did' he see the. Waggoner flog the horsei, but
served him trot them after the accident: he gave his decided
opinion that, provided the waggoner w.as in his proper place,
beside his horses,' there was no room for the gig to pass.
'The driver, Williain Perritt, Wasrthen called in. He said the
gentleman attempted to pass the waggon, when he brought ie
horses to the near side, and the Gentleman went on the other
side, and came up to the heads of his horses, intending to driie
him on the stones; he apprehended danger; 'and gave them a
cut with his whip ; they• then went on at a' trot,- and he was ti.-
able to stop them. When he had got a.short distance, he W.
ed behihd, and saw'the Lady lying in the road ; 'but did not
return, apprehending there whs no dangei. The Jury censured
him in the extreme, for his: improper . conduct, and proceeded
to take 'a view of the body • the spectacle it presented was dig-
tressing, it being impOsSible to distinguish a single feature ;' in
fact-the head was pressed itiite 'flat.
The Coroner, after observing upon the regulation of the road,
left the case for the Jury's consideration, to say whether it was
intentional or accidental. After a short constation, the 4ry
returned h verdict of Mandaughteragainst William Parity*e
driver of the waggon. .