The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-26 00:00:00

JOHN DEAN.

FOUR o'CLock, P.m.—Pursuant to adjournment
from Friday evening last, the jury impannelled before
Mr. Michael Browne, the borough coroner, re-
assembled this afternoon, at two o'clock, at the General
Hospital, further to investigate the circumstances
attending the death of the above unfortunate gentle-
man. Among those present I observed Mr. Youle,
Mr. G. B. Paget, and Mr. Hutchinson, directors ;
Mr. P. Clarke, superintendent ; and r. Fox Bell,
secretary to the company.
Messrs. Wadsworth and Patchitt attended on be-
half of the Railway Company.
Mr. Lightfoot, accompanied by Mr. Bruce Camp-
bell, his legal adviser, entered the, room before the
proceedings commenced.
Mr. James Coope, solicitor, attended on behalf of
Mrs. Dean, the widow of the unfortunate deceased,
to watch the proceedings.
Mr. Swann, the county coroner, and two or three
members of the Lenten jury, were also present in the
room.
I append a list of the jury, which consists of fifteen
of the most respectable inhabitants of Nottingham :
Mr. W. Taylor, stationer, foreman ; Mr. J. Wilson,
hosier ; Mr. T. Carver, hosier ; Mr. Franklin Judd,
draper ; Mr. W. Cripps, lace-manufacturer ; Mr. John
Swann, draper ; Mr. W. B. Carter, lace-manufac-
turer ; Mr. T. Ilucknall, cheesemonger ; Mr. George
Dales, gentleman ; Mr. R. Whitchurch, lace-manu-
facturer; Mr. F. Hewitt, hosier; Mr. J. R. Allen,
paper-manufacturer; Mr. E. Goldsmith, tailor; Mr.
W. Roome, draper; Mr. A. Lacy, tailor.
Of the above list three gentlemen— Messrs. Wil-
son, Carver, and Judd—are aldermen of the borough.
Mr. Taylor, the foreman, and Messrs. Cripps, Swann,
and Carter, are also members of the town council.

Before swearing the jury on Friday, Mr. Browne
inquired whether any among them were proprietors
in the railway, or otherwise interested in it ? and
each having answered negatively, the inquiry pro-
ceeded.

_____
The depositions of Cooper and Howitt, as taken
before Mr. Browne on Friday, differ in no respect
from those received by Mr. Swann, the county
coroner.

As I stated on Saturday, a witness named Raven,
the station-master at Beeston, not called by Mr.
Swann, was examined by Mr. Browne. His evidence
directly denies the statements made by Cooper and
Howitt, as to his having been cautioned not to allow
the down train to proceed towards Nottingham. Be-
yond this there is nothing worthy of remark.
The medical testimony as to the cause of death is
curious. After detailing the injuries discovered on
the post mortem examination, Mr. Libson, the house-
surgeon to the hospital, says—There was no external
injury save a few scratches on the face and shins.
There was a slight projection over the loins, and be-
neath this several ounces of blood were effused under
the skin. There was not a single bone broken
throughout the frame, nor was there any external
sign of concussion, save the swelling over the loins,
which itself was not discoloured. On opening the
body much blood was found in the belly—behind the
breast-bone and in the texture of the diaphragm.
This blood arose from an enormous rent in the liver,
which almost divided that organ in two parts. Some
bloody fluid was effused extensively over the posterior
surface of the brain. I believe the great internal in-
jury to the liver (while the case containing that
organ was scarcely at all injured) was due to the sur-
face of the body, which had an enormous momentum,
being brought suddenly to a stand-still, whilo the
organs within the body dashed themselves forward
with the rate they had previously acquired—the
result being that the liver tore itself away from its
ligament almost into two parts. At the same time
the whole of the posterior part of the brain was
dashed against the back part of the skull, and these
injuries were sufficient to cause death in a few
minutes.

---
The jury having answered to their names,
The CORONER stated that the Government inspector
of railways, Major-General Pasley, had arrived at
Nottingham on Saturday, and had an interview with
him, at which he promised to attend the adjourned
inquiry that afternoon. Under these circumstances
he must confess himself surprised at the receipt of a
letter from the General that morning, which he would
read to the jury. Mr. Browne then read the letter as
follows

" Nottingham, Nov. 23, 1844, 9 r.st.
" Sir,—l arrived here this morning, intending to
be present to-day and Monday next, the 25th inst., at
the coroner's inquest, over which you are to preside,
which I expected to sit to-day.
" Finding, however, that your proceedings are
postponed till Monday at two o'clock, and having in
the meantime personally examined a number of wit-
nesses respecting the late unfortunate railway colli-
sion near Beeston, by whose testimony I have ob-
tained a Verfect opinion as to the cause which led to
the collision, and also as to the precautions which
would have prevented it, I am satisfied that my re-
maining here any longer would not be of any use, and
therefore I shall return to London early on Monday
morning, where I have other business that will fully
occupy my time.
" Meanwhile, I can only say that it would be un-
becoming in me to offer the slightest hint or sugges-
tion by anticipating the verdict of the jury over
which you preside, though I have not the smallest
doubt that their decision and yours will coincide with
my own.—l have the honour to be, your most
obedient humble servant,

•
C. il• PASLE!, Major-General, &c."
The reading the above letter excited great surprise
among the jury, and
The CORONER said he could not fail to remark that
is the 42,,t1eral 141.7 lcadlog him to
form a correct conclusion as to the cause of the acci-
dent, helt it a great pity they (the jury) were not in
possession of the same. _ _

Mr. Patchitt, on the part of the railway Company,
said he was aware what witnesses the General had
examined, and he was prepared to say that the whole
of them would be forthcoming, if the jury required it.
This remark led to a discussion among the jury, in
the course of which several of them expressed consi-
derable surprise at the course pursued by the In-
spector-General.
Air. Patchitt explained that in the inquiry made
by the General he had been accompanied by Mr.
Bell, the secretary ; and in answer to the foreman,
said that he hal not only examined witnesses put
before him by the Company, but all such persons as
he himself thought would be able to throw light on
the matter.

The CORONER closed the discussion by remarking
that ho certainly could not clearly understand the
object of the letter written by General Pasley, andhe
would much rather not have received it.

At this stage of the inquiry,
Mr. Bruce Campbell complained of the exparte
statements put forth in third editions of the Notting-
ham papers, published on Saturday, calculated to do
serious injury to his client, Mr. Lightfoot. He had
to request that that gentleman should be himself
examined before any other witness was called, as
being calculated to give a more correct statement of
the melancholy occurrence than any other individual.
This proposition was at once overruled by the
Coroner, and the first witness called was
Thomas Deacon, a youth aged fourteen years, as-
sistant to the station master at Beeston, who, in reply
to the questions addressed to him by the Coroner,
said—l was on duty at Beeston station on Thwsday
afternoon. T have spoken to Mr. Clark, the superin-
tendent, and Mr. Bell, tiw secretary to the Conipally,
mi the subject of the accident whiell OCCurrc" on on
Thursday last. .! have not been6iamined by General
rasleY. 1}2::, witness here detailed th;.' arrival of the
London train at Beeston on Thursday afternoon. His
statement differed in no particular fTom that of ceolle,"
in reference to Mr. Liqhtfoco rrivMl im 4'.

..,16 train,

-