The Sun.
London, England, 1827-12-17 00:00:00

OVERTHROW of the HOLYHEAD MAIL.

Welford, Northamptonshire, Sunday.
Yesterday an inquest was held at, the Talbot Inn,
Welford, touching the death of William Egerton,
Esq., of Gresford-lodge, Denbighshire, who was kill-
ed on Thursday night last, by the overturning of
the Holyhead and Chester mail.
The first witness called was Peter Banks, the
guard to the Holyhead and Chester mail. He got
upon the mail on Thursday evening at Hinckley,
and recollected seeing the deceased,who had:come from
Chester with another guard; he hadseen the deceased
before as a passenger from Chester to London : on arri v-
in gat Boswell toll-bar, on the night in question, the
horses became restive, and on coining down the hill,
before getting to Welford-bridge (which divides the
counties of Northampton and Leicester), they became
wholly ungovernable, and bolted; the coachman did
all in his power to save them front falling, but with-
out effect; for, just as they got over the stone bridge,
where there is a great descent, and where there is
a corner which requires to be turned sharply, the
mail upset.
Coroner.—These mails go at an exceedingly
quick rate down this hill; is it very steep ?
A Juror.—The hill is not so steep as it. is awk-
ward; it has a twist which makes it dangerous•to
coaches.

Henry Douglas, the dri...er, drove the mail from
Lichfield to Welford, a distance of 45 miles. Left
Lichfield at a quarter past four o'clock, and arrived
at Hinckley a few minutes after six; stayed there
10 minutes; changed horses, and proceeded to Lot-
terworth, when they changed again. The horses
there were bad; the off-side wheeler and one of the
leaders were blind. The contractors are not very
particular what kind of horses are used in the night
mails. Witness was never on the road where the
accident happened by day-light. He was a stranger
to the road altogether. Witness's hip and shoulder
were much injured, and his face bruised by the fall.
Mr. Jacob Smith, surgeon, residing at Welford.
—On Monday night last, about nine o'clock, he
was sent for to the inn where the deceased lay. He
found deceased apparently dead ; he felt the pulse,
but it had ceased to beat; he tried the jugular vein,
but the blood would not flow. Witness had exa-
mined the body externally; he found a dreadful con-
tusion on the left side of the head, and a bruise or
cut on the forehead; there was also a severe injury
of the vertebrae of the neck, which alone was suffi-
cient to cause death. Witness searched the pockets
of the deceased, and found a pocket-book, contain-
ing a game-certificate, on which was written,=—
" William Egerton, Esq. Gresford-lodge, township
of Gresford, Denbighshire," and several letters ad-
dressed to Major-General Egerton, Gresford-lodge,
Denbighshire. There were also in the deceased's
pockets about 701. in sovereigns and notes, and a
erkott_ take eareof.
gold watch. Witness gave the property to Mr.
Dainty
V
Accidental Death—deodand on the
coach-horses, ls."

The other gentleman, who is also severely injured
by the overturning of the mail, was in conversation
with the deceased at the time the fatal catastrophe
happened, and deceased was remarking, that he would
much rather pay an extra guinea and travel by the
mail than by any other -conveyance, as it was so much
safer. This.gentleman refuses to disclose his name-
or write to any of his friends or relatives, expecting
he will shortly be better, although assured by the
surgeon that he is in a very dangerous state. He is
occasionally delirious; caused by a severe cut on his
head, which was scalped as completely as though an
expert practitioner had performed the operation for
trepanning ; this is supposed to have been done by
his head coming in contact" with the coach window.
He seems to be a person of rather eccentric habits,
though of polished manners, having indeed the ap-
pearance of a perfect gentleman of the old school,
and is about 70 years of age.