Star.
London, England, 1831-06-23 00:00:00

INQUEST AT MERTHYR.TYDVIL.

Minutes of evidence taken before Evan Thomas,
Esq. at the Castle Inn, Merthyr-Tj (it i!, idly
last, one of his Majesty's Justices ot• tht• Peace,
acting in and for the county of Glamorgan, on all
inquiry concerning the death of John Hughes and
others, on Friday, the 3d day of June iitstant :
William Thomas, Rsq. Comb, Surgeon—ln about an
hour after the mob had dispersed from the front of the Cts•
tle Inn, eight bodies were removed by his direction into the
coach-house behind the inn, and nearly at the same time W.
Roberta came to him and told him there was a woutand 111P11 •

in his house, which was close by. He went there instantly,
and found a man, whom he knew to be John Ilu.rhe.. in
Roberts's house. He examined him, and found a ball had
entered at the center of his back, and cone out rather
above the naveL He died between ten and tlevcn o'clock
that night; he has no doubt his death was nmsed by
that gun-shot wound. In about an bout and a hall'
before he died, when the poor man knew that he was
dying, he asked him how he came to be shot. He said he
was running away with a soldier's musket, but Wore he
could do so he was shot. He said he had been an old sol-
dier, anti in six engagements, and never was wounded be-
fore, and that he ought to have died a better death. Wit-
ness was present when the firing at the Castle commenced by
the soldiers of his Majesty's 911 d regiment. He came to the
Castle Inn just as the %Wien halted on their arrival. A large
mob accompanied them. A large proportion of the atm were
armed with bludgeons, some with the handles of mandrels,
others with parts of miners' pickaxes ; a man among.t them
had a red flag on a long pole. The soldier.; 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 imeoss ble for
them to use their arms. Some bread and cheese were then
brought out to them, after which they were moved to the
pavement in front of the Castle Inn, and near to the h use.
Here they were hemmed in again. Before this movement
the Sheriff read the Riot Act. He saw a MID, called Lewis
the Huntsman, get up to the lamp-iron, and support hinpeell
with the assistance of the mob below. lie addressed them.
saying, " We arc met here to have our wages raised, instead
gi which the mute's have brought the soldiers against us;
now, by boys, it you are of the same mind as I am, let us
fall upon thetii, and take theiranne." He then dropped down.
His speech was in Welch. 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 mo-
ment witness came out to the front door of the house, and
there saw the mob, three or tour upon a soldier, wrmtling
for their muskets. Four or five of the soldiers were upon
the ground, and at the same instant a volley of stones, cin-
ders, sticks, &e. were sent against the windows. No firing
I bad taken place at this moment. There was a conflict on
1 the steps, the mob three or four times making their way into
the house, and bring as often repulsed by two soldiers in
the passage and the special constables behind them.
The soldiers in the passage had been able to bring
down their muskets to the charge ; a firing com-
menced from the windows above, but not till several of the
soldiers had been struck down ; some one in the passage then
gave the alarm that the mob were coming in at thereat 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 little.
and then assailed the soldiers with a shower of stones and
brickbats; the soldiers fired, two or three of the mob feii,
and then drew back, and were driven through the stable.
yard into the street by the e..d of the howls;
it was 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 circuitous way through Ynis-
goy. The soldiers were firing in the streets, and the mob
were firing front 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 deposed 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 cat.
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 una-
nimously find that John Hughes came to his death by a
musket.shot wound, fired by a soldier of his Majesty's 93.1
regiment. whose name is to the Jury unknown, and that it
was a justifiable homicide."