Star.
London, England, 1819-09-27 00:00:00

ADJOVI?NED INQUEST AT OLDHAM.

SATURDAY EVENINO—SEVEN O'CLOCK.
I am now sitting in the Court of the Coroner, Mr.
FERRAND, who is holding an Inquest upon the body
of John Lees. This place is eight miles from Man-
chester. I arrived here at ten o'clock this morning.
At eleven, the Court was opened. You will have
seen, by my last communication, that great doubts
were entertained, whether the Coroner would suffer
the Court to be open to the Public. lam glad to
inform Tau, that the conduct of Mr. FERRAND has
been such, up, to this moment, as to entitle him to
great praise. As soon as he took his seat, he desired
the Jury to answer to their names. He then asked
them whether they had all had a view of the body of
the deceased ? They answered in the affirmative.—
He then swore the Foreman, Mr. John Jackson, and;
after him, the rest of the Jury. The Coroner then
addressed them as follows :—" Gentlemen, I mean
to proceed in this case in the same manner as I have
been accustomed to take other Inquests, notwith-
standing the extraordinary proceedings that have oc-
cul red during my absence. I shall not deviate from
my usual practice on this occasion. Mr. Constable,
have you any witnesses for the prosecution ?"

The constable said, he had. The Coroner then
turned towards the spectators, and spoke in these
words Gentlemen, I wish it to be distinctly un-
derstood, that if any person in this room wishes to
take notes of the proceedings in this case, he is at
perfect liberty to do so. But I beg to observe, that
if the verdict of this Jury should be such as to render
it necessary that further proceedings should • take
place before an Assize or Session, then those notes
are not to he published till after that Assize or Ses-
sion has taken place. lam sorry to say, that a gross
misrepresentation has appeared in some of the Pa-
pers, of what occurred under the former proceedings
in this case ; but I can assure you, that that state-
ment did not proceed either from myself or my,
Clerk. It is my wi►.sh and intention, and it is equally
my duty, that I should proceed with the utmost im-
partiality, without reference to any persons or opi-
nions whatever. lam sitting here to administer jus-
tice ; and I will do so to the utmost of my power."

The first witness, Robert Lees, the father of the
deceased, was then called and examined. The next
witness was Mrs. Hannah Lees, the wife of the for-
mer, and the mother-in-law of the deceased. Eliza-
beth Ireland, who laid out the body, was then sworn.
Mr. Earnshaw, a surgeon, was the next person called;
but he said that he belonged to the Society of
Friends, and he refused to take an oath. In conse-
quence, his testimony could not be received. Mr.
William Basnett, a medical Gentleman, who, at the
request of Mr. Harmer, examined the body the day
after the death, was the next witness. Mr. John Cox,
a surgeon, was then called ; his examination lasted
a long time. James Clegg, a spinner, who worked
in the same factory with the deceased, was the next
witness. Then came Thomas Whittaker, a cotton
spinner, who lived with Robert Lees, to whom his
mother was married. These are the names of the
witnesses up to this moment. About four o'clock
Mr. HARMER asked the Coroner to have the good-
ness to say at what hour he meant to adjourn the
Court ? Mr. FERRAND said, that he wished to get
through the inquu y as soon as possible, and, there-
tote, he had no intention at present of proposing. an
adjoutnment. It will be impossible, however, to
finish the business to-night ; it must last, at least,
another whole day.
I have taken the evidence verbatim, and I now
transmit ;t to you up to this hour. I should mention,
I perhap ~ !hat the Court has been extremely crowded
' all day. Mr. HARMER and Mr. DENISON, the Soli-
citors, Sir CHARLES WOLSELEY, Mr. WOOLER, and
Mr. MOORHOUSE, are here. Several questions have
been put to the witnesses by the Jury, and by Mr.
' HARMER. The public anxiety is very great.
As I passed along from Manchester to Oldham,
this morning, the whole inhabitants of the villages
between these places, men, women, and children,
came out of their houses, and looked into my chaise,
to see who I was. This I understood was the case
with every chaise that followed. When I arrived at
i Oldham, I found a great crowd round the Angel,
where the Inquest was to be held. Shortly after-
wards, the following printed bill was posted at the
front of the house : •