The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-24 00:00:00

DREADFUL AND FATAL COACH ACCIDENT.

The Liverpool Express coach, on its journey to London, on
Saturday the 14th inst., was upset about two o'clock in the after-
noon, within three-quarters of a mile of Dunstable, Bedfordshire,
in ascending and near the foot of Chalk-hill, having eight out,
and three inside passengers, besides the coachman, Thomas
Ward, and the guard, Thomas Booth; three of the passengers
(all outside) the most seriously injured were conveyed to the
Crown Inn, and every attention that medical skill or personal
kindness could suggest was promptly shown them. One of them
is since dead 'and buried; and another, at ten o'clock on Thurs-
day evening, when our reporter left, was in so precarious a
state as to create the greatest anxiety for his life. Mr. James
Stearn, the deceased, was a very corpulent man, weighing
about eighteen stone, aged fifty-four years, holding a responsible
situation in the service of his Grace the Duke of Grafton. His
instep was jammed almost flat, the leaders torn through, the
bones literally protruding through the leather. Mr. Thomas
Clark, a respectable chymist of Dunstable, half an hour after
the accident picked up on the spot where it happened part of
the flesh of the leg, that had been separated from the limb.
This unfortunate sufferer also received one other serious injury
above the knee of the same leg by the lamp-iron. ' Any possible
hope that could be entertained for his recovery was from ampu-
tation, which was resorted to the same evening, and performed
with great skill and care;- he survived the operation, and con-
tinue to linger in excruciating pain till halt-past eight o'clock
on Tuesday morning, with extraordinary patience, when exist-
ence ceased, and he left a family of ten children to deplore the
event. _ _ _ _ _ _ _

One .of th.s.ons of the deceased was by his side on the front
seat, and by the concussion of the coach falling was thrown
over his father, fortunately not much hurt. The other person
most seriously injured is a Mr. Alexander M‘Master, who is so
dreadfully bruised externally, and inwardly shook, that his re--
covery is far from certain. The third is William Varty,- a
plumber, who was proceeding to London for employment; his
instep is considerably hurt, but it is hoped a few days will ena-
ble him to get out. Ward, the coachman, is very considerably
injured, but he proceeded to Redbourn, another coachnian
being procured to conduct the coach to London ; Ward was
bled, and afterwards went on again. Booth, the guard, had
both his knees greatly hurt by the iron railing of the hind seat.

THE INQUEST.

On Wednesday J. Reddell, Esq., one of the coroners for the
county, held an inquest on the deceased at'the Crown Inn, be-
fore a most respectable jury of nineteen persons, when, after
having proceeded to take evidence, it was considered necessary
the body should undergo a post mortem examination, and the
jury adjourned till the following day (Thursday,) in order to
give time for the surgeons to open the body.
On the re-assembling of the jury and completing of the evi-
dence, the deceased's son stated that he had cautioned the
coachman against his furious driving, when he expressed great
fear from the reeling of the coach.
The guard stated that they were allowed the rate of nine
miles an hour for travelling, but supposes, at the time the ac-
cident occurred the coach was going at the rate of 10 or 12
miles an hour. •
Another witness stated that he never saw horses go faster ;
they were at full speed. (This was up hill.)
The jury returned a verdict of "Manslaughter against Tlio-
mas Ward," the coachman.