The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-03 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Monday evening at seven o'clock, an inquisition,
which lasted several hours, was taken before T. Shel-
ton, Esq., Coroner for Londo• and Southwark, is the
Board-room of St. Thomas's Hospital, on view of the
body of Joseph Harris, aged 64, by trade a track-
maker, who came to his death under the following
circumstances. The inquest room was much crowded,
as the case excited more than ordinary interest, and
several respectable friends of the deceased were in at-
tendance.

The first witness called was Joseph Harris. Hs
stated that he is no relation to the deceased, and h a
carpenter by..business. Os the evening of last Satur-
day three weeks, about half past 8 o'clock, be was
passing along Gracechurch-street, accompanied by his
wife, and observed two coaches corning from London-
bridge towards Corebill. They were each drawn by
four horses. and were driving at a furious rate, and
see.uoti to be racing•ooe against tte other :• oceof thous
was a little a-head.- The deceased at that time was
crossing from the end of Lomberd.irtreet towards
GraceshurtiolFreet ; the coach which .was in the rear
gut on first► mad passed the deceased ; seeing that he

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v.)
was W[ely he Mtn ewer, .•.
, he (wiatioss)Topliot .theta
the diiver of the latter semi is paillispo bat batiripre
• •
011!• and elore.the poor wor hMktime rlo -get Hof
Ilpie way to was knocked down by.* JOaders a
.Mie
drlvei time palled up the liotsis, make rag AssCillsk
'llOl4 of the reins.toptevest the couch fro* vim per
the fore wheel pulsed over one Of
-Mord before it went over the other. .141110111011#10s
An 11 as witness called out to the coachmositt Mop,
but be gnu say whether he beard or not. -As 44-
seised,. ,op Itelfg,aatiicated from under the opashimas
conveyed itilis Sterna .Wheeler's shop appOliollw
afterwards t ken to Ms hospital.
Mrs, 3icah Harris, the wile of thelvitnoes, floseolis•
rated Ms toitisiony in every respect...K*oomin. the
dsieessed knocked down.•
, A
prlifeasiosai gentlempu, whO said he ittlodedvi
the part of.tho Osamu', stepped, forward, and ettg-
gusted to tiso Coroner that he had iota* onestioos to
pat te thetas witness, when the latter said lie•would
not illOw itiii oat to interfere with-the vritnessese and
that they bad no business attempting to meddle is the
discharge of his duty, upon which the solicitor withdriw.
Mr. Robert Richardson, of Clement's-lane, .Lom-
bard-street, stated, that on the evening alluded to by
the first witness, be was passing from Little Eastabeap
towards Gracechurch-street, when his attention was
first called by hearing several persons vociferating
very loud near London-bridge, as if something alarm-
ing was likely to happen ; and at the same time heard
a great noise of carriages; the persons seemed to be
in a state of alarm from the manner they cried out :
almost immediately two coaches passed him in Oracc-
chnrch-strcet driving at a furious rate, and appamptly
contepding one against the other ; the first was the Do-
ver Margate coach, and the other was the French
mail. As they passed, heard some . persons call
out, that a man was run over, and on proceeding
to the end of Penchurelt-street, saw the mail at a Stan 1,
and the deceased who was. ust taken front under the
wheel, supported by two men who were taking himstp
a surgeon's. The name on the coach was " Paris Di-
ligence." He did not hear the horns blow. Ttke
coaches were driving at such a terrific rate as to exc:it.
general alarm, and he considered they would not gez
to the Spread F..gle in Fenchurch-street before some
accident would occur. He did not take any particular
notice of the driver.

Mr. Wheeler, of Gracechurch-street, surgeon, and
several other respectable witnesses, deposed as to the
manner the coaches were driving.
Miss Sarah i"ranklin stated, she resides at the An-
gel inn, near St. Clement's Church, Strand, she was
an insi.le passenger in the Paris Diligence on the even-
ing of Saturday three weeks ; she was so much alarm-
ed, and in such deep conversation with a gentleman
at the time of the welshing, she cannot say in wkal
street it otenireti, but it was near the General Post Office ;
considers the coach was going at the usual rate; she
is very timorous ; if it had been going at an improper
rate she must have been sensible of it; it stopped as
soon as the accident happened. The coachman's name
is Thomas Dove!! ; he was perfectly sober at th•.?
time, and drove the coach from Canterbury: she 'lii
not hear the horns blow. The coach usually puts my
at the Angel inn.
Mr. Richard Wadd, dresser to Mr. Green, ens of
the surgeons of St. Thomas's Hospital, attended tho
deceased ;here about nine o'clock on the evening of
last Saturday three weeks, and on examination found
a simple fracture of both bones of time left leg, amid a
contused wound on the ancle of the right leg. lie set
the kg, spd dressed the contused wound. He WA;3
going on pretty well until a fortnight after, when the
latter injury wcat on speedily to mortification, and
which caused Lis death about four o'clock on Satur-
day morning.
The Solicitor for the defence produced fonr wit-
nesses, who were examined at great length, bat their
testimony seemed quite inconsistent, and no point
whatever was adduced by them that might tend to ex-
culpate the accused. Thomas Hall, the guard,. swore
.he did not know which was his right side of the street;
and, on his cross-examination, was found to give most
contradictory evidence.
The case having been fully and most minutely sifted,
the Coroner briefly recapitulated the evidence, and
pointed out the law bearing on the case to the Jury,
who, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of
—Nlanslaughter against Thomas Dovell, the coach-
man ; and found a deodand of 501. on the coach. and
horses. The Coroner issued his warrant for Dovell's
apprehension, who is as yet at large,

L 0 V DC) e S

.

Yesterday the adjourned London Sessions waisipsl4
at Guildhall before the Lord Mayor, the Sheri 4 ;the
Common Serjeatia, Aldermen J. Smith, Cox, Annesley-
aud Lucas.

An old wan, named Thos. Creetey, was tried upon
an indictment for having indecently exposed his person
in the neighbourhood of Bell-alley.
The facts were clearly proved by several respectable
persons of the neighbourhood, who stated that it had
been much infested by the prisoner.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty, and the Court
immediately sentenced him to 18 month's imprison-
ment in Bridewell.
A fellow naine'l Matthew Mathews was sentstraktp
the same punishment for a similar offence.
A young man named James Bright, was convicted
of having assaulted a gentleman in Smithfield, 'ionte
evenings since, with intent to rob. The prisoner hml,
with some others, bustled the prosecutor. and het
snatched at his watch, without success. 1. lk
The Commori SERJEANT animidierted upon, ke
fence, which was now so frequent as to render' a `oh-
safe for persons with say property about them I wick
in the streets after dark. The Court would itittl#t

their duty to endeavour to repress this darteg smutty
inflicting the most severe punishment in every fuse
where the offence was proved. The sentence upeg the
piisoner was that he should be imprisoned two yiar%
it Bridewell, and at the expiratise of that dare to be
once publicly whipped.

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