Inquest On John Gregory, ...
The Times, 1824-05-15T00:00:00

Yesterday an finquest wat held st Guy's Hospital, before TEos. SHELTON, Esq., coroner for the dty of London, upon the body of John Gregory. John Gregory, 15 years of age, son of the deceased, deposed as follows.-I reside at No. 5, Dover-road, in the parish of Newing. ton. Aly father had done his brcakfast, and mv brothler was getting his, on Sunday week,witbin 20 minutes to 10 o'clock. All except my lig brother George had breakfasted. G3eorge works at MTUr. Bowley's, and comnes home to meals. I have four sisters, and three brothers, ly brother William wanteA a bit more bread and butter, as he was going to school. " Father," aid he, " cut me a bit more bread and batter." Father swore at him, and said he should not have it. ' You have had enough, and yot shan't have any nore, I'm d-d ifyou stial. If you don't know when vou have had enough, I'll know for you." Then my brother George said " Do you want a bit, i3miam?" William said" Yes." Then George got up to cut it for him, having a knife in his hand. The bread and butter -werein the eupboard. lUy father saw George do so. ly father had sharpened the knife himself, and it was very sharp. George ad- vanced to th cupboard,d my father,who was standing bythe indow; cleaning a pair of shoes, ran to him, struck him several blows, and knocked him down ;ith his ffit. My father struck him wi.th bath hands about the back. teorge got up again, and went to the other end of the room. Aboat a mintte afterWards my father cried out-" The rascal has stabbed me." There was a broom near, and my fatber took hold of it, and waS goinlg to strike George with It, but the broom caught in a line which was oter his head, and my father fell down. along with the tea. things. Ee then got up, and went into the shop to sit down, saying, "Send for somebody, for e shall go in a few minutes; I am just go.ing" (meaning I amn dying.} George then ran directly off to the Hlospital* my mother heard my &ather say he wag stabbed, and jumped out of bed, and told George to go o Mr. Davis's, but George went to the Hospital, not knowing, in the confision, what had bee n said to him.- CORONETL-Whetn your father went to the cupboard to youi bra- ther, did your brother say any thing ? No, nothi'g whatever, It was a minute after the scffle that my father said he was Ftabbeti not a word was said about the stabbing before. Coao-NER.-Did you see yeur brother strike yoar father ?-Not a single blow, I was washinj myself at the time. Coner._IJidyourfathersharpen the knife ?-He did so every tn *rning. A .lumor.-Did your brqtber George say nothing when your father struck him ?-He kept hollowing out, but sRid nothing. ily brother George was going towards my father to see what was the matter, but did not go up to him on account of his takinti up the broom. (Here witness burst into tears.) i'ly poor brother George I am sure did not know that he had stabbed my father. Jurors.-Did George say that he was going to cut the bread and butterforhimself or foreM illiam ?-He did notsay any thinKaboutit. Juwr.-Then he might have been going to cut it for himself?- Certainly but I thiak he was going to cut it for William. W. Gregory, anotherson of the deceased, aged l2:--About half-past 9, 1 wanted a piece of bread and butter. I had just done breakfast. M.y father said I should not have it. I made no remark upon being refused. George asked me if I wanted aty, and I said l "Yes." George got up to cut it, and my father said he should not. Geor-e took the knife off the table, and went towards the cupboard. The knife had been used at breakfast. IAlv father and George then got scuffling together about it. One said I should have the breTaf, and the other said I should not. My father struck first. I was squeezed up in a corner by them, and did not see what occurred perfectlv. I cannot say that I saw the blows given. I did not see my brother strike my father* but George was knocked down unon the foor. When my father sat (lown, he said, " The rascal has stabbed me with a knife." iMly father fell against the table. AUy niother told George to go for Dir. Davis- but George said he did'nt knew where Air. Davis lived and he went to the hospital for assistance. Juror (to the first witness).-Did your father strike your brother when down.-No; but my brother fell from my father's blows. Had therebeen anyangry wordsbetween your father and GFeorge ?- Nothing in particular. Al v father had words witl all of us, but nothing patticular octurred. Jane Gregory, daughter of the deceased, said-I was not in the room when the unfortunate transacdon comm.enced. I saw no knife in George's hand; but mj father was going with a broom towards George when I went into the room. fy father stumbled against the table. George is 17 years of age. A conversation took place upon the propsiety of calling upon the wife of the deceased; but the Coroner observed, that from the evi. dence taken, it appeared that the mother saw nothing of the transac- tion, and it was determined that she should not be examined. Alr. Henry Walker Mlirfin, dresser to Mlr. Alorgan-I saw the deceased last Sunday week, at ten o'clock, and examined him. I found a stab upon the buttocks on the left side. The depth ap- peared to be four inches, a little behind the groin, but the result showed that it was eight inches deep. Its extent externally was about an inch and a half in length. The wound was dressed, and the patient was put to bed. He went on pretty well tUll Wednesday evening, and then he was getting worse. On that evening an erysi. pclas came on about the wound. On Thursday morning Mr. Mor- gean saw him. The erysipelas incrcased rapidlyuntil he died, which took place yesterdas morning at half-past eight. Since his death, a moteminuete exarination toek place; the part had been opened. The wound extended from 8 to 10 inches in depth, and from three to four in width. The wound was certainly the cause of his death: no mordfication took place, If the kmife had been suddenly plunged and drawn immediately, the wound would no doubt have been re- gular aU through, but it war irregular. The knife was stopped by the bone. The deceased said to mne, " Oli, my wicked son hias stabbed me." That was the only communication he made. The assistant in the ward said she attended on the deceased, but did not hear him say a word. The CoRoNER said, it did not appear from this evidence that George had stabbed his father. He then pointed out some varia- tiens in the testimony of the witnesses, and observed, that the jury were to inquire whether he did stab his father, or whether the blow was accidental in falling. If it had been given ihtentionally, the wound would probably have been regular-, but it was irregular, and might therefore have been Idicted in the falL. There appeared to be no admission on the part. of Geoge: he had used no expressions of violence, and it reaUy appeared as if the wound had been acci- dental. If, however, thejury tlhought that the boy had intention- ally intlicted the wound, the ofbnce wtith which he was chargeable ameunted to no more than manslaughter, as a great degree of vio- lence had been used towards him by his father. Thejury retiredforafewminutes, and upon their return s.aid, they agreed in thinkng that the father had received a wound in a struggle with his son,after haviag assaulted him, and that the wound was unintentionally inflicted. ZNQUPSTO OJOHN GREGORY, WO VAS KILLED -B HIS 'OWr SON.