The Manchester Examiner. — 1848-08-12 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

MANSLAUGHTER AT BOLLINGTON.—An inquest was held at the Bull's Head, Bollington, on Monday last, before Thomas Roscoe, Esq. on the body of John Grange, who had come by his death in the manner detailed in the following evidence :—Henry Hardy, of Bolliugton, cotton spinner, deposed as follows: Deceased was a blacksmith, and was 52 years of age. I live next door but one to the deceased, and Joseph Lee, a quarry-man, lives in the house between ours. The houses are situated on the side of a steep bill. There is a narrow platform, flagged, before the houses, formed by a stone wall, about a foot high; the other side of this wall next the hill is six or seven feet deep. On Monday the 24th of July last, I went home about eleven o'clock in the evening. I called at Joseph Lee's. Deceased and he were sitting together drinking. They were drinking ale, and John Grange was smoking a pipe. I sat down and had some of the ale with them. They were both tipsy. Deceased was noisy, and whenever he was very noisy Lee threatened to put him out of the house. Whilst I was there, the candle was finished, and went out. Lee said he had no more candles, and requested John Grange to fetch one from his house.- Deceased refused to do so. Lee said he would put him out then. He got up, and did put him out of the house. They struggled together, and the struggle continued after they had got out. A very short time afterwards he came in again, and said Grange was over the wall. Soon afterwards 1 went to my own house; I saw deceased lying on the hill side of the wall. He called out "Murder" once or twice. I took not the slightest notice of him, but went to my own house. I did not hear anything more that night. When I got up at seven o'clock the next morning he bad been removed.—George Hewitt, of Bollington, said: On last Monday but one, the 24th July, I was, in the afternoon, about four or five o'clock, at the Bull's Head public-house, in Bollington. I saw Joseph Lee with deceased there. A man named James Goodwin of Hurdslield, was with them. They were all drinking together. Deceased was very noisy, and attempted several times to sing. They all seemed sober. Lee, whenever deceased was very noisy, asked him to "hold his din." He once or twice took hold of deceased by the nose and shook him a little. He did not, however, do this angrily, but half in play. I heard Lee once say to deceased that if he (deceased) did not behave himself, he would throw him over the wall. Ile did not say this angrily. When I left them they all seemed friendly together.—Mr. Newbold, surgeon, of Macclesfield, said: I- saw deceased the day after he was injured. He was then at his own house in bed. I attended him up to the time of his death, which took place on Friday night last, the 4th instant. Since his death I have made an examination of his body; I found a good deal of extravasated blood between the deep-seated muscles at the back of the neck. The neck was broken. This must have been done by direct violence, and might have been easily occasioned by his being thrown over the wall at the front of the house. There are no other marks of violence upon the wife of John Turner, of Bollington said: , the body. The death was occasioned by the injury to the TeAfar nexttha'door but two to the house of deceased. On Wbaeck ii.  Tuesday the 25th of J uly, I got up about five o'clock in the morning. I fancied I heard groans outside, and on going to see ;hat it was, I found deceased lying in the field over the wall. He was quite helpless. He said he had been there all night. I got him home as soon as possible.—The evidence having been gone through, the coroner briefly charged the jury, who immediately returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Joseph Lee, and the coroner committed him to take his trial upon • the charge at the next Chester assizes. - - - -  SUNDAY Scampi,