The Warwickshire Herald. — 1895-06-06 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

THE CHARGE OF MURDER AT ASTON. EXTRAORDINARY ACTION OF THE COUNTY AUTHORITIES.  The inquest touching the death of Albert James Grimehaw (31), tube drawer, of 8, William Henry Street, Nochells, who was stabbed on Saturday, the 25th ult., in the Golden Cross Hotel, Aston, was Opened on Friday at the Viiotoria Courts, before Mr. 0. Pemberton. It will be remembered that a man named John Sanders is in custody on the charge of causing the man's death, but was not present at the inquest, and this led the Coroner to express some unpleasant remarks with respect to the County Authorities. Mary Ann Grimshaw, the widow, said that her husband left home quite well at 12.20 on Saturday, About seven o'clock he was brought home in a cab with his head bandaged. Ile said he dii cot know who had stabbed him, and had never seen the man before. He added, "He was sitting down with his feet out, and I asked him to move. He said, "Go round, and I went round. He came to me and said something, and I told him I did not want to bother with him. He then came and stabbed me." Deceased was restless all eight, complaining of pains in the hew!. Next day he was worse, and at two o'clock witness' took him in a cab to the General Hospital. A doctor there examined him, and told him to come again the following morning if he was worse. She took him home, and he became strange in his minaer and wandering in his talk. He gradually became werse during the night, and on Monday witiossi took him again to the General Hoepital, where he was detained and died during 'nesday afternoon. The Coroner said that at this point he would adjourn the inquiry. The jury would notice that there was no prisoner present, and as the inquest might result in a verdict of wilful murder he considered that the accused man should be present. That was a practice which was invariably followed by the city authorities, but for some reason best known to themselves the police authorities of the county of Warwick did not hold with that. Knowing•that was the case, he had written on Wednesday to Mr. Rowlands, clerk to the county magistrates, informing him of the time fixed for the inquest, and asking him if he would make a communication to the magistrates at Aston as to John Sanders, the prisoner, being present. In reply to that he received a letter saying that the magistrates had no power to direct the police to take their prisoner into the Coroner's Court, but Mr. Rowlands had read his letter to the Chief Superintendent of Police and asked him to deal with the matter. The result of that-was that a message was telephoned to the Coroner's Court to the effect that the Supt. of Police at Aston could not comply with the request. Therefore he (the Coroner) wrote to Admiral Tinkles (the Governor of the Gaol at Winson Green) giving him similar information to that supplied to Mr. Rowlands, and saying that he was under the impression that the Secretary of State had given SOllle instructions to the governors of gaols in regard to their prisoners being at the inquest in such cases. In reply to that he had received a letter from Admiral Tinklar saying that the prisoner wished to he present at the inquest, and that he (Admiral Tinkles) would write to the Commissioners of Prisons asking for.an order to be made for the prisoner to be produced at the inquest, if the Coroner would adjourn the enquiry for the purpose. Admiral Tinklar had sent him a letter written by the prisoner saying that having been informed of the death of Grimshaw, and being asked whether he would like to be present at the inquest, he did wish to attend the enquiry. In consequence of that correspondence lie would adjourn the inquest until Monday week, June 10th, when lie did not doubt the prisoner would be present.