Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express, etc. — 1920-02-07 (Penistone, South Yorkshire, England)

SENSATIONAL DI'SCOVERY.  Chapeliow..l PnTlic. 'Lfficer Found :.ii A iiead.  (If a ilorr-,,7:;-.1(1  4. great sensatioa L; cAused ill tho I.lpel 0. n (iiArict on  uey, iAlicn the news Lircutated about 00l that Police-con,n Peat besie had been found in he Ambulance Roam, ,he .ito:nclifie ork., with part of heud Hown away, ,nd a o,;uhle-barrelled ;_.n. at his side. The discovely was  Po1io7;?-Ser.;:ant Bolton and ~'oiice-CortstaLle Seb. .ars, who, alo_ng with _ .  _ other constables, had been searching for him during the morning. Deceased was dud off duty on Thursday midnight, and az he did not arrive home, his wife, in great concern, reported the matter to the Sergeant. On Friday afternoon Colonel J. de Coke (Chief Constable for( the West Riding), Deputy Chief Constable Guest, and Superintendent Somerset visited the scene and made eslaustive enquiries. Police-constable Leslie was a native of Carlisle, aged 44, and leaves a widow and no family. He had been in the Police Force for 21 years, and for the last twelve years his services were retained exclusively by Messrs. Newton Chambers, and Co., Ltd., for the safeguarding of their property, but he was a member of tale West Riding Police Force and under their control. Some years ago he had a serious illness, through which Miss Nelson, whom he subsefluently married, nursed him with great Skill. It need hardly be stated that the greatest sympathy is felt for the widow in her tragic bereavement. Police-Constable Leslie was a conscientious and popular officer, always courteous and affable. Sergeant Bolton stated to the local representative of the "Express" that he had never had occasion to upbraid him for any breach of duty, and he never caused a moment's uneasiness. He was a most efficient, painstaking, and conscientious officer, and, added Sergeant Bolton, "it is well-known how the late Mr. T. C. Newton appreciated the services of P.c. Leslie, as did the present heads of the firm." _ _ _  The sad affair is wrapped in mystery which apparently will never be explained. It is known that the constable borrowed a gun from Mr. George Harry Radcliffe, of the Bridge Inn, Lane End, Chapeltown, which'he told a colleague in the Police Force was for the purpose of shooting a dog. The gun, which was loaded, was placed in the Ambulance Room by deceased for safety. What exactly happened when deceased returned to the Ambulance Room is not known, though, as will be seen from the report of the Coroner's inquest, the balance of evidence stggested an accident, and the local police are emiNaitio that this is the' correct solution of the sad affair.  trigger. He had tried pressing the legging on the back of the hammer, and it slipped before it would make a mark. Most likely , when getting up, it sitting cross-I:gged, the clothing of deceased or sintt-C,ing would catch in the hammer and discloytgE itie gun. When the gun went off it might rebound. It was I tried yesterday, lied was round to have a considerable "kick" about it. The coroner: In your on:nion is it possible for the wound to be sustained accidentally? —Witness: Yes. The coroner: Aed I suppse it is equally p.ossible for it to he intentionally from the position of the -woUnd? Witnes:= : - but if it was intentional, one would have exneefed the wound to have beeu in a rather difTertnt position. The coroner, in summing rp, 'the constable had died of c.reinshot. wounds. No one sae: what happened, so there was no direct - evidence. The jury might t.,lce it that the po:ice had no suspicion of murder. The question really was, whether deceased was shot • was no evidence to justify the' jury in thinkiing it was a case of suicide. There was, of course, always the. possibility that a mew might go outof his mind and kill himself,.but stronger evidence was needed to arrive at such a conclusion in this case. The jury might al; bring in an ouen verdict. An opcn eldict is rot desirable, but is sometimes a proper one when the evidence does not satisfy. Two points were not perfectly clear, the owner of the clog, and the position of the body when found." ..tpert from these two points. the evidence seemed to suggest an accident, and the balance of evidence inclined that way. The man was in good health and spirits, but it would remain a mystery what he Was doing sitting in a chair in the dark with a loaded gun. Nothing more was heard of him until twelve hours later when he was found cold and stiff. The jury, after retiring for a brief period. returned a verdict of "Accidental Death." Superintendent Somerset expressed the deep regret of the police force with the widow, in which the Coroner and jury joined.