The Warrington Examiner. — 1869-07-03 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

TEE CORONER. The CLERX submitted the subjoined letter which had been received from Mr. C. E. Driffield, with respect to a motion passed at the last meeting of the Board, in reference to the delay which took place in holding the inquest over the suicide, Javes Ashton, who shot himself on Monday, June 7th, over whose body an inquest was not held till the following Thursday, and was not interred until the Friday. At the last meeting of the Board an opinion was pretty generally expressed that the Coroner ought to have held.the inquest earlier, and the nuisance which had been complained of as arising from the body of deceased, owing to not being interred with greater despatch, would then have been obviated. A resolution to that effect was passed, and forwarded to Mr. Driffield, the coroner, who replied as follows :  Southport, 25th June, 1869. Dear Sir,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday, calling my attention to the delay which (as your letter states); occurred in the holding of my inquest on the body of James Ashton, deceased, at Orford, on the 10th June, instant.  In reply, I must, in the first instance, observe that the Warrington Board of Guardians must, I think, have been strangely misinformed of the circumstances, or they would scarcely have caused this communication to be made—the first of this nature which it has fallen to my lot, as coroner, to receive. The information of the death was received by me by post on the morning of the Bth inst., and in accordance with the instructions of the General Quarter Sessions, my precept was duly sent by post the Same evening, indeed, there was no possibility of communicating with the police of Poulton earlier. I had other arrangements made for the following day, but could not otherwise have reckoned on the police having the jury and witnesses all in readiness had I been able to proceed to Orford. On that day (the 9th), I held one inquest at Billinge Higher End, and afterwards a long inquiry into two deaths at Widnes Dock.  On my reaching Orford on the morning of the 10th, my inquest was at once held after we had viewed the body in the stable. This was certainly showing some decomposition, but I experienced no difficulty in examining it for some minutes in a darkened outbuilding. Outside there was not, and could not be, any offensive smell. Deceased's sister was present with myself and the officer. But for the circumstances of the death and the shocking wound inflicted, I am certain no such idea would have occurred to the neighbours. But—and allow me to call your attention to this fact—there had then been no arrangements made for the interment, or even removal of the body. It was stated that a coffin had been ordered, bat countermanded, and by the request of the jury, I called on the widow solely to ascertain whether she intended to remove the body or not. She said she was in no circumstances, and I then directed the officer to communicate with the relieving officer, and to assist, as far as he could, in relieving the landlord and the neighbours of the presence of the corpse. What further delay occurred I have no knowledge. I must beg you to lay this, my reply, before your Board at their next meeting, and kindly to inform me of the result.—l remain, &c., C. E.