The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1874-11-21 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

THE LKQUEST.  It appears most  • The adjourned inquest on the body of eieorge Davies —one of the ehildren—was held on Monday afternoon at the Corbet Arms, Unington, before Mr. Corbet Davies, ooroner.  , In opening the proceedings the coroner said the jury would all remember the circumstances which transpired relative to this unfortunate occurrence when the inquest was opened. He was sorry to tell them that, notwithI standing the vigilance of Mr. Supt. Caswell, they had been unable to gather further tidings of the father and the other boy. It would be their duty upon that occasion to inquire into the muse of . the death of George Davies, of whose body they had had a view. It was really a heart-rending case. He thought they would agree with him in thinking that there was too much reason to fear that the bodies of the father and the other child were still in the river, for he believed Supt. Caswell had published the case in the Hoe and Cry, and and every constable in the county had made search for them. The deceased, George Davies was found in UM river ; there was no reason co suppose that there had been actual violence upon his person. He was last seen alive on Saturday week, when he left the union workhouse. A witness saw the deceased about half-past five on the Saturday, near the Schools, in Shrewsbury. They had no evidence to show that he had been seen alive since.  A woman named Ashworth, in reply to the Coroner, said she could not tell the jury anything more than what she had. She said she was in the habit of seeing the father. He lived in the "Rookery," and seemed a 'Very quiet inoffensive man. He appeared to be a kind father. His wife left him a • fortnight last Saturday morning. That would be the 31st of October. He had been to his wife at her grandmother's on the Sunday. On the Monday she spoke to him, and he said "I don't know what lam to do with the children." Then he said " I must take them with me to my work, for they won't have them in the Union." On the Thursday, morning he again said he must take the children with him to his work. She gave the children something to eat. She saw him again at night, and did not think he was sober. On Friday she saw him taking some things to sell to get something' for the children's breakfast, and witness sent for some bread. Tie then took the two children and went away. She lived five or six houses from Davies. She had heard that his wife had since been at the house. She believed that he was at the house it week last Saturday, but she had not heard of her being there since. She had heard her neighbours say that the wife had been seen in the neighbourhood. She had not heard of her making any inquiries about him.  The next witness was John Chesshire, farmer labourer, in the employment of Captain Lovett, stated: I saw the holy of the boy in the river this day week. The body was on the Mfington side of the river. The body was got to the side, and I went to the police. There was no external marks of violence upon the body. The body was brought here. The Coroner said that was the whole of the evidence, and he would ask Superintendent Caswell to make a statement.  Superintendent Caswell stated that in consequence of information he received he went to the spot where the body was. The dress was not disarranged, and there were no marks on the body. He made a very minute examination, but could not find any indication of foul play. He directed the body to be removed to Uffington, and the jury had seen it. He believed it to be the body of the son of Edward Davis, a bricklayer. of Cold Heath. He had failed to find the father. In consequence of what be heard he went to Basehurch, the last place where Davies had been working, but he could not obtain any trace of him, as he had not been there for upwards of a fortnight. He went to Wellington and saw the relatives of the wife, aad found that he had not been seen in that neighbourhood for a fortnight. He believed that Davies was u native of Aston-on-Chin. He had sent an °dicer there, and to Church Streetton, Ludloe, &c. At Astonon-Clun he found that Davies's father had been convicted for ,attempting to commit suicide, and was now an inmate of Bishop's Castle Union. He had also circulated a large number of notices, and had published a description in the Hue and Cm ; but he was unable to get any trace of the father of the boy. The investigation would still be carried on. _ _  111 The Coroner said he wished Superintendent Caswell to make his own statement. It showed that every effort had been made to trace the unfortunate man and the boy. He was afraid that they were still in the river. A Juryman You have not seen the mother? Superintendent Caswell : She called at the police office. She was very importunate, and said that the police were compelled to find her husband. I have made inquirik in all directions. His wife's relatives did not speak v,,,y affectionately of him, but every one speaks of his affection fur his children. The wife herself stated that the child found in the river was his favourite child, and that from this fact she thought some evil must have befallen him.  The Coroner : The question is whether we shall carry the inquiry any farther. It is as to the death of the little boy, George Davies, we have to inquire, and to ask how and by what means he got into the river. The coroner then intimated that if an open verdict were returned the inquiry could be resumed. The jury then returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased, George Davies, wa, "Found drowned."