Widnes Examiner. — 1886-09-04 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THE INQUEST. The inquest as to the death of deceased was opened on Tuesday afternoon by Mr. S. Brighouse, at the public-house of Mr. Roughley, which is close to the scene of the accident. The solicitors present were Mr. T. J. Ridway, who appeared on behalf of Messrs. Milling and Co. and the relatives of the deceased; Mr. W. H. Jenkins, who represented Mr. B. Grimshaw, whose farm the deceased was returning from when he met with his death; and Mr. Ferrand, from the solicitors' department of the London and North-Western Railway Company, Limestreet. The Coroner, in opening the inquiry, briefly recapitulated the circumstances of the disaster, after which Martha Johnson, the wife of the deceased, was called as a witness. She said her husband and her lived at 37, Price-street. Ile was 31 years of age on his last birthday. She last saw him alive at halfpast ten o'clock on Saturday morning, when he was well and in good health. She saw him dead on Sunday morning. Mary Walker, wife of Benjamin Walker, living in Gatewarth-street, the street which leads to the crossing, said she recollected deceased and another driving past her house in a trap on Saturday afternoon in the direction of Mr. Grimshaw's farm. At the time both the gates at the crossing were closed, and she unlatched the first gate for a little lad named Henry Crack, who pushed it open. The other gate was also opened before deceased attempted to cross the line to the farmhouse. The gates were then closed, ane.l she then went into her house. She had been there about four minutes, when she heard an engine whistle, and, looking through her kitchen idow, she saw dust rise and splintered wood fly By Mr. Jenkins: He did not know how long it was since i The man Hatcb, who, it is alleged, murdered a farm Mr. Grirnshave refused to take charge of the gates. It labourer at Denham, was arrested at Basingstoke, on Wedmight be two or three months since the springs were put on nesney. the gates, and he knew that the Company had provided the , Le:d Salisbury had a long conversation with Lord Ranlocks. I dolph Churchill at Ine House of Commons, en Wednesday The Foreman asked the witness to defioe what he meant aftersloon. by occupation road, but he did not respond to this invite- I The Chief Constable of Cardiff has issued 148 sumtion. Witness did not know whether or not there bad been menses against managers cf bogus clubs in that town. At a road there before the railway was laid. He could not the Police Court, on Wednesday, one of them was fined atli say how it was that a woman was paid so much for attend- and costs. ing to a similar crossing on the same line. The Foreman EXT PAORDINARY SUICiDE OF Two Gtnes.—On Thumproceeding to question witness as to other crossings, the day morning the bodies of two girls, about 16 years of age, Coroner remarked that Mr. Farrand was prepared to show were found .in Witton Brook, near Birmingham. They that the Railway Company, after having erected those gates, were tied together round the waist. One of the girls had a had no further responsibility with regard to them.—The letter on her breast, on which was written "Good bye, for Foreman said that in his time several of the level crossings ever." The note was addressed to her mother. There is no on that railway had had no one in charge of them, but since doubt that it is a case of suicide, and unrequited love is then the wives of platelayers had been put in charge.—The assigned as the cause. Coroner said he did not defend level crossings; he thought ATTEMPT To