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FATAL ACCIDENT AT LIVERPOOL.coroner’s inquest.—two ladies killed.On Saturday last, the Coroner’s inquest was held to investigate the circumstances of this moat melancholy event. After the Jury had examined the bodies, and some other forms had been gone through, the inquiry was adjourned to Monday. The inquest having been resumed, the following witnesses were called :Richard Worthington is a baker, and lives at 18, Edmund street. On Friday the 10th of August, about four o’clock, was going down Dale street. Saw the two ladies since dead walking before him. Witness crossed over to the opposite side of the street near Poole’s shop. The ladies continued on. Saw a cask hoisting up at Mr. Rigmaiden’b warehouse. He watched it. Saw Mr. Rig-maiden trying to get the cask into the top room of the warehouse lengthways, but there was not room for It be cause of home flour sacks that were standing in the corner part of the doorway. He then turned the cask so as to brtngit in at one of the cuds. He got it part in, but the greater part hung over the street. As soon as it rested on the doorway, the rope slackened, and the cask fell down on the ladies, who were just under. The elder of the ladies was thrown into the channel, and the younger one against the wall. Witness ran up to them. The caskwan lying on ihe legs of the younger lady, and he removedit. They both appeared to be dead. The cask was empty, and was hoisted up by a rope tied round the middle of it. 'The rope was singly round*John Muhony is a labourer. Onrthe day of the accident he was working with some masons, putting on the coping of the foot walk near Mr. Rigmaidea’s. Saw arum puncheon lying on the foot walk, opposite the warehouse dooi; saw a rope turned down, and a boy put it round the cask with a single loop. The cask was then hoisted up, but witness could not see the person who hoisted it. He saw two ladies coming along the foot path arm in arm. At the moment when they were passing the cask fell down on them, and knocked them both down. They fell veryifeai the witness, and he assisted to remove them. The elder one died in a few minutes; she never spoke. They were both put into carriages and taken away. Witness saw no person on the footpath to warn persons going backwards and lor wards ; the street is a great thoroughfare. I here were uo dog hooks nor can hooks, nor slings UBed. The rope Was put round, and fastened by a noos*. Witness heard some one say . a moment or two before the cask felt, how dangerous it was to take up a cask like that without dog hooks.James Ainsworth, of the police, went to the spot when he heard of the accident. He went up to the fourth story of the warehouse! and Mr. Rigmaiden followed him. When in the room, witness asked Mr. Rigmaiden howthe accident happened; he stated that he hud hold of thebreak rope with his right hand, and when he was pulling it in, the cask caught the sack, which overbalanced it, and it slipped through the rope and fell down. Witness examined the place, and found two sacks standing in the door way, within eighteen inches of the ouiside sill, and the room left for the cask to pass through would be about 32 inches. Witness measured the bilge of the cask, and in diameter it was about 36 inches. He was not certain that the cask could be taken in over the sacks.John Hughes, who came up to the spot after the cask had fallen, said that he saw the two ladies lying on the foot-walk in front of Mr. Rigmaiden’* warehouse. He assisted to get the young lady up, and carried her into Mr. Rigmaiden’s vaults; she was then quite dead. Blood was frothed from her mouth. He assisted to carry her home to Beau street.Jaae Brown is servant with Mr, Josiah Kearsley. Her mistress, Mrs. Margaret Kearsley, went out with her daughter, Miss Margaret Kearsley, on Friday, about two o’clock, and another daughter named Ann. About 20 minutes before four o’clock a young woman came to the house, and said that Mrs. Kearsley and her daughter were killed, but (hut she thought Mrs. Kearsley was notquite dead, and that it happened at Mr. Rigmaiden’s warehouse, in Dale street. Witness went there, and found Miss Margaret in tire liquor vaults, quite dead. She went afterwards to Mr. Whitley’s, a surgeon, in Dak street, and found Mrs. Kearsley there. She was alsoquite dead. They were both bought home in coaches.Donald Black is a surgeon attached to the North Dispensary, and on Friday last, between three and four o’clock, he was attending a patient in ihe Bridewell, when a messenger came i here and desired him to go to Dale strtet, for Ihcre were two ladies nearly killed by a rum puncheon falling on them. Witness went there immediately, and saw Mrs. Kearsley lying in a chair at Mr. Whitley’s surgery, her head resting on a man’s shoulder or ureast. She was breathing. Witness proceeded to examine the body. He found a severe lacerated wound on the upper part of the head, the scalp being detiched from the bone about four or five inches in length and breadth. She lived about three or f«*ur minutes alter his arrival, when she expired. Witness believes she died from compression of the head. A blow so a-ruck would have thai effect. Witness went in the coach to her house tiith Mrs. Keurlley, and the daughter was brought home soon after, uead. Witness examined her; her neck appeared to be dislocated ; her head and face were much bruised and swollen; a dislocation of the neck and a concussion on the brain, arising from the blow, would cause death.The Jury, after hearing this evidence, returned a verdict of Manslaughter against Mr. Rigmaiden. .We understand that Mr. Rigmaiden has left Liverpool, to take hi* trial at the present assizes. Ever since the melancholy event he has been in a state of the deepest melancholy depression.
Newspaper Details
British Traveller and Commercial and Law Gazette
London, Middlesex, GB
Fri, Aug 17, 1832
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Alexandra H.
CA, USA 23 Jul 2020
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