[list-cumbria] Carlisle Patriot, 12 Jun 1824 - Inquest at Whitehaven

[Petra Mitchinson]

Saturday 12 Jun 1824   (p. 3, col. 4)

 

INQUEST AT WHITEHAVEN. 

 

A very painful occurrence happened at Whitehaven on the afternoon of Saturday last. James NICHOLSON, and Thomas GREEN,
police-officers, having a writ of fieri facias to execute upon the goods and chattels of Mr. GIBSON, schoolmaster, went to his
lodgings in King-street for that purpose; and while there a scuffle took place between NICHOLSON and GIBSON, which resulted in the
death of the latter, in a few hours. Peter HODGSON, Esq. being absent from Cumberland, an inquest was held on the body on Monday, at
the Public-office, before Richard LOWRY, Esq. (of Carlisle), coroner, and a respectable jury, and continued, by adjournment, on the
following day, in the presence of a very numerous auditory, the transaction having excited a great sensation in the town and
neighbourhood. We annex the substance of the evidence:— 

 

Charles LOCKHART, of Parton, gentleman, the first witness, deposed that he was sitting in GIBSON's house on Saturday, between three
and four o'clock in the afternoon, when James NICHOLSON and Thomas GREEN, police-officers, called, produced a paper, and said they
had an execution on deceased's goods, who replied that he had nothing for them. James NICHOLSON went down stairs and was followed by
GIBSON, when a scuffle ensued; and on witness's going to see what was the matter, he saw NICHOLSON on the top of the deceased, with
his knee on his breast. In this position, and while pressing upon him, he said, "D—n you, I have had to do with you before;" and
then he called for GREEN to go and get the handcuffs, to take the deceased to the Round-house for an assault. NICHOLSON continued in
his position; but witness, with the assistance of a young woman, separated them; and on getting up, GIBSON walked to a bed,
exclaiming, "Oh! dear, oh! dear, my breast." He laid his head upon the bed in a stooping position, but slipped down upon the floor;
he was very pale, and Dr. BRETT was sent for, but before that gentleman arrived, the deceased had become quite insensible, so that
no conversation could be held with him. Deceased used no threatening language to NICHOLSON; and GREEN stood by nearly the whole time
that NICHOLSON was on his breast, and made no effort to take him off. The stair-case was an awkward, winding place; witness heard
the scuffle in the room, but did not see the commencement of it. 

 

Thos. GREEN said he went with NICHOLSON to execute upon GIBSON a writ of fieri facias. On inquiring of the landlady, she said he was
not in; but seeing two hats lying on the window seat, they went up stairs, and there found Mr. GIBSON, with Mr. LOCKHART and Mrs.
THOMPSON. They told him they had an execution against his property; GIBSON said he had nothing there, and NICHOLSON turned round to
go down stairs, and was followed by deceased, who seized NICHOLSON by the collar, when a scuffle ensued, and they both fell,
NICHOLSON uppermost. Witness immediately went to separate them, and did so, with the assistance of Mr. LOCKHART and Mrs. THOMPSON.
He did not hear any thing of a threatening nature uttered by either party. (He then corroborated Mr. LOCKHART as to the effect of
the scuffle.) When they went up stairs, it appeared as if deceased had been drinking, but he was not what one might call drunk—he
was a slender man, apparently in poor health. 

 

Thomas MITCHELL, innkeeper, Whitehaven, having called at the house, and hearing a noise up stairs, went up by desire of Mrs.
ASHBRIDGE, when he met NICHOLSON coming down, GIBSON following; and he touched NICHOLSON's shoulder, who turned round, a scuffle
ensued, they fell, NICHOLSON uppermost, who lay with his elbow across GIBSON's chest, but witness did not see him press with his
knee: GREEN struck deceased across the knuckles with his staff, to make him let go his hold of NICHOLSON; but not with an intention
of injuring him. 

 

Mary MAYCHELL, of Whitehaven, being at Mrs. ASHBRIDGE's, seeing the officers go up, and hearing the scuffle afterwards, ran up
stairs, and saw deceased lying on his back, partly on the stairs, and partly on the landing, with NICHOLSON lying above him with his
knee on his stomach, pressing very hard. Mr. LOCKHART called upon her to assist taking NICHOLSON off, and she did so. The deceased
got up, sat upon a chair a little, called out, "Oh, my breast," and placed his hand upon it. Witness then went down stairs; Mrs.
ASHBRIDGE soon after came down and said GIBSON was dying; Dr. BRETT was sent for, &c. 

 

Hannah THOMPSON, of Parton, who was present, having heard Mr. LOCKHART's evidence read over, deposed to its correctness. 

 

Mrs. ASHBRIDGE fully confirmed the testimony of LOCKHART, THOMPSON, and MAYCHELL. 

 

Elizabeth DORIEN, wife of Bernard DORIEN, stonemason, Whitehaven, was in the house with Mrs. ASHBRIDGE, but did not go up stairs.
After the scuffle was over, NICHOLSON came down, seized hold of deceased's hat, ran away with it, and said in a rage when he
returned, "I have taken the d——d rascal's hat, and I'll take more." Before he came back, she had been upstairs, and seen GIBSON in a
dying state. She saw Thomas MITCHELL come into the house during the scuffle; he went up about three steps of the stairs; but witness
did not see him go any further, consequently could not say whether he interfered or not. 

 

Samuel BRETT, surgeon, deposed that having been sent for, he went to the house of Mrs. ASHBRIDGE, in King-street, where he found
deceased lying on a bed, insensible. He considered him dying, pulsation having ceased. A vein was opened in his left arm, but little
blood flowed. As danger was more imminent every moment, witness desired that another medical man might be called in, and Mr. DAWSON
was sent for, but before he came, though he arrived in a few minutes, death had taken place. Previous to this, witness examined the
abdomen and breast of deceased, but found no such discoloration as warranted him in saying what might be the cause of his death: He
was not present at the opening of the body. 

 

Mr. MITCHELL, surgeon, Whitehaven, examined the breast of the deceased about half past eight, along with Drs. STANLEY and FALCON,
but found no external marks of violence. On opening the chest, the lungs appeared to have suffered from former disease, but the
heart was perfect and healthy. Finding no cause there of sudden death, witness proceeded to open the abdomen, and blood flowed out
so freely as to oblige them to call for a coffee-cup and wash-hand-basin in order to take the blood away. On looking at the large
vessels leading to the liver, he observed that the liver was lacerated. At the anterior part of it, where the right and left lobes
join, it was lacerated through for about three inches in extent towards the thicker part; the laceration then took a direction to
the right, into the substance of the liver, for about two inches. Where the laceration was, the vessels from the intestines enter
the liver, called the vena fortæ abdominalis. This, he considered quite sufficient to cause death. He considered that the laceration
resulted from pressure, there being no marks of external violence. 

 

Dr. STANLEY agreed with Mr. MITCHELL that death was the consequence of laceration caused by pressure. Generally speaking, he thought
one person falling on another, would not occasion laceration, without a corresponding effort. 

 

Mr. LOWRY having summed up the evidence, and suitably commented on it, the Jury returned a verdict of Manslaughter against
NICHOLSON, on which charge he was committed to Carlisle gaol. He arrived here on Wednesday. 

 

 

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