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A SUSPICIOUS AFFAIR.—An inquest was opened on Wednesday evening at the Osborne-tavern, before Mr. W. J. Cooper, on the body of William Bulchin, aged 21, late a carter in the employ of Mr. Wyatt, of Nutbourne. After the jury had been sworn the Coroner said it would be necessary to adjourn the inquest, in order that the police might inquire into the case, and a post mortem examination of the body be made. The jury proceeded to view the body, and the inquiry was then adjourned until Wednesday. From what we can learn it seems that the deceased was returning to Nutbourne, with his master’s horse and waggon a few days since, and stopped at the Coach and Horses, Hilsea, where he partook of some drink with two men, supposed to be tramps. When he left the house the two men got up into the waggon with him. He stated during his illness that he did not recollect anything that took place after leaving Hilsea. He was found lying in the road, between Hilsea and Cosham, with his face cut and bruised, and was taken to the hospital, and from thence to the residence of his brother, in Albion-street, where he expired on Tuesday evening. The two men were stopped between Cosham and Havant, by some person who knew that they were not in the employ of Mr. Wyatt, and in reply to questions, they said the driver had fallen out of the waggon, and were going to Havant for a doctor. They were taken back to Cosham and detained for the night, but were discharged the next morning. The police are now making inquiries as to the whereabouts of these persons.
— Hampshire Advertiser, Saturday 26 December 1863 (source)
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THE SUSPECTED DEATH FROM VIOLENCE.
On Wednesday evening, W.J. Cooper, Esq., Borough Coroner, resumed the enquiry at the “Osborne Tavern,” Mile-end, into the circumstances attending the death of William Balchin, a carter in the employ of Mr. Wyatt, miller, of Nutbourne.
The Coroner said the jurors were aware that the inquest had been adjourned frem the 22nd inst., they having then assembled on a very busy night, and having viewed the body of the deceased, which was identified by his brother, he (the Coroner) adjourned the inquest till that day, to enable Dr. Davies to make a post mortem examination of the body; and also the police to institute enquiries as to the circumstances attending his death.
The following evidence was then adduced:—
Henry Balchin, a joiner, living in Albion-street, Mile-end, Landport, deposed: The body which the jury viewed at my residence on the 23rd inst., was that of my brother, William Balchin, who was 21 years of age, and was a carter in the employ of Mr. Wyatt, miller, of Nutbourne, Sussex. From information I received about half-past eight o’clock on the evening of Monday the 14th inst., I went to the Royal Portsmouth, Portsea, and Gosport Hospital, but the hospital was closed. On returning to from work the following evening, I found deceased in bed. I observed that the right eye was blackened, and that there were several bruises about the back part of his head; he was very weak. I saw no wound He complained of great pain in his head, in consequences of which, I applied to Dr. Davies who visited him that night. With the exception of a few minutes each day, he kept his bed till the following Tuesday, when he died. On Sunday the 20th Inst., he was much worse; he was delirious, and complained of pains in his head. About half past one o’clock on Monday morning, and whilst he was sensible, he told me that he did not think he should “get over it.”
The Coroner asked witness, whether deceased had ever made any statement to him, as to how he came out of the waggon?
Witness replied that he had, but in answer to a further question by the Coroner, he said that deceased had made that statement to him previous to his expressing his belief that “he should not get over it.”
The Coroner said that that statement having been made by deceased, previous to his expression “that he did not think he should get over it,” precluded it from being admitted as evidence; any statement made by a dying man, he believing, at the time of making such a statement, that he was dying, was in law equal to testimony given upon oath; but to be given in evidence it must be shown that at the time of making such statement he believed that he would shortly be in the presence of his Maker. If, therefore, deceased had made such a statement between half-past one on Monday morning, and the time of his death, it might have been taken in evidence, but if he had made any statement implicating any person previous to saying that “he did not think he should get over it,” he (the Coroner) could not admit it in evidence.
In answer to the Coroner, Inspector Drew, of the Fareham division of the Hants Constabulary said he had not heard Mr. Wyatt complain of any monetary deficiency.
Balchin’s examination continued: There was no money in deceased’s pocket.
James Aldridge, ostler at the “Market House Tavern,” Mile-end, on being sworn, deposed: I knew the deceased, William Balchin; he used to bait his horses at my master’s house. On the afternoon of Monday the 14th inst., he called there on his way home to Nutbourne, he baited his horses, and had his dinner there, and left the house between quarter and half-past four. He was perfectly sober when he came in; he had two pints of beer, in payment for which I saw him tender a shilling and receive seven-pence in change which he put in his pocket. I saw him put two shillings and a six-pence into a leathern purse. I have never noticed large sums of money in his possession.
William Robinson, a blacksmith, living at Farlington, said: I knew the deceased William Balchin, by his passing my house on his way to Portsmouth. I came to Portsmouth on Monday. the 14th inst., and I saw him in the tap-room of the Market House Tavern, about half-past three o/clock in the afternoon of that day; he was then drinking beer; and was quarrelling with another carter. They went out into the street, but did not fight; the other carter driving off, and deceased coming in doors again. I left the house with my brother-in-law (who also had a waggon,) and another man, about a quarter before four. Before we got near the Green Post, at North End, deceased passed us, and he got down, and walked along with us. Whilst we were walking along, two men, one of whom was drunk, dressed something similar to sailors, came up, and asked deceased to give them a ride. He told them to go and get up at the back of the waggon, which they did. When we arrived at the Green Post, at Hilsea, my brother wanted deceased to have some beer, but his team being about 30 yards ahead, he declined to do so, and I saw him overtake his waggon. I, accompanied by my brother, and the other man, went into the Green Post, where we had some beer, and in about 10 minutes came out again, and proceeded together up the road, and when about 50 yards this side of the Railway Station, and on the left hand side of the road we saw deceased sitting in the road with Mr. Baker, chemist, of Cosham, and several other persons round him. He was bleeding from the mouth. It was then about five o’clock, and dusk. I did not notice he had a black eye. We then went on, and on arriving at Cosham, we saw the waggon, standing before the Ship Inn, and the two men who had asked deceased for a “lift,” in charge of a police constable, who is now present. They were taken before Sir Lucius Curtis, a county magistrate; I also attended and gave the same evidence that I have given now. On the following day, I went into the Royal Portsmouth, Portsea and Gosport Hospital. I did not see the deceased at the Hospital He was “drinky” when he left the Market House Tavern, but he was sober when he left the Green Post.
Mr. William Maynard, Accountant, of Hanover-street, Portsea, deposed: On Monday, the 14th Inst., at about five o’clock in the afternoon, I was talking from Cosham to Portsmouth in company with my brother-in-law, Mr. Webb; on reaching about half way between the railway crossing and the Turnpike gates at Cosham, my attention was attracted to a man calling out, “Stop my horses,” and on turning round, I saw a man lying in the road near the footpath behind me. I immediately ran up to him, and found he was insensible, and bleeding very much. I left in in charge of two other persons; my attention was then drawn to a waggon that had almost come to a standstill; it had not passed through the railway gate, but was a considerable distance from it. After stopping for not more than a minute, the horses went off at full gallop. I and my brother ran after them, calling out, “Stop that waggon,” and on just passing the railways gates, we met Mr. Woods, of Queen-street, Portsea, who was in horseback, and he, at my request, turned back and stopped the waggon. On my reaching the Ship Inn, which is the first public-house in Cosham, I made enquiries as to who had been driving the waggon, when a man came forward and said, “I have, sir.” I then asked him whether he belonged to the waggon. He said, “No.” I replied, “Do you know who have run over a man in the road; and how was it you did not stop?” He said, “I came for assistance.” Not liking the appearance of the men, who seemed to me to be tramps, I sent my brother for a doctor, and I went for a policeman, who after making enquiries of the men, took them into custody. Neither of the men gave any account of how deceased was injured. One of them appeared to be very much intoxicated, but the other seemed to know what he was about. One of them said they had asked for a “lift” on the road, and that deceased had given them a “lift.” Mr. Baker, chemist, and my brother, who had been to the man’s assistance, returned. My brother said to me, “This is a bad job, Maynard; I think he has lost a part of his tongue.” I replied that it was a bad job, and at the request of the constance I procured a van and conveyed him to the hospital, where he was attended by the house surgeon, Mr. O’Brien, who is now present. Deceased was taken to the examining room, and laid on the sofa, and the nurse washed his mouth. He received every attention. In washing his mouth I saw something, which I fancied was a part of his tongue, come from it. His right eve was swollen.
In reply to a juror,
Mr. Maynard said that at the hospital, deceased said, in a rambling manner, “Where are my horses.”
In answer to the coroner,
P.C. Gulliver, of the Hants Constabulary, stationed at Cosham, said enquiries had been made at the turnpike-gate, as to the waggon passing through, and the toll-keeper had told him that decease and two other men were riding inside it.
Mr. Daniel O’Brien, house surgeon of the Royal Portsmouth, Portsea, and Gosport Hospital, was the next sworn, and said: On the evening of the 14th inst., deceased was brought to the Hospital. He was taken to the consulting room, where I examined him. He was in an insensible state; I attribute that insensibility to the effects of drink, It might have arisen from a slight concussion of the brain. He had a contusion, and blackness of the eye, commonly called a black eye, and was bleeding from his nostrils; there was a good deal of blood on the front of his clothes. About half an hour after his admittance, he became sensible, and objected to remaining in the Hospital, saying that he wanted to go home. He was noisy, and rambled like a drunken man; saying that he wanted his horses; it was not the rambling of delirium. A sedative was administered, and I visited him in the night; he was then sleeping calmly. I saw him on the following morning about eight o’clock, and asked him how he was, and he replied that he was all right except being sore. About half-past eight, a constable from Cosham came and asked me whether deceased was in a fit state to give evidence before a magistrate, and I replied that he was. If I had been told that he was to walk four miles, I should not have said that he was fit to go and give evidence.I asked him to put out his tongue, which he did; it was perfect, there was no loss of substance whatever, what Mr. Maynard thought was a piece of his (deceased’s) tongue, might have been a clot of blood. I also asked him whether his mouth was sore, and he replied that it was not.
By the Foreman: I examined the deceased’s body, as well as his head; it appeared to me, that he had fallen on his face and had received a black eye, and a bloody nose in the fall.
In answer to several jurors,
Mr. O’Brien said the substance that came from the deceased’s mouth, might have been thrown from his stomach; me (Mr. O’B) could not exactly say what it was; no drug or narcotic had been administered to deceased.
By the Coroner: I should not have given him a sedative, had any narcotic been administered to him.
Mrs Lucy Neat, deposed: I am a widow and landlady of the Coach and Horses Inn, Hilsea, I remember Monday, the 14th inst., two men, one of from was “fresh,” and the other not very “fresh,” apparently Londoners, and who told me they were Londoners came into my house followed by deceased, who was a stranger to me; the men asked deceased to have some “short” but re refused, and one of the men then called, and paid for a quart of ale, of which they all three partook. They seemed to be on very good terms with each other.
Thomas Alexander, a labourer; in the employ of Mr. J. Wildey, of Cosham, deposed: On the afternoon in question, I saw the waggon standing just below the Ship Inn at Cosham, I saw a man running up the street calling for a “doctor” He appeared to be almost man, and as if he did not know what he was going. He afterwards jumped up into the waggon, and said, “Come on mate let us drive off. I looked along the waggon, and seeing that it belonged to Mr. Wyatt, I stopped the horses, and the men got down. They were afterwards taken into custody.
Mr. Webb (who was with Mr. Maynard on finding deceased) said: On deceased being taken to the Hospital, the surgeon at first objected to receive him, considering him an unfit patient for the hospital; but after a brief consultation with a nurse, he admitted him, and had him undressed; his face was washed, and the substance before alluded to, came from his mouth. Mr. O’Brien took it in his fingers, and put it down again. Deceased was taken to his warn, leaning on the arm of a man, and I believe Mr. O’Brien visited him before we left.
P.C. Gulliver, said: On Monday the 14th inst., from information I received, I went to the “Ship Inn,” Cosham, where I found a waggon belonging to Mr. Wyatt, of Nutbourne. There were two men in the street, standing at the side of the waggon. I asked them whether they were in the waggon when the man fell out, and they replied that they were. I then proceeded to the spot where the man was lying in the road; he was insensible, and bleeding from the mouth and nose. I took them before Sir Lucius Curtis.
A juror here suggested that the question as to what position the deceased was lying in, when found by Mr. Maynard in the road, should be put.
The Coroner then put the question, and in reply Mr. Maynard said he could not positively say in what position he found deceased, and referred it to Mr. Webb, who said that on first seeing deceased, he was on his hands and knees.
Gulliver then continued: I made no special charge against them. Sir Lucius ordered them to be kept in custody, and I accordingly took them to Fareham. On the following morning I went to the hospital where I saw the house surgeon. I asked how the young man that was taken there the previous night, was progressing. The house surgeon said he had examined him, and that he was merely in a state of intoxication, and said it was not a fit case for the hospital. He (the house surgeon) asked deceased how he was, and he replied “all right except pains in his head, and sore.” I took him from the hospital up the road towards Cosham, he guiding himself by the wall, and leaning upon me; he could not have walked without my assistance. He bled from the nose, and complained of pains in his head all the way along the road, and finding he was unable to proceed I took him home to his friends in Albion-street. I had intended when I went to the hospital to have taken him to Fareham, to give evidence before the magistrates. The men were that day, again taken before Sir Lucius Curtis, who discharged them. Deceased that day told me he had lost some money; and that he could not remember how he got out of the waggon.
In answer to a Juror, witness said: I did not think he was drunk the previous days or I should not have sent him to the hospital.
Thomas Drew, Superintendent of the Fareham Division of the Hants Constabulary, said: On Monday, the 14th inst., the last witness brought two men, who have the names of James Saunders and Thomas Kendrick, to the Police-station. They were both the worse for liquor, Kendrick particularly. In reply to my questions, they said they were cork cutters, and had been to Portsmouth. They were searched in my presence, and on Saunders was found 8s. 7d., and on Kendrick 5s. and a relief card of the Cork Cutters’ Society; they represented that they had been relieved by several of their trade at Portsmouth. The constable informed me there had been an accident at Cosham, and they being strangers, be thought it right to take them into custody. Whilst we were searching them, one of them—I believe it was Kendrick—said they were coming from Portsmouth and making the best of their way to London, and had asked a man to give them a ride, which he did; they stopped at a public-house and had a quart of beer, and and on their way to this place, the man (deceased) who was standing on the outside of the waggon fell off. Some one called out for a “doctor,” and he (Kendrick), not knowing what to do, drove off for one. On the following morning I took them to Cosham, and afterwards before Sir Lucius Curtis, who, having heard the evidence of a man named Robinson, they said that they were riding in the waggon, and deceased, who was standing on the shaft, fell off, and had he been inside he would not have fallen off; that they were all the worse for liquor, and that on deceased falling they were very much frightened, and some one calling out for a “doctor,” they drove off to procure one. They were sober at that time, and the statement tallied with that which they made to me on the previous night. I took their address, which I have at Fareham. One of them told me that some years ago he had worked in this town. From the inquiries Sir Lucius Curtis made of Robinson and other persons, he did not think it necessary to detain them, especially as deceased was out of the hospital, and he, therefore, discharged them.
The Coroner expressed an opinion that the statement made by the men, both to Superintendent Owen and to Sir Lucius Curtis, seemed very feasible; they had it in evidence that they had been drinking at a public-house; that they were all worse for liquor; and one of the witnesses saw one of the men at Cosham calling out for a doctor; and altogether the evidence in several points agreed with their statement; and he asked the Jurors whether, in their opinion, the fall of the deceased out of the waggon occurred in any other way than by accident. Suppose the men were there before them, why the first thing he should tell them would be that they were not bound to answer any questions which would criminate themselves, and even if he were not to caution them, they would naturally repeat their former statements.
Mr. Owen Davies, Licentiate of Physicians, Edinburgh, and Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London, deposed: On the evening of Tuesday, the 15th inst., I was applied to to see the deceased, and went to where he was lying, No. 36, Albion-street. I found him in bed, and examined him externally. He had echymose eye, with a congested eye bone, and a slight abrasion over the right cheek bone, also a slight bruise under the left ear. He complained of pain over the right eye; he was perfectly collected, and rational, and answered my questions sensibly, I could not find any direct evidence of injury to the brain; his pulse being natural. I discovered no fracture of the skull. I ordered him some purgative medicine, and desired his friend to let me know how he was, and if any change took place to let me know immediately. He stated to me he had been drinking at the Coach and Horses, and that he remembered nothing after getting into the waggon. I did not think badly of his case. I considered there had been a slight concussion of the brain. I did not again see deceased till the following Sunday, when the brother came for me. On my attending him he was slightly delirious, but could answer my questions. He complained of great pain over the right side of the head. I saw at once inflammation of the brain was going on, and treated him for it up to his death, which occurred on the following Tuesday. I subsequently made a post-mortem examination, at which Dr. Allnutt was present; the appearances presented nothing unusual, except a discoloured bruised eyelid; the eye itself being congested. On removing the scalp, I found extravasated blood over the templeray region, on the right side. On cutting through the temple muscle, I discovered an extensive fracture of the scalp commending at the anterior margin of the parietal bone, passing forward to the spheroid, partially fracturing the frontal bone, then reclining inwards to the base of the skull. There was no depression of the bone on removing the skull cap, I found the membrane of the brain highly congested with blood, opposite the fracture there was a small clot of extravasated blood; the brain substance itself was in a state of inflammation. I found some matter at the base of the brain. The fracture extended across the base of the skull. The other organs of the body were healthy. The fracture and morbid appearance of the brain which I have described, was the result of a great external violence on the head, such as would be produced by a fall from a waggon; but would not be produced by a blow from a fist. Deceased died from inflammation of the brain.
In reply to the coroner, witness said: I do not think and treatment whatever would have saved deceased.
The Coroner then ably summed up, after which the room was cleared.
In about a quarter-of-an-hour, the jury agreed upon the following verdict:—“That the deceased, William Balchin, died from inflammation of the brain, cause by the fall from a waggon, but whether such fall was the result of accident or otherwise, there is no evidence before the jurors to shew.”
— Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette, Saturday 02 January, 1864 (source)