Reading Mercury

Dated 22^nd November 1851

An inquest was held on Thursday evening, at the Weaver’s Arms, before Joseph Bunny Esq., the Borough Coroner, on view of the body of John White, who died on Wednesday, from injury he received on the 6^th inst., by being thrown out of his master’s cart, Mr. Joseph Adey, coal merchant, of West Mills. Mr. G Webb of Speen, stated that on the day named he was standing at his door, and heard a great noise in the road as of a horse running away, before he got into the road the cart was turned over; when witness reached the spot the by-standers had removed the deceased from under the cart; deponent assisted in carrying him to the “Hare and Hounds” and requested Mr. Harding, the landlord, to send for Mr. Robinson; witness waited till a medical gentleman attended. The deceased could not at first speak, but recovered before they took him to the Inn; he said “that he thought his thigh was broke;” witness asked him how the accident occurred, but he could not tell. The horse, in running away, struck the gate-post adjoining the “Hare and Hounds,” and so overturned the cart; did not know whether the horse was driven with reins or not. – Mr. Richard Freebody said; that on Thursday afternoon, the 6^th inst., he saw the horse running away, and a man sitting in the cart, but could not say whether the deceased had reins; he appeared to be pulling something; said the cart turned over and the horse was released from it. – Elizabeth Carr, who had attended the deceased from the time of the accident until his death, gave evidence of his illness. – Mr. Robinson, stated he first saw the deceased on the 8^th inst., he being away from home, his son had previously attended him; found on examination a fracture of the thigh and injury of the foot with much discolouration; he anticipated that mortification would take place; he had no symptoms pointing out that he had received any injury in the head; about three days since he considered the case quite hopeless; continued attendance on him until his death on the 19^th inst. It was not very common circumstance that mortification should occur after a simple fracture, and he was of the opinion, that there was some injury done to the femoral artery by the accident, and thus the fracture was the cause of mortification. Witness would have removed the limb, but did not consider the man’s stamina would have allowed it, and the line separation between the dead and living parts was not sufficiently established. The coroner having made some remarks on the nature of the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death.” It having transpired that the horse was a vicious animal and was the cause of death of it’s late owner, the coroner recommended Mr. Adey, who was in the room, to use the horse in some other work, that was not so likely to endanger life.