THEOPHILUS COOPER
DEATH FROM DROWNING
On Tuesday evening. An inquest was held in the Magistrates’-room, in this town, before Joseph Bunny, Esq., the borough coroner, on view of the body of Theophilus Cooper, aged 14, son of Mr. James Cooper, tailor, &c., who was accidently drowned in the river, on Monday evening.
The jury having taken a view of the body and returned.
Edmund Clayton, aged 13, stated that he was in Kendrick’s school, and was, on Monday afternoon, at school with the deceased. They left about four o’clock and parted, when he went home. About six o’clock, witness, deceased, George Heath, and several other boys, met, when they went up to West Mills to play, and passed over the bridge on the Kennet river, and those boys that were first pushed the gate about that was on the towing-path, when the deceased climbed round the railing which hung over the water, and said to witness, “I’m all right,” when he immediately fell into the water.
Witness took off his belt and tried to give it to him, but the deceased said he could not take hold of it. Witness told the other boys to run and get assistance. Mr. Cole, a miller, came with a pole, but the deceased could not lay hold of it. Witness went for Mr. Cooper, his father, who came. It was twenty minutes before he was taken out of the water.
Paul Griffith, another school boy, said, they met about six o’clock on that evening, and went to West Mills. They passed over the bridge to the gate on the north side of the river. The gate was pushed about by several other boys who were on the other side of it. The deceased went to get round the railing, when he said, “I am all right.” He then fell into the water. Witness went for Mr. Cole, miller, who brought a pole, but the deceased could not get hold of it. He kept above the water a little time, and then was drowned. He was in the water about half an hour before he was taken out.
Henry John Arnold, of West Mills, said, that he assisted in getting the deceased out of the water. He was dead.
The Coroner said, that was the whole of the evidence which would be brought before the jury, as to the cause of the deceased’s death; and he thought it was right to state that no charge had been brought against any of the other boys; but if any unfair means had been used by any of them, it would have been the bounden duty of the jury to have returned a verdict of manslaughter, and the parties would have been committed for trial at the next March Assizes. With these few remarks he would leave the case in their hands, and he had no doubt their verdict would be in accordance with the evidence given.
The Jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death.”
The whole of the boys who were with the deceased just before his untimely end, were summoned to attend the inquest, and at the close of the proceedings, the Coroner addressed them in a most solemn manner on the sudden departure of one of their school fellows, hoping that they would take timely warning, and that their future course would be guided by good conduct.
Also reported in the Berkshire Chronicle dated 21 November 1857.
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