HISTORICALEIGH - The Disbelieving Jury!

June 29, 2015 by Carole Mulroney

THE DISBELIEVING JURY

At an inquest at Leigh in 1878, a doubt was raised by the jury as to whether the deceased was really dead. James William Osborne, 58, a fisherman was shrimping aboard a smack on the Thames, off Grays, when he appeared to become giddy, and fell down twice, the first time into the hold of the vessel. After the second fall he didn’t move again, and two or three surgeons who saw him declared him to be dead.

His usual doctor, Mr Jones of Leigh, gave evidence at the inquest. The foreman of the jury said that he and other jury members were not at all sure Mr Osborne was dead, and they thought Mr Jones had better check. Mr Jones went and examined the body and on returning into the room, said that as far as he could see, life was extinct. There was but one other way of proving that the man was dead, and that was by post mortem examination. The jury said they would like to be certain so the inquest was adjourned for an hour, and Mr Jones made a post mortem examination. He stated, as a result, that he found the man to be quite dead.

A verdict was returned in accordance with this evidence.

This article is by Carole Mulroney