| From The Crewe Guardian of 23 October 1869: "DEATH OF A HIGHER PEOVER MAN AT WARRINGTON On Thursday an inquest was held at the Warrington Workhouse, before C.E. Driffield.Esq., district coroner, touching the death of James Crimes. - Mr. Hilton, relieving officer for the Rixton district, said early on Friday afternoon the deceased was brought into his house by two tramps, who said they had found him lying on the road, and that a gentleman on horseback told them to take him to him. He asked the deceased what was amiss with him, and he said nothing, only he had been in bed the night before, and had taken very little food the last two or three days. He told his wife, who gave him some tea and bread and butter. He noticed he ate greedily. He said his name was James Crimes, 64 years of age, a tailor by trade, and that he came from Higher Peover and had been to Liverpool on pleasure. He (Mr. Hilton) told him he thought the Workhouse would be the best place for him for a day or two, and deceased thanked him. He got his pony and trap ready, and the police officer from Hollins Green asked deceased which way he had come, and he said from Warrington. - Miss Congden, head nurse at the Workhouse, deposed to the death of the deceased, which took place on Monday night, about ten o'clock. - Thomas Brimelow stated that he found the deceased lying face downwards on the footpath in Woolston, and got him up. He walked a little and went to witness's house, where he stayed until five o'clock in the afternoon. He was afterwards taken by two tramps to Mr. Hilton's house. - John Crimes, Lord-street, Stockport, identified the body of the deceased as that of his father; he was 62 years of age, and was a tailor by trade. He lived with his daughters in Stockport, and had frequently been in the habit of leaving the home for long periods at a time. - George Rawling, the porter at the house, said the deceased had been admitted into the vagrant ward on the previous Wednesday; he said he had come from Patricroft and was going back to Manchester. - Mr. C.N. Spinks, medical officer to the house, deposed that he saw deceased first on Saturday morning, and thought he was suffering from concussion of the brain, and applied the usual remedies, but he gradually got worse, and died on Monday. The right eye was black, and there were also black marks on his side and hip, but these might have been caused by the fall. Dr. White was with him when the post-mortem examination was made. After describing the post-mortem examination, he said the man died from chronic disease of the brain. - The Coroner said every care had been taken of the man since he was first taken up on the road, which was exceedingly creditable to the officials. - A verdict was returned of 'Death from natural causes." |
