Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 06 June 1902

Singular Accident at Mexboro’.

A Little Girl Killed.

A peculiar accident occurred on Sunday afternoon, in Adwick road, Mexboro’, which resulted in the death of a little girl, named Ada Beckett, aged 7 years.

The deceased, after attending Sunday school, went for a walk with some companions, when they started swinging on a wire rope attached to a stone gate post. The post toppled over, and crushed the little girl underneath it.

The district Coroner (Mr. Dewey Wightman) held an inquest over the deceased on Tuesday afternoon, at the Mexboro’ Montagu Cottage Hospital. Mr. F. J. Mason, solicitor, Rotherham, represented Mr. Cavil, the owner of the quarry, and Mr. Cavil was also present.

Lister Beckett, a painter, living at Adwick road, Mexboro’, and father of the deceased, gave evidence of identification. He said he had visited the place of the accident, and found that the stone gate post had broken clean off.

Asked by the Coroner as to whether he had formed any theory as to the cause of the accident.  He replied in the negative.

The Coroner said he was informed in the report that the deceased was swinging on some wire, and in that way pulled the post over, and it had fallen upon the deceased and had killed her; it was the consequence of the wrong doing. The children had no right to swing on the wire.

Annie M. Brammer, a little girl aged seven years, said the deceased was a friend of hers and on Sunday, the 1st June, they went to Sunday School, and were then going for a walk, between three and four o’clock. They were heading along Adwick road, with two other little children, and when they got to the gate the deceased, Ada Beckett, and another little girl started swinging on a wire rope attached to the atone gate post. They had never swung there before, as far as she knew. They were swinging on the rope when the stone toppled over and fell on to the deceased, and then rolled off her. The gate was open at the time.

Mr. Mason: Do you remember a man going through the gate, just before this happened?—Witness: No.

Mr. Mason: You don’t remember a man going through said telling you not to swing on the rope, as it would dirty your clothes’—Witness: No.

The Coroner: Did anyone tell you to swing—Witness: No, no one.

The Coroner, to P.c. Farr Where is this post?

P.c. Parr: On the side of the turnpike.

The Coroner: Did you get there at the time of the accident, before the child was removed?

P.c. Farr: No, about ten afterwards.

The Coroner: Was the stone broken in two?

P.c. Fair: No; it was broken eff level with the ground.

The Coroner: Then it did not come out of the ground?—P.c. Parr: No, sir.

A juryman stated that the stone was 14 inches square.

Mr. Mason said the stone had been up four or five years; the stone was put up by the quarry owner, and fencing was done by a farmer who rented the field next to the quarry.

Mr. Mason (to P.c. Farr): Do you think the crack looked as if it, had been done recently?

P.c. Farr: Yes, in my opinion it looked to have been recently done, and continuing said he did not think the children could have done it; it might have been crocked by carts going through to the quarry.

The Coroner said it was his unfortunate duty to hold a good many inquests in which stones had broken whilst men had been grinding, and it was a very difficult matter indeed to ascertain the cause of the breakage. But what they had to investigate was very different that day. He did not think it mattered very much whether there was a flaw in the stone or not. The children at the time of the accident were doing what they had no right to do. He did not think they could possibly bring in any other verdict than that of accidental death. In all probability if the children had not swung on the rope the stone would have been there yet They could attach no blame to the owner of the quarry; he could put up a stone gate post with a flaw in it if it served his purpose.

The jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally killed.” –Mr. George Marshall was the foreman of the jury, which was composed of Messrs. Blaney, Sharpe, Venables, Chambers, E. Clayton, Holt, Beresford, Poundall, Tingle, Grainger, Dixon, and Whittaker.