Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 18 April 1893
The Strange Death At Mexborough
Yesterday Mr. D. Wightman, Coroner, held an inquest at the Mexborough Montagu Hospital, as to the circumstances surrounding the death of John Evans, aged 50, lately employed as navvy on the South Yorkshire Junction Railway as Cadeby, and whose death under peculiar conditions was reported in yesterday’s Telegraph. It appeared that the deceased was a native of Colchester, Essex.
On Saturday night the deceased and another navvy named Underwood went to Mexborough, and were returning to Denaby about eleven o’clock, when they were worse for liquor. Against Denaby toll-bar house a waggonette approached, and the next thing noticed was that the two men were lying in the road, having apparently been knocked down by the vehicle. They were taken to the hospital, where Evans was found to be dead.
The evidence as to the accident was very conflicting. One statement was to the effect that the two men fell while in the road, and then got run over, but another was that the waggonette knocked them down, and caused the injuries which proved fatal to Evans. The Coroner said the evidence was very unreliable.
Mr. Cliff (a juror) said he was surprised there were not more accidents, considering the reckless way in which drivers often acted in the crowded thoroughfares. The Coroner remarked that he was afraid Mexborough was not very different to other places in reference to that matter.
Mr. Cliff thought the attention of the Local Board might be called to the question.
The Coroner: And do you suppose they will take any notice of a recommendation?
Mr. Cliff said there were to be some by-laws enforced in reference to vehicles.
Inspector Barratt stated that that had been spoken of for two years.
The jury returned the following verdict:—“That the deceased was killed by being run over, but as to how this was done there is not sufficient evidence to show.” They added a recommendation to the Local Board asking that the new by-laws be put into force as soon as possible.