Punch Bowl - An inquest
Report of a fatal accident - Extract from The Times, Saturday January 30, 1847 by Phil Hand
On Monday an inquest was held at the Punch Bowl, Woodborough, before Mr C. Swann, on the body of William Jalland, aged 24, at that place, joiner. John Burton, framework-knitter, said, the deceased was his son-in-law. On Friday afternoon he came to witness’s house with some hose; he had a gun with him; he often had a gun, and witness used to complain, but he took no notice. In about half an hour after he had gone away witness heard the report of a gun, and in about two minutes a neighbour (Mr Taylor) called to him, and said, “Jalland has shot himself”. Witness immediately went out, and saw William Smith (another son-in-law) running towards deceased, about 40 or 50 yards from his house. He perceived the deceased lying upon the road, rolling about as if in great pain; a gun was lying near him; he was bleeding from his left side and he said, “The whole charge of shot is in me”. While being carried to witness’s house blood ran down his trowsers [trousers]. Mr Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, was sent for but Jalland died at about 7 o’clock in the evening. He told witness that he had shot himself. William Taylor, of Woodborough, farmer, said, on Friday afternoon about half-past 4 o’clock, while in his house, he heard the deceased calling, and he went to the door, when he heard him crying out that he was shot; he was then running up the road towards his father’s house. Witness went to Burton, and told him that Jalland said he had shot himself, and then went back, and saw him with the gun in his left hand; he suddenly fell on his face, and lay till his father and sons went to him; he thought he had run about 150 yards from the spot where he was shot to where he fell. William Smith corroborated the above evidence. Upon hearing that Jalland was shot he had run to the road, and seeing deceased lying on the ground had gone to him, and said “Whatever have you been doing?” and he replied, “I’m shot! I’m shot, lad, I shall be dead in a few minutes”. He saw a smoke coming out of deceased’s clothes, and asked him whence it came, but he made no answer. He turned his coat aside, and said, “Bill, you are in flames;” and he said, “I am? Put it out”. He turned his trouser waistband aside, and saw his shirt was bloody. A gun, which appeared to have recently discharged, was lying near him.
John Henry Osborne, of Epperstone, surgeon, said, about five o’clock on Friday afternoon he saw the deceased at Burton’s house; he found a considerable haemorrhage oozing from a wound in his left side; it had the appearance of a gun-shot wound, and was five or six inches deep; the shot had entered in a lump and then spread into his body; he could distinctly feel the shot and wadding in different parts of the abdomen; they had penetrated as far as the right side.
Deceased told him, that in getting over a hedge, coming towards home, he had the muzzle of the gun in his left hand, and was dragging it after him, it being on full cock at the time, then a twig caught the trigger and caused the gun to be discharged into his side.
A verdict accordingly. Notts Journal
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