WITNEY

JUSTICE ROOM

Oct. 12th.-Before the Revs. F. M. Cunningham and R. L. Baker.

Larceny.-George Pratley, of Hailey, was brought up on remand, charged with stealing a coat and a quantity of food from a chaff room on the premises of Mr. Long, at Hailey. The stolen articles belonged to laborers[sic] in Mr. Long's employ. A former conviction for felony was put in. Committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions.

OXFORDSHIRE.

MICHAELMAS QUARTER SESSIONS.

Second Court.

(Before C.E. Thornhill, Esq., Vice-Chairman.)

George Pratley, 25, labourer, charged with stealing coat at Hailey o the 8th of Oct., the property of Jas. Shirley.- Pleaded guilty to larceny after a previous conviction, three months; six months to commence after the expiration of the first sentence.

HAILEY.

Melancholy Death of the Sexton from Accidental Shooting.- W. Brunner, Esq., coroner, held an inquest at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, on Monday, touching the death of George Pratley, late of Hailey, parish sexton, who met with death under the distressing circumstances stated in the following evidence:- Mr. F.S. Palmer, the House Surgeon deposed: The deceased was brought here last Friday evening, between seven and eight o'clock. He was suffering from a severe gunshot wound in the thigh; the thigh bone was shattered into pieces. Amputation was performed the same evening, and he died from the shock yesterday morning. He was quite sensible and said he was with a companion, and a gun suddenly went off. He did not impute blame to anyone.- Mr. Thomas Forster Rolfe, said: I reside at Hailey near Witney; my father is the clergyman of Hailey. Last Friday, the deceased was out with me at Northleligh, shooting. We had only one gun - a double barrelled; I was using it. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the deceased and myself were in a ditch watching for pigeons passing over; we had been there sometime, when deceased, who stood close to me, said it was no use staying there any longer. I had put one of the barrels of the gun on half-cock, and was letting down the second barrel to half-cock when it suddenly went off. I was holding the gun horizontally, on a level with my hips, and I did not notice exactly where deceased stood. As soon as the smoke cleared I saw deceased lying in a ditch. He said his leg was broken. I fetched a man who was in the next field, and he wanted to move him on a hurdle, but he said he could not bear the pain of being lifted, and we went to get a carriage. On our way we met two men, whom we sent to attend deceased, and we procured a pony carriage in which deceased was placed. We met a spring cart as he was being removed, and he was placed in it, and brought to the Infirmary. I accompanied him. He was sensible, but never expressed any blame as to the accident.- the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.