Longworth a Fatal Fight
Source:- Faringdon Advertiser 17/12/1904
On Wednesday afternoon a shocking tragedy happened at Longworth. Two young fellows employed at Manor Farm, one named Christopher Trueman, aged 17 years, and the other named Ernest Appleton, 14 years and 11 months old, quarrelled in the farm yard. They commenced throwing stones at each other, and then fought with prongs, each being severely injured. Ultimately Appleton picked up a plough share and threw it at Trueman. The weapon struck him on the head, and after that it appears the combat ceased.
A short time afterwards Trueman went to the stable where he was seen to be foaming at the mouth. A doctor was sent for, but the poor fellow died before his arrival – about 20 minutes after he had received the blow. Appleton was arrested and brought to Faringdon, and Supt. Gamble then saw that he had a large wound on top of his head. Mr. H .D. Hey was sent for and the wound was dressed. On Tuesday morning prisoner was brought up before Mr. G. Liddiard at the Police Court, and on the application of Supt. Gamble was formally remanded to the Petty Sessions on Tuesday next. – An inquest was held at the “New Inn,” Longworth, on Friday.
The Fatal Quarrel at Longworth
Source:- Faringdon Advertiser 24/12/04
An inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Christopher Trueman (17), who died the previous Wednesday after being struck by a plough share thrown at him during a quarrel by Ernest Appleton (14), at Manor Farm, was held on Friday evening before Mr. Bromley Challenor, at the New Inn Longworth. Mr. E. Webb was foreman of the jury. Major Poulton (Chief Constable of Berks), was present, as also were Supt. Gamble, of Faringdon, and Mr. Guy Weaving, of the Manor Farm.
Emmanuel Townsend, labourer, employed at the Manor Farm, Longworth, was the first witness called. He said: Deceased was my step-son, aged 17 last September. On Wednesday afternoon, about five o’clock, I was sent for by Mr. Guy Weaving from the rick-yard to the stable, where I saw the deceased lying on the ground, bleeding from a wound on the side of his head. He was insensible. Dr. Hatherell was sent for, but before he came the boy died.
The Coroner: Did you see Ernest Appleton? – Yes; I was in the yard, but I did not speak to him. Had you been told he had assaulted the deceased? – No; I did not know anything about it. Did you make any inquiries as to how his injuries had been caused? – Afterwards I did . Did you know of any bad feeling between Appleton and your step-son? – All I know they had a bit of a quarrel at times. I have heard deceased say so, but nothing out of the way; just like boys will. I went for the policeman after the boy died, and before the doctor came. The Coroner asked if Appleton was present, or would attend. Supt. Gamble, handing in a medical certificate said Appleton was not in a condition to come. He was informed that he was at liberty to attend if he chose, but he said he did not wish to come.
George Robins, ploughboy, living at Longworth, gave the following account of what he saw: – On Wednesday 14th. December, I was in the yard at the Manor farm, about eight in the morning, when Appleton called Trueman “Pig-nose.” Trueman came into the yard and knocked Appleton down with his fist, and they were both fighting on the ground. Appleton then kicked Trueman in the mouth, and made his mouth bleed. Trueman then went off into the yard and began throwing dung out of the shed into the yard. Appleton and I worked together all day. He did not refer to the quarrel during the day.
In the afternoon, about five minutes past four, I was with Appleton in the yard belonging to the farm, and deceased was there, sitting on the rails by the hay house. Appleton said to Trueman, “I shall go to the Reading Room and hear what lies will be told about me tonight.” Then Trueman picked up a stone and threw it at Appleton, but missed him. Appleton picked up the same stone and threw it back at Appleton [sic], but the stone did not strike him. Trueman then threw a stick at Appleton, and struck him on the shoulder. Appleton then caught hold of a four-grained prong, and said to the deceased, “Come at it.” Trueman knocked him down with his fist, and the prong fell on the ground. Trueman also fell down on his knees, and they continued fighting on the ground for about a minute.
Trueman picked up the prong and was just going into the stable with his back turned towards Appleton, when Appleton threw the plough share (produced), which was lying in the yard, and which struck Trueman on the side of the head. I forget which side it was. Deceased was about six yards from Appleton. Trueman was wearing a cap. Trueman then rushed at Appleton, who ran to the pump, and Trueman hit him across the head with the prong. Trueman did not cry out. I then went away, and coming back in four or five minutes I saw Trueman lying on the ground just outside the stable door, about ten yards from the trough. Appleton was stooping down, holding Trueman’s head up. Trueman seemed to be unconscious. Neither of them spoke to me, and I went on cleaning the horses.
The Coroner: You did not think there was much the matter? – No, sir. Did Appleton speak to you at all about it afterwards? – No. Did you know if they had been bad friends? – One day some time ago they had a fight. He had seen them playing in fun since this time. Do you know what that was about? – No. Have you ever heard them use any threats to one another? – No. Appleton is the younger boy of the two? – Yes. When Trueman was struck with the plough share his back was turned towards Appleton? Yes; he could not see the piece of iron coming. By the jury: It all took place in the small yard in front of the stable.
Frederick Wheeler, carter to Mr. Weaving, of Longworth, stated: - Just before eight o’clock on Wednesday morning I was in the barn, when I heard Appleton call Trueman “Lop ears,” and I told Appleton that was enough of it. I did not see any fighting or struggling. I did not see them again until about four o’clock when Trueman was in the stable with me. He left me to go and feed the horses up the yard. I do not think he had anything in his hand. He had been away about five minutes when I heard a noise outside; somebody was holloaing. I looked out into the yard and saw Trueman run past the door with a four-grained prong in his hand. I went to the stable door to see what was the matter, and met Trueman coming back into the stable running, and Appleton close behind him with a sharp two-grained prong which I took away from him. I then asked both what was the matter, and Trueman said Appleton had hit him on the head with a plough-share. He did not complain of any pain in his head. Appleton said Trueman had flung a stone at him. They then went to the trough to bathe their heads, as they were both bleeding from their heads.
Did you see anything? – Yes; I saw both the boys were bleeding from their heads. I told them to go and wash themselves, and they took their jackets off and went out. After they had washed, Trueman came back in the stable to me and cleaned out the stable. Himself? – Yes. How long did that take? – About three quarters of an hour.
Afterwards he was standing in the door-way, and I said to him, “Chrick, we had better have a bit more hay in.” Appleton was standing close by. He did not answer. I was towards the farther end of the stable when I heard a peculiar noise at the door and saw Trueman lying in the yard by the door on his face. I held his head up and undid his collar. Appleton tried to help me pull him up, but could not manage it, and I sent for assistance to Mr. Guy Weaving. Was Trueman insensible? – Yes; all the time.
When I came back Appleton was still holding the deceased. James Godfrey helped me to carry deceased into the stable. Townsend came next and sent for the doctor, who arrived about half an hour after Trueman had died.
Deceased lived about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour after I first saw him fall down. Did Appleton say anything all this time? – He said he thought Trueman had a fit. Appleton has not said anything to you about it since? – No; I have not seen him. What sort of a boy is Appleton – passionate or quiet? – He is passionate when upset. Was there ever much quarrelling between the two? – They were always quarrelling a bit. They used to play, and turn to quarrelling afterwards. They were always wrangling together. Did there seem to be faults on both sides, or did one seem to provoke the other? – There did not seem to be much difference.
P.C Durmon deposed: – I was sent for on the 14th. December, about six p.m., to Mr. Weaving’s farm, where the mother was standing by the body in the stable. Appleton was also there, and the mother said to him “You nasty, good-for-nothing young scamp, you have caused my poor boy’s death.” He made no reply.
I went to Mr. Weaving’s house and returned with the doctor, who pointed out a wound to me on the head, stating that it must have been caused by some blunt instrument. I cautioned Appleton, and he made the following statement to me, which I wrote down in my pocket book: – “About four o’clock we were in the yard together. I said something about George Robins, who was in the yard also. Trueman said, “Shut up about him,” and I said “I can speak, can’t I?” Trueman picked up a stone and threw it at me, and I threw it back. Trueman then threw me down, and bumped my head on the ground. When he got off me I picked up a plough share and threw it at him. It struck him on the head. Trueman then ran after me and hit me on the head with a four-grained fork. I followed him back with a two-grained fork to the stable, where the carter took the fork from m, and stopped us fighting. We both went to the horse trough and washed the blood off our heads, and then Trueman went to his work, and I went to mine.”
Witness continued: I asked him where the plough share was and, pointing to a heap of manure he said “Down there somewhere.” I searched and found the plough share produced. Appleton said “That is it; that is the one I threw.” I told him I should arrest him. I charged him with causing the death of Christopher Trueman, and he made no reply. I then took him to Faringdon Police station.
Mr. Robert Hatherell, surgeon, of Kingston Bagpuize, said: – I was sent for on Wednesday, soon after five p.m., to Mr. Weaving’s farm, where I arrived about ten minutes to six, and found Trueman lying in the stable quite dead. He had a wound on the left side of the head, which penetrated both the scalp and the skull. There was very little bleeding. By the Coroner’s order I have made a post-mortem examination to-day. There was a scalp wound about an inch and a half long on the left side, about mid-way between the ear and the temple. The hole in the skull was about the [sic] third of an inch long, by about an eighth wide, penetrating the brain. There was a considerable blood clot under the skull. The rest of the brain was healthy. I examined the other organs, and found them all in order and healthy.
Was there any laceration of the brain? – No. Might the injury you saw be caused by the point of the ploughshare produced? – Yes; it would be just the thing to cause it. It would require some force to throw that – Yes; considerable force. What was the cause of death? - Death was due to shock. Arising from the fractured skull? - Yes. And haemorrhage? – That had not much to do with it. It was chiefly shock.
The Coroner thought that was all the evidence the jury would require to enable them to come to a conclusion as to the boy’s death. He was glad to say it was not very often they were troubled with such enquiries. No doubt the boy’s death was caused by violence and violence on the part of somebody else. It was for them to consider whether Appleton threw the plough share with the intention to harm the deceased. It might be said that in a fight one party was the aggressor, and the other may have been defending himself, but that seemed to be absent I this case, because all the way through Appleton seemed to have been as much the aggressor as the other. Although the blow was given from behind when deceased had turned away, if the jury were satisfied that it was really part of the quarrel they had had, that it was just part and parcel of the same thing, and that the blow was inflicted during the time the excitement lasted, that would amount to a verdict of manslaughter, and he thought they might say there was an absence of such malice as would justify them in returning a more serious verdict against the boy Appleton. If they thought the excitement had passed off, and that after the disturbance had quieted down, Appleton went up and struck the deceased, they would say the more serious charge had been made out.
After a short consultation by the Jury, the foremen said: “We are satisfied it is a case of manslaughter.” The verdict accordingly entered was “That the deceased was feloniously killed by Ernest Appleton.”
Boy charged with manslaughter discharged and warned by the Judge
Source:- Faringdon Advertiser 11/2/05
[Berkshire Winter Assizes were held at Reading under Right Hon. Richard Everard, Lord Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice of England. Appleton’s case came up on Monday session Had opened on Saturday prior to 11th Feb.]
Ernest Appleton, labourer, aged 15, was charged with the manslaughter of Christopher Trueman on the 14th. December. He was also charged on the Coroner’s inquisition with the same offence. Mr. Hughes Sturges prosecuted and Mr. Snagge defended. [Brief summary of evidence follows, Faringdon Advertiser report says it did not report in detail as it was the same as it had previously reported]
For the defence, Mr. Snagge contended that it was a pure accident, and that the accused was not committing an unlawful act in defending himself from the deceased. His Lordship [Everard], in summing up, said if it was a case of boys fighting, of one of the boys deliberately throwing a piece of iron at the sad boy’s head with the intention of hitting him – and, what was worse throwing it when he was not looking, - that was manslaughter, and the jury must find the prisoner guilty. If, on the other hand, they thought that it was rough horse play between the boys, not with a vindictive feeling on one side or the other and if it began as it appeared to have done, through Trueman throwing a stone, and if the accused picked up the ploughshare meaning to frighten Trueman , then the jury would be justified in finding him “Not Guilty.” There seemed to be some evidence of the accused’s head being banged on the ground by Trueman, and the jury had to judge whether the accused’s conduct was an unlawful assault, with intent to hit Trueman and do him injury., or whether he threw the ploughshare not meaning to hit him. If they thought it was the former, they must find the accused guilty, but if the latter they would be justified in coming to the conclusion that Trueman’s death was caused by misadventure.
The jury found the prisoner not guilty, and his Lordship, addressing the accused, said: "The jury have taken a lenient view of your conduct. I have no doubt that you are very grieved that you have caused the dearth of this poor boy. Let it be a warning to you not to let your temper get the better of you, and if you get angry not to pick up things that are dangerous and throw them at people. You are discharged."