CREDITORS' MEETINGS

WILLIAM BECK, LATE OF PORTER'S PASS, HOTELKEEPER

In this estate the debtor showed the following liabilities, viz.:—Beath and Co., £4 3s 11d; H. Marsten, £5; G.P. Milsom, £13 16s; Lonargan, M'Clea and Co., £1 18s 1d; S. Manning and Co., £20 14s 2d; J. Hogland, £3 18s 7d; Wood, Shand and Co., £6 13s 4d; H. Williamson and Co., £2 16s 9d; Fletcher, Humphreys and Co., £20 1s 3d; Hutchens, (Courtenay) £30; total, £109 2s 1d. The only assets were book debts estimated to produce £3; deficiency, £106 2s 1d. There were no creditors present, and the meeting was adjourned.

IN MEMORIAM

BECK.—In sad but loving memory of William Beck, who departed this life February 26, 1910.

I often sit and think of him

    When I am all alone;

For memory is the only friend

    That grief can call its own

—Inserted by his loving wife and son

INQUEST.—Dr. T.B. Diplock, coroner for West Middlesex, held an inquest at the Anchor beerhouse, Yiewsley, on Wednesday morning, on the body of Emily Taylor, aged 37, of Horton-road, Yiewsley, who was found dead in bed on Monday morning last.—Thomas Taylor, the husband of the deceased, was called, and stated that he had been working at West Norwood. On Monday he received information of his wife's death, and he immediately went home. He last saw her alive on Sunday evening, and she then said she felt better, and wished him to go to work.—Thomas Taylor, son of the deceased, stated that on Monday morning his mother called him up at half-past four to go to work. He lay down again and went to sleep. When he awoke it was about twenty minutes to six. He found his mother lying in bed quite dead. His mother had complained of her head on Sunday.—Wm. Christopher Thompson, surgeon, of West Drayton, stated that he was called to the deceased soon after seven o'clock on Monday morning. When he saw her she was dead. Her race and hands were cold, but the body was warm. He had previously attended her from the latter end of March unto about the end of April. He had made no post-mortem, but he believed the cause of death was due to apoplexy.—The jury returned a verdict of death from natural causes.

NEIGHBOURLY "LOVE."—Mary Randall, of Cranford, was summoned for assaulting Mary Walters, of Cranford, on the 4th May.—She pleaded "Not Guilty."—The assault complained of was the throwing of a brick and a sack at her, and abuse.—Mary Ann Gregory gave evidence for the prosecutrix.—Defendant denied the assault, and called Mary Clarke, who said Mrs. Randall only threw a sack at Mrs. Walters.—The Chairman said the defendant would have to pay 10s., and would be bound over to keep the peace.

A FEMININE TUSSLE.

A week ago, Mrs. Mary Walters, of Cranford, appeared to prosecute Mary Randall, a neighbour, for assaulting her. A telegram, however, was read by the Clerk from the defendant, asking the Bench to adjourn the case on account of her father, who was lying dangerously ill, and was not expected to live. The Magistrates granted the application, but strongly recommended the prosecutrix to try to come to terms with the defendant. She not not take the Magistrates' good advice, and consequently she appeared before them on Monday, and told the Bench that from half-past seven in the evening till ten o'clock (2½ hours) on May 4th, the defendant was assaulting her and using most abusive language. About eight o'clock she threw a brick at her, which struck her in the breast, and later on threw a sack over her face. Afterwards, the defendant stripped herself and wanted to fight witness, but her husband pulled her away.

Miss Mary Ann Gregory, who stayed with the prosecutrix all the time the row was going on, corroborated her statement.

For the defence, Mrs. Mary Clarke and Mrs. Ellen Snosworth were called, and both denied that the defendant threw any bricks, but they admitted that she threw a sack at the complainant.

The Magistrates considered that an assault had taken place, and fined defendant 10s., in addition to binding her over to keep the peace in the sum of £5 to be of good behaviour for the next six months.

THE SEQUENCE.—Mary Walters, the mother of the last defendant [Ernest] , was then summoned for assaulting Julia Cox.—The Complainant said that Austin came into her house with his eye bleeding. Witness went down to fetch the boy's mother. Mrs. Walters then came out and witness told her what her boy had done, and she replied "Serves him right" and struck witness in the face with her fist. Witness gave her no provocation.—Cross-examined: I did not come to your door.—Caroline Heath supported the summons.—Mrs. Cox was then summoned for assaulting Mrs. Walters' younger boy, who, it was alleged, she scratched down the face.—Mrs. Mack and William Walters gave evidence in support of the summons.—The Bench were not satisfied that Mrs. Walters had committed an assault upon Mrs. Cox, unless it was by provocation and the charge against her would be dismissed, but the case against Julia Cox for having assaulted the child was proved and they inflicted a fine of 5s.

FIRING A GUN ON THE HIGHWAY.

Samuel Beck, a labourer, living at Cranford, was summoned for having fired a gun off on the public highway to the danger of the public, at Cranford Lane, Cranford, on July 25th.—P.C. Robins stated that about twenty minutes to four on the afternoon of the date named he was patrolling in Cranford Lane when he heard a great deal of shouting coming from the direction of a corn field. On proceeding in that direction and when a short distance from the corn field he heard the report of a gun, which greatly frightened his horse, and he had some difficulty in stopping it from bolting. On coming to the corn field he saw the defendant leaning against the fence with a gun in his hand. Witness drew his attention to firing within 50 yards from the highway, to which he replied that he was very sorry and that he did not notice witness coming.—Defendant admitted the offence, and stated that he was shooting at some birds there were at the corn, which he was sent to do, and he did not notice the officer coming or he would not have shot.—Defendant was fined 2s 6d, including costs, and was told to be more careful in the future.

CRANFORD.

KNOCKED DOWN.—While crossing the Bath-road on Monday evening, Mr. Samuel Beck, of Leach's cottages, was knocked down by a motor car and sustained a cut on his forehead, concussion and shock. He was conveyed to West Middlesex Hospital.

CRANFORD MAN'S TRAGIC DEATH.

Fatal Rush in Front of Car.

The death in the West Middlesex Hospital on Thursday of Samuel Beck (71), of Leake's Cottage, Bath-road, Cranford, as the result of injuries received through being knocked down by a motor car outside his residence on the evening of November 10, was the subject of an inquiry by Mr. Reginald Kempt, the West Middlesex Coroner, and a jury, at the hospital on Monday.

The body was identified by Harry Alan Muncy, of Leake's Cottage, Bath-road, who said he had known deceased for thirteen years. He had always enjoyed good health, was not feeble, and could see and hear well.

Edwin Wood, of "Liddlesdale,' Upton-road, Slough, said that about 5.15 on the evening of November 10 he was driving an Essex Super-Six on his way to Slough in company with his wife. He had driven a car about eight months. He was proceeding through Cranford at about 23 miles per hour. The night was fine, but very dark. He had his ordinary lights on and his headlights dipped, and there was no other traffic about, Suddenly a man's form loomed up in front of the car in the act of crossing the road.

The Coroner: Had the man looked, he would have seen you coming?—he would have done. I didn't have time to sound my horn, but I put on my brakes and pulled up in half the length of the car, but I knocked the man down. I didn't see him until he was running by the offside lamp.

Juryman: Why didn't you sound your horn? You were approaching a turning?—Witness: The turning was on my offside and anything coming past could be seen.

A Juryman: What part of the car struck the man?—Witness: the offside front buffer. It seemed to me that the poor old chap wanted to hop over the road before me, and in doing so misjudged himself.

Mrs. Ada Constance Wood corroborated her husband's statement and said she did not remember if she was in conversation with her husband at the time. Her husband was a most careful driver and never had any conversation when at the wheel.

P.C. Shipman deposed to being called to the scene of the accident, which was outside Leake's Bungalow on the south side of the Bath-road. Beck, who had been struck on the head, was removed to Hounslow Hospital, but as the wards were full was transferred to the West Middlesex Hospital. The driver of the car made the following statement: "I was going at a very modest pace and the old chap ran straight in front of the car to get into his cottage. I could not avoid him."

Dr. Warren said that Beck was admitted to the hospital with concussion and a fractured base of the skull. He was conscious when in the receiving ward, but later he became comatose and restless, got weaker, and died at 1.15 p.m. on November 20 from shock and a fractured base of the skull, which was consistent with his having been knocked down by a car.

The Coroner, summing up, said that unfortunately they had no independent witnesses, but he saw no reason to doubt the evidence of the driver and his wife.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and exonerated the driver from all blame, adding an expression of sympathy with the relatives, in which Mr. Paton, counsel, on behalf of Mr. Wood, joined.