18th January 1893

THE STRANGE POISONING CASES. ANOTHER DEATH.

The South Staffordshire coroner on Monday evening held an inquest at Gornal Wood, Sedgley, concerning the death of Hannah Jones, who had been poisoned under circumstances similar to those which caused the death of her granddaughter, and which had previously been under investigation.
The coroner said since holding the first inquiry it had been ascertained that more than 20 persons had been prostrated in their homes by carbonic acid gas which had forced its way out of the colliery workings through the surface of the ground into the homes of working men. Already two persons had died. Experiments had been made that day outside a building, and the carbonic acid gas had been found to be present in such quantities as to immediately extinguish a lighted candle. In his opinion it was advisable for the people to leave the houses in the locality, or there would be more deaths. The medical officer of health stated that he had reported the extraordinary occurrence to the sanitary authority, and immediate action would be taken for the safety of the inhabitants. A juryman said Gornal had been a mining district for upwards of 100 years, and such an occurrence had never before been experienced. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidentally poisoned by carbonic acid gas."

27th January, 1894.

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.

On Monday morning a girl named Mary Bate (14), the daughter of Joseph Bate, Jews Lane, Upper Gornal, had a narrow escape of losing her life. At 11 o'clock she walked over a disused well. The board over the well had become rotten with the result that it broke, and the girl fell into the well to a depth of 30 yards. There was only a small quantity of water in the well, A winch was obtained and a man descended the well and rescued the girl alive. Her injuries were only of a slight character.

19th November 1895

CAME DOWN THE CHIMNEY.
SOOTY BURGLAR IN A LADY'S BED

At Sedgley, on Monday evening, an engineer named Wm. Henry Kaye, of Huddersfield, was committed for trial at Stafford Assizes on a charge of burglary perpetrated under somewhat extraordinary circumstances. The evidence showed that when Mrs Smith, a grocer, residing at Gornal Wood, went to bed on Saturday night she found her bedroom disarranged, upwards of £40 taken from a cashbox, and a number of valuable articles placed ready for removal.
In the bed she discovered the prisoner, who was as black as a sweep. Upon being asked to account for his presence and for his extraordinary conduct he calmly remarked that he supposed that he came down the chimney.

5th September 1896

Typhoid fever has broken out and caused several deaths at Lower Gornal, Sedgley, through the use of water obtained from a spring contaminated with sewage matter. Scarlet fever has also broken out in epidemic form in several villages.

1st May 1899

DIED IN A GRAVE.

A very sad occurrence took place on Saturday in St. James's Churchyard, Lower Gornal, Sedgley. Whilst Wm. Brookes, the old sexton, was digging a grave, he was heard singing, and subsequently a man who was watching him digging saw him tumble over, and upon getting into the grave found he was dead. It is supposed deceased, who had been very busy in consequence of numerous funerals, had over exerted himself. The body was removed, awaiting an inquest.

16th December, 1899

SUFFOCATED AFTER EATING PORK PIE

An inquest was held at Lower Gornal on Monday respecting the death of a married woman named Elizabeth Blackham. The deceased, who was said to be a very healthy woman, partook of a hearty meal of pork pie for supper. She was subsequently taken ill and seized with a fit of vomiting. Dr. Powell, who had made a post-mortem examination, attributed death to suffocation and the jury returned a verdict accordingly.