John Eddleston - FDSD Islington

1836

O n the late afternoon of Wednesday 2 March 1836, between 5.00pm and 5.30pm, seven-year-old Edward Soall was playing, by himself, close to the gutter at the edge of the pavement, at the top end of Park Street, (now renamed Islington Park Street).

Suddenly, a dray turned into Park Street and travelled, at some speed, on the wrong side of the road. Edward Soall had his back to the dray, and did not see how close it was to him. When the dray had passed by, the broken body of Edward Soall was left lying half on the pavement, with his legs in the gutter. He was unconscious, and obviously very badly injured.

A gentleman named Frederick Cooper saw the accident, and ran to the childs aid. Lifting him gently, Cooper carried Edward to the surgery of William Burroughs, at 1 Park Street. The unfortunate child died there, fifteen minutes later. During the time that Edward was being attended to by the doctor, the driver of the dray was brought in, by others who had seen the tragedy. The man, Henry Asher, was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

Henry Asher faced his trial on 4 April 1836. The first witness was Frederick Cooper, the man who had taken the stricken child to the doctors surgery.

Cooper told the court that he had seen that Edward Soall had been on the right-hand side of the street, when the dray turned into Park Street, travelling at a very fast pace. The driver, Henry Asher, was sitting on the cross-bar, on the left side of the dray and did not appear to be in command of the horse. In effect, the animal was running wild, and bore off towards the right side of the street, and Asher had apparently been powerless to prevent it. Cooper could not tell if it had been the horse, or the dray itself, which struck the boy, but he ran over to him as soon as he saw the boy lying stricken on the pavement. After carrying Edward to the doctors, Cooper waited to see how he was, and was present when the boy died. He was also present when Cooper was brought into the surgery, and Dr Burroughs told him that he had just killed a child.

Henry Marsh, the next witness, was at the bottom of Park Street, and saw the dray when it turned into it. He also believed that the contraption was not under the control of the driver, and travelling far too fast. Marsh did not see the accident itself, but did notice Edward lying in the street after the dray had passed.

Thomas Godbold, a baker, lived in Park Street, almost opposite to where Edward Soall was hit. After the accident he had called out to Asher to stop, but he seemed not to hear and carried on down the street. Godbold followed the carriage and saw it turn into Cross Street. It was there that he spoke to the driver, and told him that he had just knocked a child down in Park Street. At first, Asher refused to go back to the scene, but eventually he agreed to go. Godbold ended his evidence by stating that, in his opinion, Asher was under the influence of drink at the time.

Dr William Burroughs confirmed that Edward Soall had been unconscious when he was brought into the surgery by Frederick Cooper. He died within fifteen minutes and, the following day, Dr Burroughs made a post-mortem examination. The boy had two fractured ribs on the right side. One rib had punctured the right lung and this had caused some twelve ounces of blood to drain into the chest cavity. Dr Burroughs believed that, severe though the injuries were, they would have been even worse if the wheel of the dray had run over the boy. In his opinion, the injury had been caused by a blow from the horses hooves, striking Edward in his back and pushing him violently to the ground.

At about the same time as Edward Soall died, Henry Asher was brought into the surgery. Dr Burroughs asked him his name, and Asher replied that his name was of no consequence and he would not reveal it. Dr Burroughs then asked Asher if the dray were his own, and he confirmed that it was. Burroughs found this unlikely and demanded to know who his master was. Again, Asher refused to give out any information. It as then that the doctor sent for the police.

Constable William Stotter was the officer who arrived at the surgery and took charge of Asher. Stotter also believed that Asher was tipsy, but despite that, and the fact that he had just run over a small boy, Asher was allowed to drive his dray to the police station, where he was charged with manslaughter.

In his own defence, forty-one-year-old Henry Asher could only say: I am very sorry for what has occurred, but I am innocent of it. I knew nothing of it at all until I was stopped and went back. I did not refuse to go back. but went quietly, and made every offer of recompense that I could.

It was not enough to sway the jury who found Asher guilty of manslaughter. He was then sentenced to the rather lenient total of six months in jail.