Sheffield Independent – Wednesday 01 June 1887
Shocking Accident on the Railway At Kilnhurst.
At three a clock yesterday morning, a body was found on the Midland Railway, near Kilnhurst.
The remains were so mangled as to be beyond recognition, and it was only by the name being inscribed on the inside of the case of his watch that the deceased was recognised. One leg, which had been severed from the body, was picked up some distance away in the cutting. The body was found lying near the siding of the works of John Brown and Co.
From the spot where it was discovered, it is presumed the deceased must have been going over the crossing which is near that place, and that he was knocked down by an early morning train from Sheffield to Leeds.
He was last seen alive about ten o’clock the previous night. His sister then met him and asked him to accompany her home. He said he was going to Kilnhurst, and that if he was not back by half-past ten she need not wait up for him. His remains were taken to the Station Inn, at Kilnhurst, to await an inquest.
There are a variety of rumours as to how it was the deceased was on the line at so late an hour. Deceased was about 20 years of age.
Sheffield Independent – Saturday 04 June 1887
A shocking scene occurred near Swinton at s time when most good folks should have been fast asleep.
A young man named Depledge, 20 years of age, after drinking more than was well for him, walked at midnight upon the Midland Railway, and was cut to pieces by a passing passenger train.
Only the week before he had been prevented committing suicide. He had been always looked upon as a respectable young fellow, and the occurrence caused quite a sensation in the district.
It was at first thought that his death was purely accidental while he was going over the crossing. But. according to a subsequent report, he had been lately a good deal troubled because his sweetheart had centred her affection on some other young man at Kilnhurst, where she lived, and the supposition, prima facie, was that he had committed suicide.
Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 03 June 1887
The Fatal Accident on a Midland Railway Crossing At Kilnhurst.
Open Verdict- Painful Circumstances.
An inquest was held at Station Inn, Kilnhurst, on Thursday (yesterday) afternoon, before Mr. Dossey Wightman, coroner, touching the death of John Depledge, labourer, 20 years of age, living at Swinton, who was found dead on the Midland railway at Brown’s crossing, near Kilnhurst Midland station, early on Tuesday morning. There were doubts expressed before the Inquest that the deceased had not come to his death accidentally, but had committed suicide.
The first witness called was the father of the deceased. Richard Depledge, identified the body. He said he lived at Swinton, and was a labourer. Deceased was 20 years old, and was a labourer at Manvers Main Colliery. He had been living at home with witness, and the last time he saw him alive was on Sunday about one o’clock, when he went down into the village. Witness did not notice anything peculiar about him. Deceased slept with his uncle on Sunday night at Swinton. When witness returned from Doncaster on Sunday night, his wife told him that the lad had just left home. He did not say where he was going. Witness did not know of any trouble he had. He did not know whether it through a sweetheart. The place where he was found was a mile from his home, and he knew many people about the district. Witness did not think deceased had committed suicide. He had not thought anything about that. Witness knew a girl named Lucy Ellen Offless. He did not know whether she company with his son. He had never seen his son right drunk since last Martinmas when deceased came home to live with him.
Thomas White said he lived at Swinton Bridge, but did not know deceased. He found him at Sandy Lane crossing on the Midland railway at three o’clock in the morning. He was on the right hand side of the railway in the gutter. He was alive when he found him, but he did not speak; he was too far gone. Witness could not see that he had been run over until he turned him over, and then he saw his “ghastly” form,” and blood all about. One foot was off and he could see the bones. Witness left him a short time to go down the line to the station platform. The blood was not set, and he could not ted how long the accident had happened. Deceased was about three yards from the line, and he had either been knocked or had crept that distance. He was insensible, but breathed a long sigh when witness turned him over. When witness and the policeman got back to him it wen half-past three, and he was then dead. He could not account for the accident.
The Coroner: I suppose no one saw it done?
Police-constable Thornton: No, sir; a girl saw him about 10 o’clock, and he was seen afterwards at half-past 10 in this house.
Lucy Ellen Offles, a servant girl in this employ the landlady of the Sportsman’s Inn, Swinton, said she had known deceased ever since they went to school together. She saw deceased alive last on Monday night about 10 o’clock outside the Sportsman’s Inn. She had some talk with him. They had been keeping company with each other 18 months ago, but had nothing to do with each other since. Witness broke it off, but could not say for what reason. Deceased did not ask to keep company again. He asked her on Monday night for a knife which she had taken from him the previous night, but she would not give it him. Witness then asked him where he was going, and he said to Denaby to a friend’s. He did not mention anything about a quarrel, and he was quite sober. Witness did not notice the slightest difference in him. He did not say why he was not going home, and she did not ask him. She left him against the Sportsman’s Inn door and no one was with him at the time. Witness had nothing else of deceased’s except his knife. She asked him for his watch on Sunday night, because he had had a little beer, and was swinging it about, but she gave it him back again the next day.
Police – constable Thornton said the watch was in deceased’s pocket when he was found.
Witness, continuing, said she had another sweetheart. It was not a fact that deceased wished her to give up the other sweetheart and go with him again. He had never asked her. He did not tell her of any quarrel he had with any one. He did not threaten to commit suicide.
By the Coroner: She had never heard him threaten to make away with himself.
William Taylor said he was an engine driver on the Midland railway and passed the scene of the accident at 19.20, going from Sheffield to Leeds, and did not see deceased. He examined the engine in the usual course, but did not find anything; but the foreman of the local department had a minute examination, and the human hair (produced) was found on the brake irons of the trail end of the tender.
Tbe Coroner: Is that human hair ?—A close examination of the hair was made and the jury expressed the opinion that the hair was certainly not that of a man.
Police constable Thornton was ordered by the coroner to cut a lock of hair off the head of deceased to compare it with the hair brought by the engine driver and when the two samples were put together there was something of a resemblance.
The witness said the train would be passing the spot where the accident occurred at the rate of 50 miles an hour, but he did not feel any shock. He returned with the train at 4.30 the same morning. Police constable Thornton said he went to the scene of the accident at 3.30. The deceased was quite dead. He was laying four feet from the outside down main line of rail. The right foot was nearly severed; it was hanging by the skin and the ankle bone was completely gone. The train had evidently run over the legs. The left leg was completely crushed. Witness found the right boot about 500 yards further down the line towards Swinton on the same side as the body was found. Witness did not agree with the witness White that the deceased was living when he saw him first, because when witness saw him he was quite stiff, and the blood, of which he had lost a great quantity, was congealed. His head was fractured and his opinion was that the injuries received were quite sufficient to cause immediate death.
The Coroner said he could not help the jury any more. Their difficulty to decide whether ‘ deceased was killed or had committed suicide. There was not sufficient evidence for them to return either a verdict of suicide or accidental death, and he would not like to return either verdict. The singular thing about it was that the deceased did not return home, and the girl said he was going to Denaby. That was all that had come out, but there was something doubtless behind the scenes which had been kept back. He did not go home, and be had slept the night before with his uncle, not at home. Whether there had been a quarrel or what was the reason he could not tell.
A Jurymen said his uncle kept a public house, and perhaps deceased had been “lushing” there, and had not gone home.
Another Juryman said deceased was not a man that “lushed ” and asked whether there was not a public footpath across the line.
A Juryman said there was, and was of opinion that there ought to be some means of preventing an occurrence of this kind.
Another Juryman : There isn’t one in 20 would go across it. There is no danger whatever if a man looks about him. Where this man was killed he could see the train which knocked him down three-quarters of smile off.
The Coroner said there no doubt level crossings were dangerous. But level crossing were authorised by Government, and he (the Coroner) could not stop them up and they (the jury) could not. The only thing they could do when a crossing became notoriously dangerous was to make a representation to the company to erect a foot bridge, and then they were not forced to put one there, although he must say that the Midland Company were very good in that revert if the traffic over the crossing was very great.
A Juryman did not believe that anyone had been lamed or killed since the line was opened is 1841.
The Current said he had known it 17 years and there had not been one. He was not like to hear the jury swear that deceased had come to his death accidentally or had committed suicide.
The jury eventually returned verdict that deceased was found dead on the railway, But there was not enough evidence to show how he killed.