CORONER’S MEMORIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 May 1940, Page 7

CORONER’S MEMORIES

«.—— MURDERER TIPS DERBY WINNER LONDON, March 15. The death has occurred in London of Mr. Henry Robert Oswald, the former Coroner for West London, who conducted between 20,000 and 30,000 inquests during his 37 years. of service. Mr. Oswald, who was 79 and retired in 1930, had held every kind of inquiry normally coming before a coroner except one dealing with treasure trove. His notable inquests included that on the girl victim of Ronald True, which he often described as the most sensational with which he had been associated. True impressed him because he took so little apparent interest in the proceedings, and, also because of what Mr. Oswald called his “swank.” He had stolen a monocle from a fel-low-prisoner in Brixton Gao) while he was awaiting trial, and Mr. Oswald saw him looking at him through this in the court. There was, he said, no glass in it. True was simply showing off. Mr. Oswald used to claim that he conduucted the inquest which was a prelude to the first murder trial in which finger-prints were used. It was that on an old man who, with his wife, had charge of a little oil shop in Deptford. The old man was found dead from a savage blow on the head, , and on a cashbox which had been ; forced open was -a blood-stained smudge. ... From that smudge the police took the thumb print of a notorious burglar Alfred Stratton, who was brought to judgment, for his crime. Frederick Stewart, who shot an accountant in a -flat in Bayswater, also passed through Mr. Oswald’s court. Stewart spent most of his time in the condemned cell studying horse-racing form. • ’ . ’ ' His execution ,was fixed for the day before the Derby, and he’pleaded for a day’s postponement—which ‘ was, of course,' refused —as “he had been .working out the.form.” ;; , On his way to the execution shed ( Stewart shouted out: “Have a few

shillings bn Felstead.” Some hours later the result of the Derby reached the warders. Felstead had won at 33 to L . : ' ■ I . Mr; Oswald held very strong views on the causes of road accidents, iand stated once that he placed 90 per cent, of the blame in fatal accidents upon .the pedestrian., ’