CORONER’S STORY

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1936, Page 7

CORONER’S STORY

OF HIS LIFE! WORK

Mr H, ,R. .Oswald, who, either as coroner for South-East London or as deputy t<> other coroners,, has held over 3000 inquests, gives an interesting though for from intimate account of his public work ill his Memoirs of a London,, County Coroner. _

Many notorious criminals have appeared in his court, including Kon aid True, Henry Jacoby, and Brilliant Chang. of the alienists who examined True after his conviction fold Mr Oswald : “I don’t know liow you found him at the inquest, but he was certainly tna:d when I examined linn, and he has been mad ever since.’’ The suggestion that influence saved True from the gallows is dismissed by Mi Oswald a s “absurd and unfounded,” " . ; r

He held the inquest on Edwin Creed, whose murder some years ago in his Bayswater shop remains an . unsolved*• crime. Scotland Yard received two anonymous letters bearing on trie mmler, but all attempts to trace the ■sender failed. Mr-Oswald points out tlita even now the writer’s identity would be kept a secret if he were to come forward and that it is 'iiot too late to apprehend a brutal murderer.

The former coroner a f macabre story of a murderer executed on Derby Day whose last act was L ,o give a winning-tip to one of his warders. <

'As a doctor he has seldom found evidence of insanity in murderers. iNor, in his experience, do confirmed criminals often become murderers. The most freouent. motive for murder is gain, financial oi otherwise; next, in importance ‘ are crimes of passion and the murder of unwanted children bv their parents. Far from wishing to see capital mmishment ."abolished, Mr Oswald would- extend it to persons twice or three, times convicted of robbery under arms., . Mr Oswald ws, the fi r st, coroner *•0 accept fingerprint evidence hi a •rmrder case. On one occasion# be held an inquest mtl*»r an with a loaded revolver on his desk.