By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Observer published on October 6th, 1855 tells the chilling tale of the death of a mother crushed by sand in front of her son. How the young lad recounts that she took off her bonnet before the accident seems particularly poignant.
FATAL ACCIDENT.
An inquest was held at the Griffin-inn, Godshill, on Tuesday last, before F. Blake, esq., coroner, on the body of Charlotte Morris, aged 38 years.
Mark Morris, 10 years of age, son of the deceased, said – Yesterday morning I went with my mother to Sainham sandpit after some sand. She took a bag with her and a little axe to knock down the sand with. When we got to the pit my mother struck a light and lighted a candle, and went into the hole in the pit. I went in with her, and held the light. The place where we went into was very near as big as this room, and high enough for my mother to stand upright in. It was the place where she always got the sand.
My mother began knocking down the sand with the axe, and very soon a lot of the sand came tumbling down and fell upon her. She fell down and was covered by the sand, so that I could not see her. I heard her call out, but I could not hear what she said. I only heard her call out once. I was very near her, but the sand did not strike me nor put out the light. I got out and ran home, and told my father. My mother used to sell the sand. It was white sand. Before she began digging for the sand, my mother took off her bonnet, because she should not make it dirty.
Henry Griffin, a labourer, deposed going to the pit with Micah Morris, the husband of the deceased, immediately after the accident, when they found her completely buried in the sand and quite dead.
Mr. Cole, the occupier of Sainham-farm, said he had given deceased notice two or three times that she was not to go to the pit for sand, and that a similar founder had taken place in the same pit about 20 years since, when a person was killed.
Mr. Porter, surgeon, of Godshill, deposed to seeing the deceased after the accident, and had no doubt that death was caused by the weight of the sand which fell upon her.
Verdict – “Accidental death.”