On Saturday week as a young man belonging to the paper-mills at Woodford, near Thrapston, was returning home to his lodgings at Ringstead, very much inebriated, he fell into the sluice near Ringstead and was drowned.

A melancholy circumstance occurred at Ringstead, near Thrapston, on Tuesday. The Rev. Benjamin Clay and his sister were taking a walk along the banks of the river, in the evening, when a favourite spaniel went into the water, and got entangled among some weeds. Mr Clay, fearing the animal would be drowned, requested his sister to go forward while he took off his clothes and went into the river; she accordingly did so, but had not proceeded far before she heard a loud shriek, and in a few seconds she ascertained that her unfortunate brother (who was no swimmer) in attempting to reach the dog, had got out of his depth, and sunk. The body was not got out for three quarters of an hour, when means were used to restore animation, but without success. The little dog, for whose sake the unfortunate gentleman lost his life, swam ashore without the assistance of any one.

A Man Found Dead in a Dyke Near Raunds

Some little excitement was caused here, on the 27th ult., by the finding of a man dead in a dyke on the side of the road leading from Raunds to Ringstead. Mr. John Bass, a shoe salesman, of Raunds, who was driving past on Tuesday morning, was the first to notice deceased, who was identified as Joseph Scott, of Ringstead. Information was at once given to the police, and the body was removed to the Cock Inn to await an inquest. Deceased was seen by a number of people in Raunds streets on the Monday night, and seems to have been either partly intoxicated, or, from some other cause, in a helpless condition, and mobbed about the streets by great numbers of boys. Several people saw him lying in the street smothered with dirt, and others aver that the poor man was pushed about and maltreated. Various rumours were rife in the village as to the cause of death, many believing that the deceased’s death was accelerated, if not caused, by ill-treatment and neglect, and the distressing spectacle presented by the deceased when removed to the Cock Inn heightened the sympathy and excitement. see also abstract

Inquest—On Tuesday an inquest was held at the Swan Inn, Ringstead, before Mr. J., T. Parker, on the body of Ernest George Tomlin, nine years of age, who was drowned the previous day under painful circumstances. It appeared that on the morning of the 3rd. Inst. The deceased and another bot named Wittering were fishing in the river. The deceased made a rush boat, and was playing with it on the stream when he overbalanced himself and fell in. Wittering, who is cripple, put his crutch out for the drowning boy to catch hold of, but he could not reach it. He then put out his fishing rod, which deceased took hold of, but it parted, the top joint coming out of the socket.—Allen Bates, working near the spot, deposed to hearing Wittering shouting, and he went to the river. He showed him the deceased in the water. He could just see his hands. The water there was very deep, and witness could not swim, and he went to the village for help.—Thomas Roberts, of Ringstead, deposed to getting the body out.—Mr. Joseph Bird, surgeon, of Thrapston, deposed to examining the body when it was got out. He tried artificial respiration, but without success.—Verdict, “Accidental Drowning.”