The Bucks Standard December 12th. 1925

Shot with Borrowed Gun. The tragic circumstances attending the death of Mr. William Wilson Newbold, aged 26, a builder, of Roade, who was fatally wounded by the accidental discharge of a borrowed gun when getting over a fence at Castlethorpe on Sunday was investigated by the North Bucks coroner on Monday evening. William Spencer Johnson, auctioneer’s assistant, Milford Leys Farm, said that when deceased came to the farm on Sunday morning for fishing he told witness he had seen fifty wild duck at the mill. Witness offered to lend him a gun if he wished, and deceased replied that he would very much like to have it. Witness gave him a double-barrelled gun and some cartridges. He did not see him alive again. P.C. Johnson, Hanslope, said that at 11.15 p.m. he went with Dr. F. Hinde to a field 200 yards from Milford Leys Farm, and found the body of deceased lying downwards, with the head inclined to the left. This was on the opposite side to where the gun was found. It looked as though deceased was making back towards the farm when it happened. The fence was 4ft. 6ins. In height, and being loose had a sway of three inches.

It was a high whitethorn hedge which met at the top and would obstruct anyone getting over. The gun was leaning against the fence and the left-hand barrel which had been fired would be nearest the man.

The barrels were pointing in the air. The Coroner: It is quite clear in your judgment, as the gun was placed, if a shot went off it would hit anyone on top of the stile! Witness: Yes, could not have helped.

Continuing, witness said he examined the gun and found a live cartridge in the right barrel and an exploded one in the left. It was a hammer gun, and both hammers were down. Spencer Johnson added that the only thing they could think of was that deceased let one hammer down and forgot to do the same with the other. The Coroner asked the constable if he could form any theory in his own mind how the gun came to go off. P.C. Johnson replied that if a person were getting over a fence he would pull the fence towards the gun. Pressure would come down on one of the hammers, and the fence swayed back it would let the gun off. The Coroner: It seems to me that this is the proper explanation. The sway of the fence or some portion of the fence let off the hammer. It seems the only explanation. Of course it will remain a mystery why only one hammer was down. Dr. Hinde having given evidence the Coroner entered a verdict of accidental death and expressed sympathy with the relatives of the deceased, in which Mr. W. S. Johnson, on behalf of his father and mother, also joined.