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John Garrity

Age: 35

Sex: male

Date: 15 May 1902

Place: Enfield Highway, London

The body of a tramp was found lying on top of a burning stack of bricks in a kiln at Enfield Highway.

His identity was not at first known but it was later thought to have been John Garrity, an acrobat from Walsall on tramp.

The jury at his inquest returned a verdict of accidental death after it was heard that he had died from carbonic oxide gas poisoning. The doctor said that the gas was most deadly and that he thought that he would have been dead within two minutes of inhaling it.

However, he was also said to have had considerable burns to both of his forearms.

The doctor noted that he didn't think that John Garrity had been asleep at the time and that indications that he had died from suffocation were entirely absent.

The man's identity was not at first known but it was later thought that he had been John Garrity, an acrobat on tramp that had been performing the feat of 'sword-swallowing' during the dinner hour at the RASF at Enfield Lock the day before. He had been identified as John Garrity by a man that had been travelling with a steam roundabout as John Garrity of Walsall, Staffordshire, however, the man failed to appear to give evidence at the inquest.

John Garrity's body was found by a labourer that had lived in Swin's Row, Enfield Wash early on the Friday morning. He said that he had been going to work via Old Road when he saw a man lying on the top of a stack of burning bricks at the back of the White Lion. He said that the stack was about 14 feet high and that he thought that it was strange for a man to be in that position and shouted at him three times but that when he failed to get an answer he got over the gate and went to him and after shaking him came to the conclusion that he was dead.

He said that he then reported the matter to the Enfield Highway Police Station.

When the police arrived they found three steel rods, the 'swords' that John Garrity had been in the habit of swallowing, a small sum of money, a pint beer can, and an evening newspaper, but nothing tending to lead to his identity.

However, the police said that the man that had ben travelling with the steam roundabout later came in to the police station and identified the man as John Garrity from Walsall. He said that he was perfectly sure of the identification, stating that they had been boys together and later apprenticed together with Mulligan's Company in Cardiff as acrobats. He said that when John Garrity was out of graft that he was in the habit of travelling on his own account and getting his living by giving acrobatic performances, his feats including 'sword swallowing'.

However, the man later left and failed to show up at the inquest to give his evidence. However, the police said that they were still instituting enquiries and had every reason to believe that the result would be the man's identity being established as John Garrity, adding that they thought that there was no doubt of that.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see North Devon Journal - Thursday 15 May 1902

see Middlesex Gazette - Saturday 17 May 1902