Fatal Poaching at Coghurst
Among the fashionable movements in 1830 was a well-attended subscription ball at the Swan Hotel on the 28th of December, followed by an invitation ball and supper at the residence of Mrs Camac in Wellington Square, at which no fewer than 300 of the elite of the town and neighbourhood were present.
One of the serious poaching activities of that year, and which resulted in the death of John Woodhams, already mentioned, took place close to Mr. Brisco's mansion at Coghurst, on the 27th of November. Shortly after 9 p.m. the gamekeepers were confronted by about 20 men, some with bats and some with guns, when William Brockhurst was knocked down and rendered insensible. The noise of the scuffle and cries for help were heard in the house, to which Mr. Brisco responded by going out and taking his indoor male servants with him. He alone carried a gun, but did not use it; and, as the gamekeepers had no such weapons, the accident to Woodhams must have been caused by his own party. Several guns were discharged by the poachers, and by one or more of the shots, Mr. Brisco's valuable Newfoundland dog was killed. Woodhams having been hit in one of his legs was conveyed the same night to Hastings for surgical assistance. Amputation was thought to be necessary, and this was done by, or in the presence of surgeons Chapman, Rankin and Whittaker. The man's subsequent death gave rise to a lively newspaper correspondence in consequence of "An Enquirer after Truth" asking questions which seemed to impute a want of skill in the operator. All the three surgeons replied with considerable hauteur and demanded the real name of the writer. That not being complied with, one of the surgeons treated "Enquirer" as a tailor because he used the sort stitching. It was, however, evident from the other terms employed, that the querent was acquainted with surgery, and my own belief favours the name of James Dutton, a clever but eccentric medical practitioner living at 40 High Street, who, as well as his father before him, had been a surgeon in Hastings for many years. He was then 77 years of age, and was noted for his generally successful efforts in restoring to life the apparently drowned. He was also a good friend to the poor. It was the opinion of some persons that a body of 20 men had a motive other than the act -
