Letter describing the death of William Huskisson MP

Trentham Sept 22nd My dear Wilmot I am sure you will be anxious to hear something of poor Mr Huskisson. In the first place I must tell you that all the horrible details in the Newspapers are drawn from the authentic sources of intelligent persons who were eye witnesses of the catastrophe or from the Surgeons who attended afterwards or from Mr T Blackburne, the clergyman at Eccles at whose house Huskisson was. They are all quite correct. The only point of discrepancy in the statements is as to the mode of his fall. Fifty persons, among them myself, were close spectators of the scene (close, not two yards from him) & yet how they differ! Some saying he fell on his face, and others on his back some that the engine passed entirely over him; he lying under it, others that his body lay in the mid-span of 4 feet between the Duke’s car & the Rocket fatal engine! The fact was, those out of the car were in alarm & and all looking out for themselves & those in the car had their attention fixed on the rapid passage of the engine by them. My own observation concurs with the account of those that helped him first, that he was knocked down on his back & that the Engine passed over his body the right wheels going over his left limb thus. [sketch] I never saw him after he was carried away. But Ld Granville and I went together to Eccles immediately where he attended to him to the last & when I saw Mrs H. The next morning I persuaded her, immediately the arrangements for the removal of the corpse to Liverpool were completed, to come to Teddesley & stay there. She has done so - And will remain till Monday when Gen’l Huskisson will fetch her and will take her on their way to Eastham. Her grief & paroxysms of anguish have been dreadful. She hoped until all rational grounds for it had vanished. Although the fractures and lacerations of the muscles extended over the whole length of the left limb from about 4 inches below the hip joint with the exception of the knee (which [?] was laid bare the skin being all torn off, as if it had been flayed) and the foot, yet she thought amputation might preserve his life; & would not believe the sad reality till she saw pen ink & paper sent for. He bore his sufferings with the most heroic courage knowing that death was instant with him he seemed, after each intermittent spasm, the agonies of which wrung dreadful groans from him; only intent on his duty to Mrs H and others, by giving directions about his papers, which he succinctly described & his codicil, which he carefully signed. On Sunday and Monday last Mrs H had recovered some degree of composure; but yesterday the receipt of details respecting arrangements for the funeral revived all her anguish - and I left her in a sad state. It is singular that only the day before the catastrophe Huskisson had made her go to see the new Cemetery at Liverpool, which she greatly admired - It is not less singular that the last person he talked to, and that with great apparent cordiality on both sides, was the Duke, who said to him at last “Well we seem to be going on. You had better go, and step in.” If Huskisson had staid when he was with the Duke three seconds longer he would have been alive now. Teddesley Thus far I had written at Trentham when I had not time to finish it when on returning here I found your letter. I am now going into Mrs Huskisson’s room and will tell her of your enquiries and offers. She has written to no-one yet just simply me. She has and will continue to receive all the attention here that her situation admits of. At the same time I am glad you have written in the terms you have as at such moments such evidences of sympathy are soothing to the feelings. - The funeral is fixed for Friday. I don’t know who are invited to it. I believe all such as the Committee at Liverpool know. As to his more intimate friends. No doubt many omissions will occur. Sandon was not invited, but goes notwithstanding. I volunteered to prevent mistakes -But before this reaches you it will be too late for you to set out. Mrs Huskisson has made a magnificent sacrifice of her feelings, in consenting to the separation from her husband’s remains, which she had wished to have carried to Eastham. It has added not a little to her anguish. But she begins to be reconciled to it, & I reflect with pride, or at least with consoled feelings on the means that his internment at Liverpool affords of procuring a manifestation of public respect for his Memory. Our love to all at Sudbrook Ever your [?] E Littleton I met yesterday at Grantham the [?] Captain; the Arbuthnots - Saunders, Gower, Leveson - G Vernon, Lord Hill & some others. I went to accompany Gower to Liverpool today - But we mean to postpone our journey till tomorrow, in consequence of the postponement of the funeral one day.