City & Liberty
of
Westminster }

Informations of Witnesses taken
this 18th. day of July 1797 in the Parish
of St. Margt. Westmr . at the Workhouse
in Dean Street near Tothill Street Westmr
before Anthy Gell< no role > His Majesty's Coroner
for the sd. City & Liberty touching the
Death of James Elms< no role > then & thence
lying dead as follow to Wit.

Hugh Hodges< no role > of Lambeth No. 36 Church Street day
Labourer being sworn deposeth that on Saturday last
about one o'Clock in the Afternoon the Decased this
Deponent and another Person went into the River Thames
at Nine Elms to bath and when they were in the Water
a Boat was passing by wherein were a Gentleman and Lady when this Deponent out of a Point
Decencey turn'd about with his Back towards the Boat at
which Instant the deceased called to him to [..] see how
he could swim against the Tide which for the reasons above
mentioned he did not immediately do, and presently some
Persons on Shoar told this Deponent they thought the deceased
was drowning and upon his turning about he observed
the deceased to sink under the Surface of the Water at which
time he thinks he was out of his Depth and he never
rose again wherupon the Boat taked about in search of him and any others but to no Purpose and this Morning this Deponent heard he was
taken up on the Westmr. Side of the river near Westmr.
Bridge and was conveyed to St. Margarets Workhouse
and this Deponent is firm of Opinion that he was accidentally
drowned in bathing

Hugh Hodges< no role >