The Henson Journals

[113]

Saturday, September 11th, 1920.

[Wilson came to see me at 11 a.m. Then we went into Newcastle, & made various arrangements incidental to our departure in the afternoon e.g. I got my hair cut &c. Then we returned to Benwell Tower & lunched. We packed, & went to the steamer accompanied by Crawford Inge and Patrick Wild.

The Bishop of Newcastle is much perturbed by the untoward event which befell last week when his car ran over & killed a small boy. The poor little fellow (8 1/2 years) rushed out suddenly from behind a tram, & was immediately slain though the chauffeur stopped his car with the utmost promptitude. The tram–conductor, who witnessed the accident, bore conclusive testimony to the chauffeur's conduct, & the boy's father declared himself convinced on the point. The bishop was much moved by a letter which he had received from the mother, conceived in a heart–broken strain but very dignified & magnanimous. "The business has taught me one thing", observed the father, a joiner, "and that is that the bishop is a good man". This, perhaps, is worth something.

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