The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-18 00:00:00

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SHOCKING DEATH FROM BURNING.

A dreadful case of burning occurred in this
town on Sunday last, the victim of it being
Elizabeth Morton, a poor old creature eighty
years of age. She formerly kept a lodging-
house in the town, but for some time past her
son, John Morton, of the White Horse Ini
Angel-street, has provided her with a hom
She had a room to herself upstairs, and on Sin
day morning her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Morton,
attended to her as usual, and seated her in a
twig-bottomed arm-chair before the fire. The
I
servant, Harriet Bagott, was the last to see her
alive, and that was about twelve o'clock, when
I the old lady was still seated in the chair, before
the fire. A few minutes before one, her
daughter-in-law heard a noise as though the
deceased had fallen from her chair, and when
she went upstairs and opened the room door she
was driven hack by suffocating fumes which filled
the room. She raised a cry of firs, and her
nephew ran up, and tried to get into the room,
but he was unable to do so. There was no noise
from the deceased, and it was evident that the
apartment itself was on fire. A man named
Shueon Dunn was passing at the time, and seeing
smoke issuing from the upstairs window be ran
into the house and offered his assistance. It
was some time before the fire could be got out,
for the boards of the floor where deceased lay
were on fire, and nearly burnt through. The
body was found on the floor, and presented a
horrible appearance.
An impiest was held on the body at Mrs.
Brown's, the Star and Michel. Inn, Coventry-
street, on Tuesday afternoon, before Mr. It.
Docker, Coroner. Mr. J. Emery was foreman
of the jury.
The drat witness called was Harriet Morton,
who deposed that she was married to John Igor-
ton, and was daughter-in-law of the deceased.
She lived at the White Horse Inn, Angel-street.
Deceased would have been SI years old next
birthday. She lived with witness down stairs
for some time, and then they put her in a spare
room upstairs. Witness waited upon her herself
as regards taking her food and washing her, but
she got a girl who waited upon her. Deceased
had a tire in her room all day, and sometimes at
night. On Sunday morning last witness dressed
her about eight o'clock, and placed her in her
chair. Deceased was not able to get from the
bed to her chair without assistance. Witness
placed her chair on one side of the lire, and put
her breakfast. She then went to attend her
household duties, and about eleven o'clock she
washed deceased and made her as comfortable as
she could before the fire. Deceased was about
a yard from the fire. There was no fender or
fire-guard, but simply a few bricks put to pre-
vent the ashes rolling away. Just before dinner
time, according to her usual habit, the deceased
began to call out for her dinner, when witness
and hr husband shouted to her from a room
underneath, sod told her she should have a nice
dinner. In about ten minutes afterwards they
heard her fall on to the floor, when witness ran
upstairs, and opened the room door, but she was
prevented from going in by a cloud of smoke.
Witness at once shouted "fire," "murder," and
called her husband and nephew, Charles Morton.
The latter immediately ran upstairs, but he
could not get into the room for smoke, and the
husband of witness also tried, but could not ob-
tain entrance.

In reply to the foreman of the jury, witness
said the deceased could not have been asleep
when burned. They heard no scream or noise
until they heard the fall; neither did any of
them perceive any smell of are.
The Foreman observed that as there was a
hole in the window. he should have thought there
was a smell of fire some distance down the
street because the body was very badly burnt,
and the floor was burned half through.
. .

The witness said the deceased never cried out
before falling. When they were talking to her
about her dinner, she said That's right, my
lad." but made no complaint.
Mary Ann Turner said she was fetched about
half-past one o'clock. She went npstairs and
saw Simeon Dunn awl another man on the land-
ing. She tried to get into the room, bat could
not for the smoke; neither could Simeon Dunn
get into the room for some time. Some water
was thrown about the room, and in about twent
minutes afterwards they were able to remain in
the room. They found the deceased lying on
her back on the door, with her feet towards the
fire. One side and nearly all the seat of the chair
was burnt away, and the clothes of the deceased
were smouldering. Both deceased's hands were
raised and clenched, and she was quite dead.
'there were 110 fire-irons in the room. She had
a winsey dress on at the time, but no apron.
Deceased also wore a bonnet which was burnt,
and the hair was burned off the front part of her
head. fur infirmity prevented her from getting
about; her relatives were very kind to her; she
was very troublesome, and at times was deficient
in some of her faculties. The lower part of her
body was not burnt touch.
Police-constable Richard Payne said that he
was on duty in High-street, tend upon hearing
eries of " tire,- went to the White Horse Inn.
When he got there the room was full of smoke.
lie afterwards examined the room minutely, but
found no cinders that had fallen from the fire.
Dr. Bayley said that he was sent for to Hp
, deceased, and found her as previously described.
1 Deceased was frightfully burnt; her head, neck,
and arms were as black as a piece of coal ; she
was literally charred, and her legs and thighs
had burst. Her clothes must have been burning
for some time—at least half an hour—when she
was found burning. The injuries were so exten-
sive that it was impossible to say whether all the
burns took place during life or afterward,.
There was some slight evidence of some parts
of the body having been burnt before death took
place. The burns were sufficient to cause death.
The Coroner: Did it not strike you as singu-
lar that there was no cry heard front her, be-
cause the process of burning must have been
slow?

ler. Bayley: Yes, it was singular. and there
[11,14 have been some great pain before death.
F., re was very little pain when death occurred
through suffocation, but the deceased ijust have
been aware of her clothes being on fire before
the fumes of smoke would have been such as to
suffocate her. The deceased had the power of
crying out, and was sensible. It must have taken
some time to fill the room with smoke, so as to
euff .cate her.

The Coroner said he recommended the jury
to adjourn the inquiry, to ascertain whether the
deceased died from suffocation, and if not, the
exact cause of death. The evidence as it stood
was anything but satisfactory. There was a great
in believing that she held a conversa-
tion wit her 'cm and his wife only ten minutes
before she was heard to fall on the floor. The
;clime), (reek she was wearing must have been
burning some liwe, espelially, as had been stated
with a closed door. He should not be satisfied
with the evidence as it remained, as it was far
from satisfactory.
The Foreman said it seemed extraordinary for
no cry to be made, and for the deceased to be
burnt in ten minutes, and also for no smell of fire
being perceived down stairs as stated.

,
rlie incrury was then adjourned until this day
(Saturday), and Dr. Bayley was directed to make
a p"st-nsorfeon examination of the body in the
meantime.