The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-25 00:00:00

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SHOCKING DEATH FROM BURNING.

THE ADJOURNED INQUET ON THE BODY.

The adjourned inquest on the body of Mrs.
Elizabeth Morton, who met with such a shocking
death on Sunday, the 12th just, was resumed on
Saturday last, at Mrs. Brown's the Star and
Anchor Inn, Coventry-street, before R. Docker,
Esq., Coroner. Our readers will recollect that
the inquest was adjourned for Dr. Bayley to
make a imst-murtem examination, so auto ascer-
tain what was the immediate cause of death—
burning or. suffocation.

Mr. 'boater having explained the cause of the
adjournment,
Ann 13agott, a young woman, was the first to
give evidence. She said that she lived with Mr.
and Mrs. Morton the son and daughter-in-law of
the deceased) at the White Rome public-house,
during the daytime. She went there on the
12th met, about half-past seven o'clock in the
morning. The deceased got up about eight
o'clock, when Mrs. Morton and witness washed
and dressed her, and then placed her, as usual in
her chair. She had no shoes or stockings on her
feet, but they were wrapped up in an old brown
jacket. When she was placed in the chair there
was -„no fire in the room, but one was made in
about half an hour afterwards, when the old lady
had her breakfast taken up to her. The witness
saw nothing more of her until about twelve
o'clock, when she went and swept up the room,
and put some coal on the fire. The grate wits
full with fire, but not so as to fall over. She
only put two pieces of coal and some ashes on
the tire. She left the deceased seated in her arm
chair, as placed by Mrs. Morton. One of the
arnis a us broken off the chair, and the deceased
always leaned on that side of the chair with no
arm, which WEIS the right side. She was placed
on the day of her death about three or four feet
from the bricks in front of the tire. oceeased
was not fastened in her chair, and she could
move In it sufficiently sometimes to fall out.
Whenever she fell out she was always picked up
again and put in the chair. She remembered
Mrs. Morton doing so on one occasion. Witness
on leaving the room left the deceased safe, and
and latched the dour after her. The next time
witness saw her she was dead. The witness did
not hear the conversation between the deceased
and her son and his wife.
_

In reply to question by the Foreman, witness
said it was about half-past one o'clock when she
returned. Before she got to the house she saw
smoke issuing from a broken pane in the win-
dow. The deceased had a jacket round her feet,
and a piece of hurden over ,her shoulders. Mr.
and Mrs. Morton were very kind to the old lady,
although she gave them a great deal of trouble.
The reason she was wrapped up with a cloth
jacket and brown burden was because she used
to tear her things at times. The witness was
sure she dropped no tire when taking the ashes
away. The fire was always taken out of the
grate before the deceased was put to bed. The
deceased had been in the habit of getting up
sometimes between five and six o'clock in the
morning, when Mrs. Morton would give her some
breakfast, and another one at eight or nine
o'clock. The top clothing deceased bad on her
when in bed consisted of two sheets and a shawl
thrown over her, but no blanket.
"

_
Mr. Emery, the foreman, remarked that that,
certainly displayed a great want of kindness, in
; not providing the deceased with blankets.
, The witness, in answer to further questions,
said that she was quite sure the cloth jacket was
round the feet of deceased when she left the
room. She could not say how it was that the
door under the deceased could be burned, as well
as the body itud clothes, and not the coat. She
could not say how the fire originated. There
were no watches in the room which deceased
might have got at, neither did the old lady
smoke. The bricks before the tire were used in-
stead of a fender. Witness never knew the fire
to fall over the bricks. She had never known
the deceased to have been burnt before.
The chair and coat said to have been worn by
the deceased were produced by Police-sergeant
Jones. The greater portion of the chair was
burnt, but there were no marks of burning on
the coat.

The witness (Bagott) stated that the arm of
the chair was broken off a month ago, but how
the did not know.

The Coroner remarked, that from the appear-
ances, it took sonic force to break it oft

The witness identified the coat produced as
the one which was wrapped round the feet of the
deceased on the day of her death. At least, she
said it resembled it very much.
Mary Ann Turner, a former witness, on being
re•called, said that she could tell that it was the
coat produced by the red lining. She could not
account for the clothes of the deceased having
been burnt and not the coat. She last saw the
oo,it on the Saturday night before the fire.
Police•sergeant Jones then produced another
bufwn jacket, which was torn very much worse
than the first. On showi6g it to the witness
Turner she declared that the second coat was
the one worn by the deceased at her death, as
also did Bagott.
In reply to the Foreman, who pointed out the
lining of the second to be black instead of red,
witness said that both coats were used for the

same purpose.
John Morton, son of the deceased, was the
next to give evidence, and said that his mother
previously lived with another brother near to
him. She was kept when with his brother by
draw her money out of the Birmingham and
Bank. Witassa said he was not aware

awing
',Midland