The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-05 00:00:00

DEATHS FROM BURNING.

In London on Tuesday Mr, George Collier, Deputy
Coroner, held an inquest at Poplar, on the body of
Martha Caddick, aged 60 years.—Joseph Caddick, 9,
Salter's-buildings, stated that the deceased was his
wife, and on Saturday night he left home to go to his
work, leaving the deceased all right. Early on Sun-
day morning his son came to him and said the house
was on fire, and he was unable to find his poor mother.
He at once went home and found the place in flames.
He got upstairs and groped about, and then found the
deceased lying dead at the foot of the bed. He dragged
the body down and sent for Dr. Harvey, who came and
pronounced life extinct. He knew nothing about the
tire, but he found a lamp burning on the hearthstone,
close to where deceased was lying. It was usually
kept over the mantelpiece, and must have fallen
down.—Joseph Caddick stated on Saturday night his
mother came into the bedroom and bade him "good
night." He afterwards felt a choking sensation, and
on getting out of bed found the place on fire. He
Jumped out of the window and burst open the back
door, and then went upstairs and tried to find his
mother, but could not do so. He then ran for his
father, who came and got the body of the deceased out
of the room. A small paraffin lamp was kept on the
mantelpiece in his mother's bedroom, and that was
afterwards found broken. He believed the fire was
caused that way. —The jury returned a verdict of
"Accidental death."

On Tuesday Dr. Thomas held an inquest at Camden
Town as to the death of Mary Ann Smith, aged 44,
ot 46, Munater•square, Regent's•park.—The evidence
showed that on Friday night in last week, about
eleven o'clock, the deceased was sitting with her
husband in the bedroom preparing to go to bed. Their
eon, a little boy named Donald, was hi bed asleep, and
close to the bedtide, within reach of his arm, was a
lighted paraffin lamp standing on a box on a chair.
Whilst conversing together, the child, in his sleep,
turning round, brought one of his hands against the
lamp and capsized it, setting Lie to the mother's
clothes. Her husband grasped the flames with his
hands, and in his endeavour to put them out was
severely burnt about the hands and face, and had his
hair singed off. He succeeded in extinguishing the
flames, but not before his wife was dreadfully burned
about the legs and lower extremities. A medical man
wascalled in, but deceased expired on the following
dayfrom shock and exhaustion calved by the burning.
—A verdict of "Accidental death " was returned.

MR. GLADSTONE AND HIS
CONSTITUENTS.

The following letter has been received by the Chair-
man of the Mid-Lothian Liberal Committee :

" Hawarden Castle, Chester, Dec. 29th, 1813.
"My dear Mr. Cowan,—When the resolutions which
were passed recently in various parts of the country
came to my hand, I did not fail to send a formal reply
to each; but I wish now to add in person, and with my
own band, a few words more. I have been, I kncw,
as scanty in demonstration since the election of 1880
as I was abundant before it. This was indesi due to
nothing else than serious physical incapacity twelve
months ago, when all the arrangements had been ro t+de
for my rendering an account of my stewardship which
I am not less desirous than bounden to give. Time and
events have marched on, and there has not since ap-
peared in view an opportunity for the discharge
of this particular duty ; but out of sight is not
always out of mind, and though my daily duties keep
pretty well up to the mark of my daily strength, I still
contemplate with the utmost interest the tiro.) when I
may be enabledAo fulfil that which is still lacking in
my duty to my generous constituents. With regard
to these resolutions, they one and all indicate that the
fountain of that generosity remains unexhausted ; and
on my own part, as well as on that of my colleagues, I
venture to say we shall still seek to deserve their con-
fidence, and that the subjects which they name do not
and will not cease to engage our thought and care.
With all good wishes for the new year,—l remain, my
dear Mr. Cowan, most faithfully yours, W. E. GLAD-
STONE.'