The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-05-30 00:00:00

AN UNPLEASANT INQUIRY.

Dr. Lankester has hell an inquest, under the follow-
ing peculiar circiunatances, at the "Globe Tavern,"
St. Pancra9, London, on the body of Mr. Philip John
Mirehonse, aged twenty•nine : -

the deeea•ed bad Men abroad for some time, but re
turned from New Zealand last year. wioth a condilerable
sum of money. After a very short illness in England In
died, without making a will. at the lion, where he was
living with his site. whom he had not long married A
ewe rote was given by the medical man who hail attendc.l
him durin, the short period et three days that he died
from inflammation if the bowels, and on the lot if Novem-
ber. 1067, he was interred in the Great Northern Cemetery.
The relatives of ilecea,eil stopected tat his death hail tod
taken place in a natural manner, and procured an order for
the exhumation if the body, which was put into force 01l it,,
2nil inst., after the body had been buried six months, alid it
was disinterred in the preSCIIVO ri representat iVeS pt all par-
ties onto:rued. Dr. Anderson Smith, who atteto led deceased
prier to death, reniox'e i the stomach and its contents, which
were sent to Dr. Taylor for analpds. An inque,t was Itehl
on Tuesday, and the jury proceeded by the tireat Northern
Railway to the cemetery at Colney Hatch, and viewed the
holy in the catacombs. It Was ill Midi MI advanced
state of decomposition that the wily distinguishable
featute Wag the heard, Which wag in a tolerable state
of preservation. The jury having returned to the Globe
Tavern, the immiry was proceeded with.
Captain I tin:holt,. of Brighton. lordlier id deceased, raid
he had reason to suspect that deceased ear, poisoned, mei
that Wan why lie a iShed for the inquiry. tie thought the
symptoms exhibited by his brother were like tho,e of
poisoning. re was not sati-fled.

Dr. Anderson Smith deposed that on the 211th of October
last he was fetched to deceased at It °born-cottage, Eu-bn-
road, London. Deceased was suffering from dianinna and
vomiting, and his face was flushed and red. He was quite
sensible, but did not like to be distm lard. but in answ. r
one:damn he said he had pains In the lunch and stomach.
O. the morning of the lit November deceased died. Witne,
gave a mrtifieste that he died from inflammation of the
bowels, and the body was buried. Th,,>lllptoill,, itithongli
consistent with poison, were it ,oli,i,teht With eorrieke
poisim. Witness saw Mrs. Mtjuat anti her neither Heil
brother with deceased.

The body, which was exhumed on tire ...bid of May, pre-
sented u yen dry and leathery appearance. The w,thess,
after describing rliner appearaucos, an unimportant nature,
stited that he renubved the internal organ:, Cl the hod, , and,
having sealed then, up, conveyed them VI Dr.- Taylor for
analybis. Being in attendance at the I bane of Comments On
a Speaker's w arrant, Dr. Ta! tar was not mesent at the in-
quiry, but his written report of the analyzia having been
sworn to. it was received as evidence. he report detailed
very minutely the appearance of the internal OrginlB
their condition, and stated that althou4b testa had been
applied for arsenic, mercury, and antimony, nu mineral
poison had been detected.

The Coroner, having pointed out that there was no
evidence upon which to
_proceed further, the jury re-
turned a verdict that "Deceaaed died from inflamma-
tion of the stomach sad bowels."