The Express.
London, England, 1863-07-02 00:00:00

THE EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY AT STOKE

NEWINGTON..
THE OFFICIAL REPORTS.-(THIS DAY.)

This morning the District Board of Works for
Hackney met in the Townhall, and received the
reports of Dr. Tripe, medical offices of health, and Mr.
Valentine, inspector of nuisances, repectiog the discovery
of dead bodies on the premises of Mr. Henry Chapman, the
pariah undertaker. Mr. E. Cleaned' occupied the chair.
The awe continues to excite extraordinary excitement in
the locality, and mobs of persons continually occupy the
front of the premises in question, hooting and pelting Chap-
man's house. Last night at 12 o'clock he had to send to the
police for protection.
Mr. Ellis introduced the subject to the consideration of
the board.

Mr. Valentine, inspector of nuisances., read the following
report :—From information received I inspected the pre-
mises occupied by Hoary Chapman, undertaker, situate at
No, 1, John-street, West Hackney, and found in • shed in
the yard, underneath a work bench, three deal coffins and
one elm coffin, three of the coffins containing the bodies of
children. In the yard I found five adult coffins and eight
children s' coffins. In • shed I also found two empty
adult coffins, on. with a plate engraved " Lucy Wal-
ters, June 12, 1863, aged 67, H. II." I then told Mr.
Chapman that be wee not to remove any of the coffins,
especially those containing the bodice, until farther orders,
and he promised me that he would not. I said I thought
the bodies most have been there • loos time, and he replied
that was not so, as he had put lime into the ooffins to con-
sume the bodies.

Mr. Valentine said that, in justice to Mr. Chapman, he
wished to state that he did not throw any obstacle in the
way of his inspecting the premises.
Dr. Tripe then read the following report :—" I have, in
company with Mr. Valentine, made two inspection' of the
bodies of three children, which have bee, kept unburied for
a considerable length of time. One died on the 7th of June
last, and was in a very offensive state ; another is stated to
have died co the 23rd of March last, and the remaining one
on the 21st of May, 1862. Lime had been put into two of
the coffins, but not into that of the third. The premises in
which they were discovered were Mr. Chapman's, of John-
street, West Hackney."
. . . . . . _ .

Dr. Tripe said that he had yesterday, by order of the
oorooer, made so examination of the bodies in question.
The following certificates had been given t) him, for the
purpose of ascertaining if the bodies corresponded with what
was therein mentioneel
"This Is to certify that Kra —. of CLarleeetreet,
Delikes, was delivered by me of a still-born child on the
21st May, 1862. "8. Wurrx, Surgeon."
" I certify that Mrs. was delivered of a still-born
male child on the 23rd March 1863.

" G. Mosnert, Baryon."
"This in to oertjty that him -- was oonfioed on the
7th instant of a child still-born.

Surge on, Stoke Newington."
He (Dr. Tripe) found two of the bodies very offensive in-
deed. Of the first hardly even the bones remained. It was
reduced to powder, except the pelvis boom. The second
was not so much decomposed, but the head fell off when he
raised It up. The third bad apparently died on the ith
June. The bodies were apparently about 20 or 22 inches in
length, and were consequently either very young, or might
have bean still-born. The clothe, of all the bodies were in a
state of preservation, end would no doubt enable the bodies
to be identified. Au inquest would be held on the bodies.
He had strongly recommended that an inquest should be
held ; for it wes manifest that if bodies—even if still-born
—were to be kept as these had been a great loophole would
be opened for the disposal of newly-bore children. He wax
of opinion that the child whose pelvis bones alone remained
entire might have been the same mentioned in the first cer.
tificates but of sours' it wee impossible to tell whether it was
so, or how it had died. The other children presented oo signs
of mortal injury or of wounds; the bones were entire and he
believed that they had been kept unburied merely to save
the fees that he had been paid. However, be felt that he was
bound to advise that the coroner should hold an inquest,
because the police had no power to interfere in the matter,
and it was manifestly neceesary that such cases should not
be pawed over. (Hear, bear.)
A member of the board said that he trusted a chemical
analysis would be made in those cases. Hundreds of chil-
dren were lost annually, and stringent inquiry was essential.
Dr. Tripe said that the coroner did not order such an
examination, and he could not make it of his own motion.
Besides there was only dust in one case that could be
analysed.
A member asked whether the body of an adult had been
found.

Tripe said they had ant found any adult. The other
coffins ware empty, and it was stated yesterday that the
body of the pauper mentioned had been buried, and the
pariah coffin returned. That was the only parish coffin
there. The bodice were the bodies, he understood, not of
paupers from the moon, but of the children of private
persons.
It was stated on behalf of the parish authorities that the
master of the workhouse always sent witnesses to see that
the bodies gives to the undertakers for burial were interred
as directed, and that consequently bodies of union pampers
could not have been in Chapmans premises. They were
always out-door paupers.

A:member said- whether the garden would be dog up,
end a further and thorough search made. It was said that
several other bodies had been only very recently removed.
Dr. Tripe said that there was no power to make such •
search. The magistrate, when applied to, found that he
could not give :. warrant, and the police had no authority
to act.

The member said that surely the parish authorities could
take attic.n in the matter.

Dr. Trips said that they could only inquire into cases re-
lating to paupers Except in one Me. the coffins were not
belonging to the parish, and that coffin had been sent hack
since the discovery.
Mr. Valentine bad looked carefully through the place, and
could see nothing further. He examined the w►ter closet
and found nothing there. The powers for dealing with such
cases were very limited.
After some further disceision,
Mr. Bennett moved —" That Dr. Tripe, the medical
officer of health, and Mr. Valentine, the inspector of nui-
sances, be instructed to attend before the committee of
inquiry of the board of guardians, and before the coroner's
court, to give evidence relating to the matter of their re-
spective reports,"
The resolution was put and carried unanimously.
The proceedings then terminated.

The remains of the late Sir Joshua Jebb were
this day (Monday) deposited in the family vault, at
the Necropolis, Woking, Surrey. The fuoeral was atiesided
by the son of the demised, the Earl of Chichester, sad other
frieods of the family.

A Boy WOREIRD BY A DONIZT.—On Sunday
afternoon last a very shocking affair occurred near Booth-
well, Notts. A boy named James Purdy. aged about 12
years, was tending some donkeys when one of them went off
the mde of the road where they were grazing and he went
after it for the purpose of bringing it back again. While
pursuing it the animal turned upon him suddenly, blocked
him down, knelt upon him, and commenced worrying the
unfortunate boy in a most frightful in The lad's
companion attempted to drive the brute away, *but was un-
able to do six Assistancewas procured and ten lad rescued
SS soon as pomade. but not before he had sustained very
severe isjuries. His body is frightfully mangled and not
the slightest hops of his recovery is entertained. The donkey
has hese destroyed. . _ _

The Chinese population already numbers some
25,000 (almost all males), being about flve per cent. of oar
whole population. A large portion of the eastern God of
mellsourne (a sort of celestial Ghetto) sw►rms with them,
end from their costume sad appendages of blue bag trousers
and bloom, and thick shoes, and pigtails!, which they coil
away into the crowns of their hats, like private and con-
fidential black snakes, and from the arrangemeet and mo-
usts of their stores, and the Chinese signboards hanging
out over every door, the quarter might pass for a tat of
Casten let into Australian soil.—lfeltourne papa-.