The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-13 00:00:00

THE CEMETERY RIOTS IN SHEFFIELD

INDIGNATION' MEETINGS.

Last night, a public meeting was held in the
Temperance Hall, Townhead-street, Sheffield, to take
into consideration what steps should be taken in re.
femme to the recent disclosures at the St. Philip's
Burial Ground, Wardsend. Notwithstanding that the
weather was unpropitious, the rain descending in
torrents at eight oclock, the time announced for
the commencement of the meeting, there ass a
very large attendance. There was considerable feeling
manifested during the entire proceedings. The chair was
occupied by Mr. Nadia, es:-representative of St. Philip's
I Wed in the Town Council. In opening the proceedings,
the chairman said that legal advice had been taken, and the
advice of the magistrates and the chief constable had also
been sought, and now funds were required for the prosecu-
tion of those who had desecrated the dead..

The follo • manorial to the Archbishop of York was
unanimously adopted .•
"That the churchyard belonging to the district of St.
Philip, in the said township, and situated at Wardand, has
been open to MAO= and most disgraceful desecration.
" That a large number of the dead, after being buried but
• short period, scarcely any beyoud four years, have been
removed and sung into • large hole in • distant portion of
the ground.
severalad' of the bodies taken up had only been in.
terred for a few months.
. . . .

~'
That ce®ss have
been taken out of the graves and
broken up, and bodies mutilated and destroyed, for the
Pa9rof making room far new osoupents.
hat bodies bare been buried without the performance
of the funeral service, and fees received for dead that have
never been interred.
" Your memorialists believe that all these malpractices
were known to the incumbent of St. Philip's, the Rev. John
Li:resey, who is therefore, they believe, chiefly responsible.
That the said incumbent has shocked the feelings of the
public, by stating that he could not read the burial service
over bodies that had been dissected and decomposed.
" With every feeling of respect, your memorialists solicit
of your grace the appointment of a eoesmintioo to inquire
into the conduct and practise of the Rev. J. Livery, incum-
bent of St. Philip's, believing that until cleared from the
above charges he cannot usefully administer the COnsola.
tions of religion to the inhabitants of the large district now
under his charge."
The meeting manifested strong feelings against the incum-
bent of St. Philip's sad the late sexton.
Oe Wednesday night a similar meeting was held in St.
Philip's Ward. Mr. Nsdin presided. The proceedings were
of the most exciting character. and considerable ill-feeling
was manifested towards the Rev. J. Livesey, the present
incumbent of St. Philip's. The following resolutions were
unanimously adopted :
" That, in the opinion of the meeting, the pariah of St.
Philip's is worthy of a better and more protestant minister
than the present incumbent, and desires that the Right
Rev. the Archbishop of York will take the same into his
serious conaidaratioa.
"That this meeting would express, with bleeding heartit,
its sympathy with, and thanks to, the magistrates and the
chief constable, and would encourage them to do their duty
fearlessly."
Yesterday a deputation from the meeting attended at the
Town-ball, and presented the foregoing resolutions to the
magistrates.

THE ALLEGED POISONING OP A LADY.
EXHUMATION OP THE BODY.

INQUIEIT.-(TRIS DAY.)

This morning at 10 o'clock, Mr. John Humphreys,
the Kiddlesex coroner, opened an investigation at the Plough
Tavern, Kemal-green, opposite the Cemetery, touching the
loth of Ma. Frances Phillips, aged 27, who was alleged to
have been poisoned under circumstances, which, if proved,
will render the cue one of the most remarkable of the
causes celetra of the time. The deceased had been buried
for some four months, and It was upon the urgent repre-
sentations of her friends that the coroner Maned his warrant
for the exhumation of the body from Kesel-green Ceme-
tery, with a view to the analysation of the extents of the
stomach, preparatory to the mesa inquiry.
Mr. Potter appeared on behalf of Mr. Phillips (the husband
of the deaas), and Mr. Blackburn* and lb. Gould repro•
vented the relations of the dammed.
The jury having proceeded to view the body, which lay
on a mound in the cemetery beside the grave, and which
seemed to be in a remarkable state of preservation, the fol-
lowing evidence wes adduced :
Mr. Gould was called to identify thsbody, but he said that
he was unable to speak positively on the subject.
The Coroner then directed Mrs. Diana Little, the mother
of the deceased, to be taken in a cab to the cemetery to
identify the body.
The identification of the body, notwithstanding its marble-
like appearance, was rendered difficult by the necessary
mutilations effected in the post.moitern examination, by
which the beautiful lines of the countenance were broken
and distorted. The coroner therefore directed Mrs. Little to
pay attention principally to the hair and teeth of the de.
ceased as the best guides under the circumstemese.
Mrs. Little after a brief absence was swan end said—l live
in Honesty-lane, York, and am a widow. Deemed was
my daughter. Her same was Faeces Phillips, and aka was
maetisd to Henry Phillips, who wee a dealer in horses. Her
age was 27 years. It is her body which is now lying ex.
Lamed in the cemetery.
The Coroner aid that owing to information he had re-
ceived that the chemical analysis of the stomach of demised
had not been concluded, he thought it advisable not to take
further evidence on the present occasion. He should there.
fore adjourn the court at once.
It was stated that the chemical analysis has been coefided
to Dr. Harley, and Dr. Edmunds has made the post mortals
examination of the body.
The case appeared to excite great interest, and some dis-
appointment was manifested at the abrupt eke* of the
.•