The Express.
London, England, 1862-07-25 00:00:00

mum OP A LADY PROM STARVATION.
EXTRAORDINARY SUPPIRINUS.

An unusually painful inquiry 1188 held at the
Three Crane' Tavern, Maremtreet, Hackney, by Mr. John
BUM one of the coroners for the county of
at • late hour last night, respecting the
death of Mrs. Emma Seellgrove, aged M, a lady who
expired 00 Sunday last from starvation order the following
lamentable circumstances. The case created considerable

interest owing to the respectable position of the family, and
the dreadful nature of the sufferings endured.
Mr. Stephen Snellgrove, 7, Church-yard, Hackney, the
eon of the deceased, tottered into the court, and his emaci-
ated appearance caused • marked sensation. Having been
accommodated with a seat, he mid that his mother was the
widow of a gentleman in the wise trade, who died some
years since, leaving witness and his brother William 100/.
each. The family then lived on the salary which witness
sad his brother carped as clerks in the docks. Twelve
months ago witness, thOeillneas, lost hie situation, and
his brother not being y employed, they lived upon
the remnant of witness a 1001. For • long time past
they had been suffering great privations, living on
breed alone, sod witness and the deceased bad been
coafined to bed from illness and exhaustion. On the Fri-
day morning before deceased's death they had a little dry
bread, and from that time until her death, on Sunday, they
bad no toad whatever. On the Saturday evening deceased
became delirious, and continued raving from hunger the
whole night. He crawled downstairs on his hands and knees
and found • few grains of coffee, with which he made a drink,
and gave it to her. The next morning be noticed that she
bad ceased to talk, and upon going in to give her another
drink, he found her dead. He then wrote a note
to • &lead, but did not know how to convey
it. After some hours, however, he crawled down
to the door and gave it to some one to deliver. He since
learned that his brother William had on the Tuesday before
deceased's death received from that friend • sovereign for
the family, but he had not given them soy of it. On the
contrary, on that day he came to the house and ransacked
it for everything of value, and took away a looking-glass
and even witness's dressing-gown. (Sensation.) He came
cie Friday and gave them a little bread to eat, and they saw
him no more. Witness and deceased remained awake the
whole of that night, expecting hie return, with dreadful
anxiety, and on Saturday night they gave up all hope and
deceased became delirious. William had frequently come
to the house previously to remove things and he would not
permit any person to call at the house. He used to abuse
witness and his mother brutally, and refused to get witness
removed to an hospital.
Mrs. Selina Cook, Tyson-terrace, Malden-lane, said that
on Sunday afternoon she received the following note from
the last witness :
" Sunday.--My dear Mn. Cook,—My mother is dead.
My brother has left and we have had nothing to eat since
Friday. Do come. Yours sincerely, S. SNELLGROVL"
Witness bad known the family for several years and had
frequently waisted them. On the Tuesday spoken of, she
saw William Snellgrove and said that as his mother and
brother were in a most deplorable state, and he would not
even admit a person she sent to clean up the place, she
would stand it no longer, and if he did not do something
for them she would apply to the authorities. He
replied that he was going to pleas his mother
with • friend in the Ilackney-raad. Witness said
that his mother would require necessaries for her removal,
and she gave him • sovereign for her. It appeared that the
poor lady had received none of it.
In reply to the Coroner,
Mr. b. Snellgrove stetted that his mother was left a prowl-
:Los :n:1 her husband, but that an individual who was
to his sister got deceased to convert her securities
into cash, which, he said, be could advantageously invest
for her. When he got the money be went in the country,
and had not been since beard of. Mr. W. Snellgrove was
fa ocateional employment
Dr. W. H. Wright said that be was called in on Sunday
hat, and found the house in an indescribably dreadful state,
it not having been clawed for a length of time, and there
was hardly anything in the place, which had the appearance
of the most abject poverty. Mr. S. Saellgrove was in such
• state of prostration that he was not able to tell, and
did oot seem to know, in which room his mother
ley. Witness found her body in such a state
of emaciation that she was merely skin and bone, and he
thought she must have been at least 80 years of age. The
postmortem examination showed the stomach and intes-
tines to be completely empty, and not only all trace of fat
but the muscular tissues had disappeared. There was but
little blood, which was pale and watery. The immediate
cause of death was disease of the lungs, accelerated by want
of food.
The Coroner, in summing up, said that it was to be re-
gretted that in such an awful case of starvation Mr. S.
Snellgrove did not find strength to call a passer-by for aid,
and strongly censured the conduct of Mr. Wee. Sneligrove
in the matter.
The jury returned a verdict of "Death from disease
accelerated by destitution."
It was understood that Mr, S. Snellgrove would be forth-
with removed to the hospital, his state being such as to
cause serious apprehensions for his life.