The Express.
London, England, 1846-12-14 00:00:00

PRovi,vrlAL.

COMMITTAL OF A QUACK Luc you FOR lIANsL SuOii
—At Hull, on Friday, an inquiry, which, from its unusual
character, has created considerable attention in that pat of
the provinces, was, alter two adjournments, brought to a ter-
mination in the committal of a quack Elector on u charee of
poisoning a female. Three years ago, the deceased, Mrs. F.
It. Cox, the wife of a tobacco merchant in Hull, had 'what is
termed a fungus tumour on the left wrist. She ap-
plied to several medical gentlemen, who pronounced it to be
incurable, and that eventually the arm would hare to be
amputated as the only made of saving her life. Vatious
remedies were applied to delay the operation as long as pos-
sible, which was fixed to take• place as last week, when a
man named Cotton, who professed to cure diseases of all
descriptions, w..s introduced to her notice. Cotton examined
the tumour, and induced the gullible female to place herself
under his treatment. He informed her that he would not
only save her arm, but would, iu a few weeks, make a
perfect cure ; that he would give her no pain, and all the
disadvantage she would experience would be tickling heat in
the tumour. Ile then took out from a packet a red powder,
which he rubbed over the tumour and parts of the area that
were inflamed. This took place on the 21st of last mouth.
Soon after the powder had been applied one of the family
surgeons cane by accident to see her, and hearing of the
application he endeavoured to persuade her to wash it off.
'I his she resolutely re fused to do, and in a day or two she
was seized with violent vomiting and purging ; excruciating
pine; ensued in various parts of the body, and. nutwith-
standing the mat skiltul treatment of various surgeons, she
gradually sunk, and expired on Tuesday last. A post-mortem
examination was ordered by the coroner, and the opiuion
given was, that her death had been occasioned by the ab-
sorption into the system of the irritating powder applied by
Cotton to the tumour ; the powder the medical witnesses be-
lieved to be composed entirely of arsenic, particles of which
hail been discovered by the post-mortem examination. The
jury, after a shim deli ffi ration, returned a verdict of " Man-
slaughter" against Cotton, who was fully committed to take
his trial at the ensuing iFsizes.
THE DeMoLiTioN OF Tile YeSeitALLE SrteccrUltill
LATELY U•sEO AS A TOWN-lIALL Foil DoNcASTEE, has
revealed some architectural remains of a very extensive, im-
portant, and interesting character. There have been from
time to time many and divers speculations as to what portion
of the ancient church of St. Mary Mag latent was contained
within the ei'e of the late municipal building ; but very few,
we believe, suspected that in the wade themselves was en-
tombed nearly the whole columnar arrangement of the
ancient church. Such, however, is the fact ; and the remains
which are now dieencumbered of their more modern addi-
tions, show pretty clearly the character of the church t•f St.
Mary Magdalene. During the taking down of the
Town-hall great care has been observed to preserve
as much as possible of the old structure, but
the south wall of the nave was found to have been so much
broken as to re nder its being taken down inevitable. The
arch-piers or pillars (seven in number) which supported it
have, however, been preserved, and arc now standing, sur-
mounted by their capitals and a few stones of the arches.
The north wall will be found almost entire, and its support-
ing pillars and arches in good preservation. The wal CAW.
tains six small round-headed apertures, or clerestory win-
dows, if they may be so called, one over the centre of each
arch ; there arc also two of a large size, but of the same cha-
racter, and one in the north wall of the chancel.
That there were corresponding apertures in the demo-
lished south wall is sufficiently obvious, from the
fragments which have been thrown down. Over the
west-end entrance there was a much larger window,
apparently of the same character as those in the
nave ; but this had been solidly built up, and was unnoticed
by the workmen until the whole of the west-end wail had
been nearly demolished. The west-end entrance is now
laid bare, and exhibits a plain semicircular arched opening,
slightly recessed, the outer arch being supported by a small
column on each side, as if cut out of the jambe, in the BUM
style as may be seen in most of the early Norman churches.
Among the curious indications of pact customs brought to
light in this long buried pile, are several _patches of painted
plaster or fresco work on the wall of the chancel.