The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-12 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY AND SUSPICIOUS

DEATH IX BERMONDSEY.

Yesterday Mr. W. Payne resumed and concluded
an inquiry as to the death of Ann Roberts, which had been
adjourned from Saturday last, fora post martens examina-
tion to be made of the body.
Dr. Challice described the appearances presented by the
body, and attributed the death of the deceased to suffbea
lion.

The coroner—Da you mean by the ligature round the
neck ?

Dr. Chalhee—l cannot tell.
Roberts, the husband, having been duly cautioned, said
he was drunk on the night in question, and went to sleep
on a sofa in the parlour. He got up between two and three
in the morning, and went up stairs and lay on the bed,
until live o'clock. He then went dowu stairs, drank water,
and returned to the parlour, where be remained until seven
o'clock. He then went up stairs for a key to open his shop,
when he discovered his wife suspended from the bed-post,
and cold.
Roberta then declared in a furious manner, that his
wife had tramped up things against him to injure his cha-
racter, and said his wife was not in a right state of mind,
through the bad conduct of her daughter, Mrs. Cooke.
A fishmonger, named Nightingale, who was called by
Roberts, said the deceived had told him that he, Roberts,
would not be long before he was in prison again (having
just been released for assaulting her and breaking her
arm), as she had done all in her power to tempt him to
strike her. While he was drunk and asleep she took some
money front his pocket, and, finding it so little, she became
excited, and said she hoped that the Lord would take her
before morning.
The Coroner, in summing up, said this was a very mys-
terious case, except from the fact of deceased having died
from suffocation ; but the medical evidence did not show
how that suffocation was produced. The whole of the evi-
dence did not throw any light as to whether the death was
caused by :any other person, or whether it was the de-
ceased's own act. Perhaps it might be prudent to return
an open verdict, leaving it to the police silently to Innis.
the inquiry if they obtained any evidesc.o to enable them
to do so. _ . _

The jury returned the following verdict :—" That the
deceased died from suffocation, but how that suffocation
was produced there was not sufficient evidence to show."

IRELAND.

Dvsus, Oct. 11.

The annual meeting of the senate of the Queen's
University iu In;:and, was held yesterday at Dui ,lm
Castle, for the purpose of conterring degrees and
honours. The Lord Lieutenant, who was accom-
panied by the Countess of St. Germans, way present, I
and a very numerous ussemblsge of rank and fashion I
filled St. Patrick's Hall on the occasion. The Lord'
Chancellor having taken the chair, as Vice-Chan-
cellor of the University, in the absence of the Earl
of Clarendon, who holds the rank of Chancellor, pro-
ceeded to address the asstiu:lly at considerable I
length, dwelling chiefly un the slander of the
studies pursued in the several Queen's Colleges, and
on some suggestions that had been made relative to
proposed changes therein. The several degrees were
then conferred, and the Vice-Chancellor conveyed to
his Excellency the thanks of the senate for the
honour ho had conferred on them by his presence.
Ilia Excellency having acknowledged the compli-
ment, the successful candidates received the eungra-
tulat:ons of the presidents of the different colleges,'
and the proceedings were brought to a close.
Yesterday was the first sixpenny admission dey at
the Great industrial Exhibition, and the number of
visitors amounted to 10,690, being far short of double
the number of visitors' on the ordinary shilling days.