The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-04 00:00:00

THE SPREAD OF SMALLPDX AMONGST THE
POOR.

INQUEST.—(THIS DAY.)
At noon to-day an inquest was held by Mr.
Humphreys, the Middlesex coroner, at the Alma Tavern,
Alma-street, New North-road, upon the body of a girl
named Elizabeth Bruce, aged 12 years.
The facts declared wereas follows :—A few months back,
the mother of the deceased took a room in a house in Alma-
street at le9d. a week, representing that she only wanted it
for herself and her daughter. In a little time her husband,
• watch finisher, came home unknown, apparently, to the
landlord, and took up his abode there ; then a second child,
nine years of age, was quietly introduced to the little room.
This was acquiesced in by the landlord. But • month ago
a grown-up daughter, who had been in service, and who
bad been seized with the small pox, was sent home
from the hospital "cured," the father said but according
to the landlord quite uncured. She had been sent from
her situation to the Whitechapel Union, and then to the
hospital, where she had been treated and dis-
charged Si cured. The landlord became alarmed
when he heard of this last addition to the
family in the one small room, and he said that
either she must get • situation and leave, or all should
leave. A fortnight ago she got a situation, and left. But
almost on the day she left the girl Elizabeth took the
small-pox to all appearance from her. The parents con-
cealed the fact from everybody, fearing that the landlord
would forthwith turn them all into the street. No doctor
was sent for, and for • fortnight the child was left a help-
less prey to an attack of the moat virulent type
of smallpox. On Wednesday she died. So closely
did the parents conceal the fact of the child's
illness that on Sunday last, when she was in
• dying state, the mother, in answer to an inquiry about
her on the part of the landlady who bad missed her, said
that she was gone to • @Hastiest. When she died the
father went to Dr. Leonard, parish surgeon, and asked for
• certificate of death, apparently with the idea that if he
could get that and a pariah wffin, he could smuggle the
body of the girl out of the house, without letting the fatal
secret become known to his landlord. But, of course, the
doctor could not give • certificate in a case of which he
knew nothing, and upon his going to the house his in-
quiries first made the other occupants aware of what had
occurred.

The father said that he wsa out of employ, and that he
had no chance of getting another lodging if he had been
turned out of his present one through letting it be known
that the deceased had the small-pox. The deceased had
been vaccinated when four months old, but he bad not
asked Dr. Leonard, who vaccinated her, for • certificate of
the fact at the time.

Eliza Bruce, the mother, also said that the deceased had
been vaccinated ; hut she said that a certificate had been
given. She had not got it, because she bad been required
to hand it back again to get a powder.
Dr. Leonard said that the cleansed died from confluent
small pox. The attack was so malignant that the child
oould not have been vaccinated, or, if vaccinated, the ope-
ration must have been defective. The room in which
the family lived was entirely too small for such a family,
and of course was quite unfit for the deceased to be in while
in small pox.
The Coroner said that the cam disclosed such culpable
negligence on the part of the parents in not procuring
proper treatment for the deceased that it was doubtful if
a verdict of manslaughter should not be returned against
him. The inquiry would have to be adjourned to give time
for consideration, and for evidence to be produced as to
whether the child had been vaccinated.

Dr. Leonard said be had no recollection of having vac-
cinated the deceased.

The case was then adjourned.

SHOCKING DEATH PROM STARVATION.

Mr. Humphreys, coroner, held an inquiry at the
Seven Stars Tavern, Brick-lane, Spitellkads, lad evening,
touching the death from want of Thomas Buthorps, aged
seven years.
Rosa Essthorpe said that she lived at a cheap lodging
house at No. 1, George-street, Spitallields. She was the
wife of a commercial traveller, but she bad been aban-
doned by her husband. The deceased was her illegitimate
child. There were two other children, one of whom was
supported by her husband ; the other, a girl of thirteen,
lived with witness. When witness was left by her
husband, she had no means of supporting them. She was
the daughter of a publican, and " having been brought up
respectable," she bad no trade or calling to fall back upon.
She at first sold limiters about the streets, but as she could
not get food for her children that way, she by degree
went on the streets. She only bad 6s. or 7s. a week for
months past ; out of that she had to pay 3s. • week rent,
and the balance was all she had to support the deceased
and herself. Her daughter got a shilling a week and her
diet as a servant latterly. The deceased never had meat
any more than witness ; she could only give him bread and
butter, and not enough of that, and sometimes he got a
little tea. Sometimes witness got no money at all. She
did the best she could for the deceased, and be had not
enough of food or clothing.
The Coroner asked the witness why she bad not applied
to the workhouse for relief.

The witness said that she had done so, but they would
give her nothing unless she would enter the house. She had
once before gone into the house, so that the parish autho-
rities might find out her husband. They did so, and took
him before the magistrate. When she was left destitute
on the last occasion she would not go into the house again,
for there was no comfort there to make it better than a
crust of bread outside, got anyhow. The deceased had
been ailing for a long time past. On Monday he became
very bad ; the parish doctor came to see hini on Tuesday,
but he was dead.

Charlotte Etarrester, wife of the keeper of tho lodging-
house in George-street, said that the last witness and her
two children had lodged with her for about six months.
They had a meal one day, and were three days without.
The mother used to be out until 3 in the morning—
sometimes the whole night. The children were generally
up till she came home, for if witness put them to bed,
as she had sometimes done, then the mother would come
in without money and could not pay for their bed ; but
when she knew that they were not to go to bed till the bed
was paid for, she brought in the money. She was a sober
woman—she never drank. Witness trusted her a little at
times, and the lodgers would give the children bits of
breed when they had nothing. Witness urged the mother to
go into the workhouse, but she said she would not for she
had been in it before. The mother did her ben for the
children, but deceased was shockingly clothed, and had not
enough of food. As for the girl of 13, for the last week or
two she had gone off with girls that went on the street.
Mr. Septimus Swyer, surgeon, said that in obedience to
a parish order be went to visit the deceased on Tuesday
last, and he found him dead. The body was excessively
emaciated. The post-mortem examination showed that
the intestines were atrophied from long continued priva-
tions. The brain was congested ; the substance of it had
begun to soften from went of food. There was only a very
little trace of food in the stomach. The cause of death was
congestion of the brain from want of proper food.
A polioe-sergeant said that the lodging-house in which
the deceased died was occupied by about 100 persons.
Only those that were too reduced to get a home or a bed
elsewhere lodged in it. The price of a double bed was 7d.
• night.
The Coroner having summed up,
The jury returned a verdict of " Death from congestion
of the brain from want of food and other necessaries."

THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN PROFESSOR BLACKIE
AND MR. ERNEST Joisite.—This discussion was, we learn
by telegraph, opened last night at Edinburgh by an address
from Professor Mackie, who maintained that on referring
to the history of all democracies, ancient and modern, it
would be found that none had ever been successful. At
the close a vote of thanks was given to the Professor, and
good humour prevailed throughout the proceedings.
MR. GOLDWIN SMITH'S LECTURES.—We under-
stand that arrangements for the delivery of four lectures,
on the "Constitutional History of England," by Mr. Gold-
win Smith, are nearly completed, and that it is probable
the first lecture of the course will be delivered in the
Town-hall on the 14th instant, under the presidency of
Dr. Temple, headmaster of Rugby School. Lord Amberley,
Mr. Henry Yates Thompson, and Mr. John Stuart Mill
have each consented to preside at the succeeding lectures.
—Manchester Examiner.

ADDRESS TO THE BISHOP OP SALISBERT.—The
following addrees, got up under the suirpices of the English
Church Union, is in the course of signature, to be pre-
sented to the Lord Bishop of &Rebut, :—" To the Right
Rev. the Lord Bishop of Salisbury.—We, the undersigned
priests, deacons, and laymen (being communicants) of the
church of England, desire to offer our humble acknowledg-
ments to your lordship for the seasonable vindication of
the doctrine of the priesthood with which your lordship
has met recent attacks upon that scriptural sod catholic
doctrine.--Derires qalette.

HER MAJESTY'S fITAGHOUNDS.—The gentlemen
of this bunt are to entertain the farmers to dinner, and it
Is expected that 100 guesta will be present, all of them in
the ordinary hunting costume. The noble master, Lord
Colville, will, is believed, tireside.
PRESIDENT JOHNSON s HOHSEHOLD.—President
Johnson's household is thus organised under a law passed
by Congress in it. last session —Private secretary, Robert
Johnson ; Assistant-Secretary, Robert Morrow; Secretary
to Sign Land Patents, Edward D. Neill ; Aida-deesmp,
Colonel W. G. Moore, Lieutenant-Colonel Wright Rives,
and Colonel Andrew K. Long.
THE WEATHER TN SCOTLAND. —The severity of
the frost is shown by the fact that some of our upland
lochs were lit for curling yesterday, although the frost did
not set in till Monday night. The game was enjoyed by a
party on Belston loch yesterday. and to-day • number of
keen hands are busy on ltordle pond, near Ayr.—Ayr
Aderreistr.