The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-29 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH OF A WOMAN IN BEIDE-

LANE.

INQUEST.—(THIS DAY.)
This afternoon, Mr. W. Payne, the City coroner,
held an inquiry at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, touch-
ing the death of Christiana Cox, aged 61 years, who lost
her life in consequence of falling down a Hight of stone
steps, leading from Bell's-buildings to Britloathe, Fleet-
street.
Mr. Samuel Mosby, 56, Dorset-street, Salisbury-square,
said that the deceased was a laundress at a newspaper
office. On Thursday morning, at a little after ten o'clock,
witness was passing down the steps at the end of Bell's-
buildings, and he saw the deceased lying " curled up,"
with her head under her chest. She was at the bottom of
the steps on the first landing. Witness called the
police, and • doctor was sent for. She appeared
to be insensible, and brandy was administered.
She was then carried to the hospital.
Police-constable John Andrews, 423 City force, said
that the deceased had evidently Wien down the steps as
she was coming down. The steps are very nasty, danger-
ous steps. There is no hand-rail on the left-hand
side. There is a very old and nasty hand-roil on
the right side, but part of it is broken away.
Several persons have fallen down the steps. The
steps are between the side walls of two high houses. The
flight of steps are most dangerously constructed. They are
very worn, and there are between 20 and 30 stone steps, a
few inches wide.
A juror said that he had lived in Bell's.buiblings 23
years. During that time he had frequently comrlained
to the authorities of the dangerous state of the steps. They
were much used, and some of the people going down when
they were met by others coming up had nothing to catch
hold to save themselves from falling but the brick walls of
the house.
A lady said that the steps were most dangerous. She
had slipped on them and fallen down.
The deceased was in good health at the time she fell
down the steps.
A juror said that there had been gross negligence on the
poi of the authorities in not having done something to
remedy the evil.
Mr. Eak, house surgeon, said that the deceased was
bruised about the face and head. She died on Thursday
night from injuries to the brain caused by the fall.
The Coroner asked if there was any evidence that the
authorities had been warned of the dangerous state of the

steps.
The Coroner's officer replied in the negative. Re had in-
formed some of them individually.
The Coroner said that the ward of St. Bridge's sent two
members to the Common Council, and they could get the
steps altered.
The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased woman
lost her life through accidentally falling down a certain
flight of stone steps, and the jury wish the attention of
the authorities to be called to the dangerous state of the
said steps."

SUICIDE OF AN ECCENTRIC SCHOOLMASTER.—
Mr. J. Carlyon, one of the county coroners of Cot nwall,
held an inquest a few days ago on the body of Henry
Nicholls, a well-educated man, who had for some years fol-
lowed the occupation of a schoolmaster. but who, for the
last four years, had secluded himself from the world in a
most eccentric fashion. He purchased a ship's launch,
which he decked over and converted into a sailing boat, in
which he lived alone, having no communication with the
outer world except when compelled to go on shore for ne-
cessaries. During the summer months he cruised about
the coast, and in winter he laid up in some creek. The
boat was badly injured by the gales of limit winter, and
since that time he has remained in Mylor Creek, near Fal-
mouth. Not having been seen on deck for several days,
the boat was boarled by a cousin of Nicholls'. who lives
at Mylor. On entering the cabin he found the deceased on
the bed with his head hinging down on the floor. He
was quite dead, and held a revolver pistol in his hand. He
had shot himself in the mouth. lie had been dead several
days. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict of " Tempo-
ral 7 insanity."
THE OUTRAGE BY BOYS AT MANCHESTER.—Four
youths were yesterday committed for la ;al from the Man-
chester city police-court, for having caused the death of
Mr. Thomas Lee, under circumstances already reported.
The outrage appears to have been savage and unprovoked.
The friends of the prisoners raised a great cry in court on
their being committed. The inquest was opened at the
city court, and adjourned to Thursday.
A VULGAR FLOURISH.—How is it that no one
ever sees anything that concerns him in a newspaper! How
is it, therefore, that it is always necessary for some friend
to draw attentio 1, or call attention, to what requires
notice ? Is it beneath a gentleman to write that he has
seen • certain paragraph or statement in a newspaper!
And does he derive any sort of importance from
pretending that he has not read what requires
his attention, but owes his knowledge of it to the
rending of some one else ? What a sorry conceit is this.
Newspapers would do well to put it down by refusing
insertion to any letters beginning with the hackneyed
"my attention has been called ' or " drawn." There
are very few men so busy as not to find time to read
a newspaper, and amongst the few who can truly
plead excess of occupation are certainly not the persons
who, like the Laputans, can do nothing without flappers.
But a street sweeper would hardly condescend to nonce a
paragraph in • newspaper without the flourish that his
" attention has been drawn." It must be understood that
the man has anxious friends on the look-out for what may
interest him. Of course it may occasionally happen that
something may have been pointed out which might other-
wise have escaped notiee, but in that ease it is the best
taste to eschew the introduction about drawn attention,
and go straight to the point, whatever it may be, requiring
observation. —Examiner.
THE POTATO DISEASE.—The potato disease is
causing great injury and loss throughout the country. In
this neighbourhood more than half the late crops are
found to be bad, and equally as unfavourable reports are
received from various parts of the country. The early
lifted before the continuous rains, have escaped
crops,s comparative little injury, although many which
appdred sound when stored have since been attacked by
the disesse.—Oxford Chronicle.