The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-12 00:00:00

BETHNAL-GREEN WORKHOUSE.

We yesterday gave the result of an inquest held
by Mr. Humphreys, on Wednesday, al the body of •
peeper, in the Bethnal-green Workhouse, named James
Follow's, seed 65, who had fallen out of bed in the night,
and being locked up in a ward with other paupers was not
seen by any official until the taskmaster came to unlock the
doors in the morning, whoa he was toned quit* dead. The
first wittier called was Mary Ann Ewe, the paid nurse,
and she stated that deceased had been in the infirmary with
a bad leg, and he was still on the sick diet se • patient;
het that he was warded in • healthy man's ward to sleep
in—in point of fact, that he stayed among the sick pansies
by day, and was seat elsewhere to sleep. He suffered from
rheumatism and • cough, and was only moved from the
sick ward because his bed was wanted for some one
else. No one had the overlooking of the warding
o: such patients—she simply told • pauper wards-
man that he must find So-and-So a bed slue/here, and it
was done. The jury cross-examined the witness as to the
diet of deceased, as his body was most fearfully emaciated,
being, se one juryman said, a mere bag of bones ; and she
said he had the regular sick diet, mutton and beef tea.
John Pierce. who described himself as the superintendent of
labour in the workhouse, said he knew the deceased, who
slept in No. 28 ward, which opened to 29 ward, and in the
first of which there slept 20 old men, end in the second 23.
The doors of the two ward, were locked et night; there was
neither fire nor light in them, and no such means of COIDITIO•
Meeting as bells. If the paupers wanted anything, they
would have to knock at the doors until they made them-
selves heard. They were not allowed to have any candles
or means of obtaining a light, and the doors were locked at
8 every night and opened about • quarter to 7o'cleck in the
morning. The doors were locked by the authority of the
Poor-Law Board. Each pauper had a sheet, two blankets,
and a tug. On Saoday morning, on going to close the
door of No. 28, witness was told by the peup• r werainan
of No. 29 that • men was dead, and he found decamped in
bed quite dead. He fetched the doctor, but life was
extinct. James Calbraith, the pauper who slept wet to
deceased, stated that he was awakened at 5 o'clock on
Sunday morning by another pauper, who told him that
deceased had fallen out of bed. Witness got • light—some
ems in the ward bad secreted • piece of candle and lechers,
and they were thus enabled to get a light—end he found
deceased on the floor. With the assistance of the occupant
of the bed on the other side of deceased's he lifted deceased ,1
on to the bed, and he then seemed dead. The wards-
man of No. 29 was called by wittier and the other man,
whom he &misted, whose name was William Gardener, and 11
who gave similar evidence, both agreeing that there was no
one to look after snob sick patients as deceased, who had to
depend upon those sleeping near him to help him, which, it
was shown, they did—when they were awake. George Clad-
dick, aged 64, the pauper earthman of the sick ward, gays '
evidence showing that he merely obeyed the instruc-
tions of the nurse in fielding patients beds in the
other wards, wherever there were vacancies, and without
any regard to their oompisints. Richard Bradley, seed 70
(being born, he said, in 1795), the pauper ward/imam of No.
29, stated be was called by the men Celbreith and Gardener
at about half past 5 on Sunday morning to deceased, whom
he toned deed. He did not call anybody, or attempt to do
so ; and in answer to a question by the Coroner why he had
not don* so, be said," What's the use? No one can bear,
and it would only have been making a noise for nothing."
He further stated that the man Piero' locked the doors
every night and took the keys to the master, and if they
had awakened him—for he slept 100 yards off, and wakitig
him was problematical—no good was to be done. The
Coroner said this might hare been witness's view, bat life
might have been saved had he done so. Mr. Edward
Howard Moore. who on inquiry by the jag was found to be
the medical officer of the workhouse, stated that he bad made
*post marten' examination of the body. The brain wasiwaltby,
and there wee a large quantity of blood at the bus from
the rupture of a small vessel. The lungs showed signs of
commencing disease—bronchitis in fact. The stomach con-
tainelisome liquid food. Death was caused by the rupture
of the vessel in the brain, which it was likely was caused
by • lit. In answer to the Coroner, the witness owned
that the removing of deceased from a warm ward,
in which he stayed by day,. to a cold one to
sleep in, was likely to be injurious to a man in
deceased's state of health. The nurse wee then recalled,
and she stated that she had about 230 pauper patients
under her care, 59 of whom bad to "sleep out" of the
sick wards, as deceased had done. The Comma then read
over the evidence, and in commenting upon it said the fact
that some 50 paupers were locked up together, without the
means of communicating with some responsible officer, was
a state of thieve which ought to be remedied ; and
with respect to the warding sick patients out of the
sick ward he was of opinion that in the case of the 59
described as being so warded it was apparent that
the 000dition of the patients was not taken into considers-
tioa at all. The jury (as already reported) ex-
pressed themselves very warmly against the mode of
treatment pursued towards the paupers in this workhouse,
saying the place was made like a Beath., and returned a
verdict to the effect that deceased died from enteral causes,
and that " sixth death was aemelerated by having to sleep
in a ward unsuited for his then condition," and they further
added, "that there is neglect in sleeping the sick poor when
the sick wards are full," sad theysay "that better arrange-
ments ought to be made for sleeping the suck when the proper
wards are taw.

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