The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-17 00:00:00

A WOMAN STARVED TO DEATH.

Mr. Richards, deputy coroner, held an inquiry
at the Duke's Head Tavern, Whitechapel-read, hurt even-
ing, relative to the death from want of Mary Matthews,
aged 011earL
men natal:owe, • nesinewomsn, said that she was sister
to the deceased, and she lived at 35, Gower's-walk, White-
s hspeh The doomed had town • domestic servant, but
for the last three yeses she could get no situation, for
people thought her too old. She lived with witness,
whom she notated • little in coat making, but for the
Lothar months she could not do anything. Witness earned
alien 7.. eal. • week, out of which she had to pay 2s.
rent. Deemed complained • great many times of want of
tool, but witness could not do better than she did ; she bad
hardly any for herself. Once deceased applied to the parish
for relief, but they only gave her a shilling and a loaf of
bread. They would do nothing more for her unlade she
would go into the house, and she said she would sooner
starve at home than do that. There was another sister, also
single, living elsewhere, "but she is not Nowell off as I am,'
said the unfortunate witness. Four months ago the de-
ceased got dropsy very bad, but she recovered. On Wed-
nesday evening last when witness returned home from work
ohs found the deceased dead on the bed. Deceased never
modes second application to the parish for help.
mot. O. Baxter Phillips, surgeon, mid that he was calked
by • police-constable to see the deceased on last Wednes-
day night. lie found her quite dead, and she must have
been dead many hours. Her clothes, such as they were,
were on. The post mortem examination showed that there
vii some partly digested food in the stomach, but it was
ray evident that before that last meal she could have
eaten hardly anything for two or three days. The body was
nearly bloodless. Death was canoed by disease of the
heart, induced and accelerated by want of food and other
necessaries.
The deputy eoroner in summing up said that it was de-
plorable that persons should prefer to di* of want rather
than go into the workhouse, but the feeling of shame
spoken of by the witness Mary Mathews was very preva-
lent in regard to the house, and instances of the sad re-
sults came before him almost weekly.
The jury returned • verdict, " That the deceased was
hand dead from the mortal effect of disease of the
been accelerated by the want of the common necessaries
el life."

THE ATHLETIC SPOETEI OF WesTmlNlrruu SCHOOL.
—(Tum Dar.)—Great interest was excited this morning
by the annual athletic sports of the scholars of West-
sinister School, and ample preparations were made in Vin-
cent-agnate for giving Mat to the proceedings. Most of
the masters, with several members of the Abbey, to-
day were present at various portions of the sport.
The first struggle of the day was a mile race,
which wag warmly contested. The next part consisted of
throwing the cricket-ball. Then came a fiat race of 500
yards, confined to boys under 15. Then Came the following
sports in their order :—Long jumps ; long jump. for boys
ender 15; 120 yards hurdle race • throwing the cricket-
tall, for boys under 15 ; throwinOhe cricket-ball, open to
all; trial heat of hurdle nee • 1 yards flat race, for all
soder 16. To-morrow (Thuisclay) morning the sports
will be renewed at half-past 11 o'clock, the
following being the programme :-1. 500 yards flat race
for all under 15, challenge cup 2. Half-mile race ; 3.
Throwing the hammer ,• 4. 500 yards' race for all under
16; 5. 150 yards, challenge cup ; 6. High jump, for all
ander 15. 7. High jump, open to all ; 8. Pole leaping ;
9. 150 yards' flat race for boys under 13 ; 10. 100 yards
hurdle race for all under 15 ; 11. 500 yards' flat race, the
wieners of tke half-mile and 150 yards being excluded% 12.
Coneolation, 300 yards.
Sts S. NORTHCOTE IN DEVONSHIRE. —Sir Stafford
Northcote, Bart., M.P., the President of the Board of

Trade, has' eonseited annualth'presidn“ii;; meeting of
the Witheridge and Thelbridge United Ploughing and Agr-
icultural Labourer's Association at Witheridge, near Chu-
lealeisb, on Monday next, the 22nd inst.
FATAL ACCIDENT IN PICCADILLY.—About 10
o'clock hat night a cabman named Thomas Dixon was
killed in Piccadilly. It appears that the cab the deceased
vu driving, number 12,531,thme in collision with another
tub, 12,290, and the deceased was thrown with groat
sidence on the ground, his head coming in contact with the
stones. He was immediately taken to the St, George's
&vital. but expired on the way.
THE FATAL OMERRENCE AT CHATHAEL—An in-

quest was opened at Chatham, yesterday, by Mr. T. Hills,
comer for that borough, on the body of Mr. John Shap-
-17 King, assistant clerk on board the Fisgard, 42, at
oolwich, who met with his death from injuries he sus-
tained by felling over the trenches at Chatham garrison,
at a late hour on Saturday evening, under the circum-
stances already detailed in the Express. The coroner
adjourned the inquiry to enable the two young women
who were in the company of the deceased. as well as the
young
sed. woman who was with Corporal Turner, to be
amu
Tae LATE THADS OrTRAGE AT SHEFFIELD.—
The offer of 5001. for information respecting the perpe-
trators of the late diabolical trade outrage in New Here-
ford-street, Sheffield, has failed to bring the perpetrators
to justice. It has now been determined to increase the
reward to 1,1001., and this large reward ought to have the
effect desired. 1,0001. is offered on the part of 'the town,
and 1001. by government ; and the Secretary of State will
advise her Majesty to grant a free pardon to any aoconlm
not being the actual perpetrator of the deed, who will 'Se
satisfactory information to the police. The d 'cal
outrage continues to cause the greatest excitement in the
town, and this excitement has been increased by two
letters of a very threatening character having been re-
ceived by two masters. One of the employers to whom
one of the letters was sent has lately introduced some file
grinding machines, end as the men refuse, unless their
wages are increased, to do the work which the machines
cannot do, they a week or two ago left in a body ; and there
can be no doubt that the letter has come from one of these.
The other letter refers to an engine tenter, who seems to
have given some offence to his fellows. The following is
an extract from the letter which was sent to his master :
" The blasted place of yours ought to be bled up. i should
like to do it myself. i wish i had the chance and warn
that devil of an engine tenter of yours."
FATAL ACCIDENT TO A POACHEIL —OH Monday
an inquest was held before Mr. George Fell, deputy coroner
for the Aylesbury district, at the Chandos Arms Inn, Wad-
deaden, on the body of Thomas Parrott, labourer, aged 35
yeert, who was accidently shot on Saturday morning, while
in search of game. The deceased was a married man, and
leaves a wife and two children. His widow, Maria Parrott,
stated that her husband left home on Saturday morning,
shout 5 o'ilook, and took his gun. In about an hour after-
wards he was brought home with a large wound in the
side. She wished him to be conveyed to the Infirmary at
Aylesbury, but by his desire he was brought home again,
and expired the same evening. He told her the accident
occurred as he was getting over a hedge, with the barrel
of the gun in his pocket, when it caught and fell on his
bee, which caused it to explode, and the contents were
lodged is his side. A labourer, Thomas West, saw the de-
emed in Mr. Bliss's field on the morning in question. He
heard the report of the gun, and went towards the place,
where he found the deceased lying groaning from Pato- Hi'
clothes were shot into his body. and were also burning. He
called assistance. Another labourer, John Syridd, gave
;nulls: evidence. Mr. Woodfield Eagles, surgeon, said no
doubt the charge lodged in the cavity of the chest, wound-
mg the lung. The immediate cause of death was the in-
ternal hwmorrhage. The jury returned a verdict of " Ac-
cidental death."
&WOLIN° AND FATAL GUN ACCIDENT. —A most
distressing accident occurred at about 1 p.m. yesterday
to Mr. it ham Henry Sargent, of Red-hill (surgeon to
the Reigate Union and also to the 19th Surrey Rifles),
which resulted in the death of the unfortunate gentleman
who.was well known and much respected. Deceased and
WV. of friends were changing their shooting ground
Mar sletchingley, and Mr. Sargent, who was in a trap,
was in the art of taking his gun from an attendant, when
it !A Supposed that the cock of the gun caught 'ln his
grater, and, the gun exploding, the magenta entered his
right side and passed out at his left shoulder. Death
timed in about two hours. Deceased's age was about 37.