The Express.
London, England, 1860-10-11 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

On Tuesday Mr. W. Carter, the coroner for East
Surrey, opened an inquest at the Crown and Anchor
Tavern, New Kent-road, respecting the circumstances
attending the death of Frances Hall, aged 18 years, which
occurred under the following circumstances:
Joseph Prussia said that be lived with the deceased at
No. 3,-Rodney-place, New Kent-load. Witness had lived
with her two years. She died at that house on Friday last.
She had one child, two years of age ; it was registered
in the name of Premiss (The coroner said it was a penal
offence to register falsely the name of a child. It was only
at the last assizes that a female, whose husband was under
confinement, during his absence had two children, and she
registered them in the name of Smith. Two indictments
were laid against her, and she was convicted on one.) The
witness added that deceased had been ill in bed for nine
days. On Friday morning he left home about 8 o'clock
to go to work, and he returned home at 1 o'clock to dinner,
when she partook of a portion of a mutton chop. He asked
her how she was, and she replied, " Very bad." She ap-
t° be very hot, and complained of sickness. Before
er death medical attendance was obtained. At 9 o'clock,
when he again returned home, she said that she knew she
was dying. He remained with her about an hour and a
quarter. She drank some wine and water. He went to her
again, and she said that she knew she was dying, but made
no charge against anyone, and she told him to come to bed,
which he did on the same bed she was in. In two seconds
afterwards she asked his sister to lift her out of bed, when
she slipped down. He sent a young woman who was at-
tending upon her fora doctor. He looked down at the de-
ceased a face, and found that she was dead. He went him-
self after the female to Mr. Marsh, whom he understood had
attended her. He next went for her relatives. He had seen
three bottles of medicine in her room ; he did not notice
whether or not they were labelled. He never gave her any
of the medicine himself, but his sister had. She bad also
antlered from bad breasta, and her sisters had applied lotions
to them. The lotion was kept in a soda-water bottle. He
had made no charge against anyone of causing her death,
and he had none to make. When he went out he had no
apprehension of her death. She had also a swelling in the
neck.

Eliza Hawes said that she resided at 15, Bmith-equare,
Westminster. The deceased was her half-sister. She did
not know to the contrary but that she had been married.
She knew that she was unwell a fortnight ago, when she
called to see her. She went on the following Friday
and saw some medicine in bottles which were labelled.
One bottle came from the workhouse, and she
administered to her the quantity that was ordered
only once, at Ave o'clock on Friday evening. The bottles
were all placed on the drawers. She went to Mr. Marsh
for a certificate of the cause of death, and he said he would
give one for disease of the heart. Witness said she did not
believe she died from that disease, and he replied that if he
was allowed to open the body he would be enabled to specify
the exact cause of death. A neighbour had promulgated a
report that the doctor had sent a mixture of deadly night-
shade for a lotion, and that had been administered instead
of the medicine, and that her death had been thereby oota-
sioned. She was positive that noire of the lotion had been
given to her, but she wee unable to account for her death.
Because she objected to the opening of the body Mr. Marsh
said that he would call an inquest.
Ellen Sullivan said that she knew the deceased, and
believed her to have been her brother's wife. On Wednes-
day last she got an order from the workhouse for
the parish doctor to see her. She took the order to Mr.
Marsh, and on the Thursday she went four times to Mr.
Marsh's surgery, and the same gentleman that attended be-
fore came, but not, till the evening. The medicines and
lotions were brought from the dispensmy by witness, and
the dispenser told her not to make a mistake and give her
the lotion instead of the medicine, for if she did " it would
send her to kingdom come."
Mr. Marsh, parochial surgeon, of the New Kent-read, upon
being examined, ash! that he was perfectly justified in
refusing the eertizasite without an autopsy of the body, in
consequence of one of the females stating that she had
bad deadly nightshade administered instead of the reach-
WOOL Witness had never seen the deceased alive, but his
son had, who was only a student, and of course unqualified.
He was unable to tell the cause of death, although he had
no apprehension that the medicine had caused it.
The inquiry was adjourned mail this evening, in order
that a post-mortem examination might be made to ewer-
tain the cause of death, and the jury were bound over to
appear at the adjournment.