The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-28 00:00:00

FRIGHTFUL DEATH OP A FEMALE SERVANT

AT NORTHAMPTON.

(From the Northampton Gerald.)

On Friday evening(Jan. 25), about 6 o'clock a cry
of '• Fire, fire," was heard in the home of Mrs. Be heir-
drum, of Mereere-row. Some of the passers-by
diately ran to give notice to the superintendent of the
engines, and in a few minutes Charles Smith, jun., was on
the spot. The services of the engines, however, were not
required, as it was not the house, but the female servant,
who was in flames. From information gathered on the
spot, we ascertained that the poor girl, who had only lived
a very short time with Mrs. Berrill, lighted a paraffin
lamp, which she was in the act of carrying from one rosin
to another, when it accidentally slipped from her hands and
was broken. The oil burnt on the ground, and the unfortu-
nate deceased put her foot on it to put out the blase, when
her underdrese caught fire, and from the inflammable
nature of the oil she was immediately enveloped in flames,
and in less than ten minutes was • corpse. As soon as the
flames were extinguished medical amsstance was sent for,
and in a few minutes Mr. Birdsall was in attendance, but
life was then extinct, and in his opinion death was caused
by the shock to the nervous wiring from the burns.
The body presented a f spectacle, the whole surface
of the body befog y burnt. As may readily be ima-
ginal, the greatest distress has been caused in the family of
Mrs. Berrill by this very painful event, Mrs. Berrill her-
self being rendered so ill as to req Mis medical attendance.
The inquest on the body was held at half-past eight the
same evening, before John Beebe. Esq., coroner, when the
following evidence was produced :

Serpent William Smith said—The mom of the deceased
was Ana Allard. I went hits Yrs. Benin's in amen%
row, in of the my of firs. I found the de-
ceased lying and her clothes were still on fire. I hays
since made inquiries, and satisfied myself es to her identity.
I find letters in her box addressed to her in the name c 4
Ann Afford.

Emma Caulcutt was visiting at Mrs. BerriWs this
afternoon. The deemed was a domestic servant of Mn.
Buell's. I was going upstairs this evening, and was
craning the passage to go in the parlour, when I law the
deceased in the kitchen. She was lifting a paraffin oil lamp
from the table, and was about to bring it from the kitchen
into the parlour, when she dropped it and stooped to pick
it up, when her dress caught fire. The od was dropped on
the floor and was blazing. When her dress caught fire I
went down stairs. Before I went down she ran about the
kitchen, and all of them ran out of the parlour to her. I
went down stairs and called for aatiatanes. Mrs. Harrill
took a blanket and wrapped round her. After I went down
stain the deceased ran out of the kitchen into the back
Yard.

Mary Am Benin said—l war sitting at the tea table,
when I heard the Lem fan, and directly ran out to see
what war the matter. TM pound was in flames, and the
decomed put her foot upon it to extinguish it, when her
dram caught fire. Mamma called for a blanket, and I
fetched her one. The deceased then run out of the kitchen
cm to the lead, and down some stone steps into the yard. I
went for Mr. Cooley, and Mr. /*dwell was sent for. When
I got back they told me she was dead.
Mr. W. Birdsall, mopes, got to the house of
Mrs. %Trill about half-past five, and, found the body lying
in a room. Life was extinct, and portions of the tire were
smouldering when I got there. Nearly all the clothes,
with the exoeption of the Mays, were burnt off the body,
and the whole surface of the body was much burnt. Death
resulted from the severe shock to the nervous system
arising from the burns, and causing paralysis of the heart.
The Coroner said it was a very melancholy circumstance
that so young a woman in the prime of life should be cut
off in so sudden and frightful a manner, but these could be
no doubt it was purely accidental.
A verdict of " Accidental die*" was returned.

SINOITLAN. CHARGE AGAINST A CLERGYMAN.—At
the Brentfced Petty Semions on Saturday, the Rev., Dr.
Giles, curate of the rural parish of Perivale, in the county
of Middlesex, appeared before Mr. Armstrong and a bench
of magistrates, to answer the 4111111SOGs of his church-
warden, Mr. Hollins, charging Isis with feloniously stealing
a leaden coffin and enverting the same to his um. The
Ands facts al the case wire these :—Some months ago,
while digging in Perivale churcrd for a grave, they came
accidentally-upon a leaden coma. It was removed, and
found to contain only a few human bone, and some pieces
of decayed wood. A plata was discovered outside the coffin
with the following inscription :—" Elizabeth Bolas, died
October, 1783." The coffin was deposited in the belfry of
the church, where it remained until a few weeks since,
when the defendant sold it as old lead for lf. 6,. The
remain@ found in the coffin were carefully collected at
the time and buried in the ground. The churchwarden
finding that the coffin had been sold, placed the
matter in the hands of the police, and it was
subsequently traced to a marine-store dealer's in Hammer-
smith. It may also be stated that Perivale is an ax.
evadingly picturesque, but very small parish, and condos
only live homes, the whole of which are inhabited by the
clergyman and parochial officers. Asa consequence, the
funerals in the churchyard are very rare. The defendant
took possession of the plata upon the coffin, and had with
the proceeds of the sale caused it to be inserted in a tablet,
which he intended to have placed in the church. It also
transpired that the rev. gentleman had obtained the consent
of the rector to dispose of the coffin as he might please.
An attempt had been made to obtain a clue to the OXOCII-
- or friends of the deceased woman, and advertisamente
had been inserted in the papers by the charchwanien, but
without any success. Mr. Sleigh opened the case, and con-
tended that a felony had been committed. He also argued
that any person could be the presemitcr.—The Bench, with.
out hearing the evidence, decided that they had no juridic.
tion, and left the churchwarden to bring ae action for tree-
pas', or to take proceedings in the Ecclesiastical Court. The
gammons was dismissed, the rev. gentleman stating that he
bad a complete answer to the case.
CITY or LONDON BOAPITAL FOR DISEArASB OF
TEE CHEER VICTORIATAIUL—The number of patients re-
lieved at this institution during last week was 884 of which
217 win new cases.

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