The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-09 00:00:00

(Stamped id. AdditiammL) [TWOPENCE.

THE MUPDB2: 17 HORSIMONGERZ4NE
GAOL

colop`Reli INGCNOT.

Last evening, Mr: 'William Carter, coroner for
East Surrey, held en invent .in the Committee-room, in the
lesidenee of the governor at thw above gaol, on the body of
John Hodges, egad 67, • rumer detained under • charge of
forgery on the Birkbeck Life Aswan's,* Company. of which
he was neat, whose death was meek ?led by • violent attack
made Upon him by a men named IMMO Pilet•Dr • Prisoner
for debt.

Mr. isele, solicitor, appeared to watch She proceedings on
behalf of the family of the deceased.
Mr. John Keens, the govemor of the gaol, deposed
that the deceued was committed for ',tern, and was at
the time of his death in his (witnem's) chattier. The de-
ceased was from some came sent into the infirmary some few
days before hie death. On Sunday lest he was sea images
of the infirmary, and there was with him in the emie room
James Preston, another prisoner named Sowerby, and one
named Todman. Prestos had been rent to the infirmity by
the surgeon, in consequence of his being greatly de-
mised in spirits. Last saw the deceased alive on Sunday
forenoon, and he (witness) had then no apprehension of his
I death. About four o'clock on the morning of Monday,
wk-
aus, from some information given to him by a night watch-
mmi, proceeded to the infirmary. He found deceased lying cm •
' bed with blood flowing from hie head through his hair. Thus
were in the room besides the deceased an officer mimed Cate
end some other prisoners, two of whom were holding Prestos.
One of them, in the hearing of Preston, said that he (Pres-
tos) had struck the deceased with a pail. Preston seemed
very excited and said, "He has had to do with my wife,'
meaning the deceased. There was a pail in the room which
the infirmary °Meer took charge of. Witness saw Preston
that day and he mid that he thought the devil had tempted
him to do it, as the deceased had been always very kind to
him. The men Preston seemed very harmless, and there
was not the least idea that he would commit any act of vio-
lence upon himself or any other person.
Samuel Sowerby stated that he was a prisoner in the gaol,
but attended on the patients in the infirmary. On Monday
morning he was awoke by a kind of dripping noise.
The Coroner said he thought the man Preston should be
present, and he was accordingly ht into the room. He
appeared to be a very inanities- man, and gave un-
mistakeable signs of, if not insanity, at a want of mind.
Samuel Sowerby, on being reexamined, said that the
dripping noise he alluded to wee like water falling on the
floor. It was then about 4 o'clock in the morning, and by
the light of a lamp in the room Minces saw Preston take a
pail into the water-closet of that ward. His suspicions were
aroused, and he knocked against the Boor with his boots, to
attract the attention of the turnkey. The lamp cos soon
afterwards trimmed, and witness then saw the deceased
lying on the bed, covered with blood, and quite deed.
The man Preston was very violent and had Who held by some
other poisons. The dripping poise that he had heard was the
blood towing from the deceased's bead on the floor. The mil
wee brought out of the closet by the turnkey, he believed,
and the lower hoop wee stained with blood.
James Todman, another prisoner, raid that on the night of
the murder he was disturbed by Preston getting out of bed
and going into the closet. He (Preston) whn he came out
had a bucket, which he held with both hands, and going up
to the side of the spare bed, which was near &ftemd's bed,
relied it and struck at something, saying "The villain, he nes
taken rny wife away." He made that remark after he struck
him. He (Preston) struck the man in the bed about four
times, and continued doing it for nearly five minutes. Wit-
ness was unable to do anything, as he was unwell, but
knocked for Mr. Gibbs, the infirmary warder. After strik-
ing the man in the bed, the person present (Preston) took
the bucket back to the closet, and then came and sat upon
the side of his bed.

William Heart' Gibbs, infirmary turnkey, said that about
4 o'clock on Monday morning ho was awoke by s violent
knocking on the Boor of the room of the infirmary ward occu-
pied by the deceued, James Preston, end others. The first
witness Sowerby said that Preston bad nearly killed the de-
ceased, but the latter, who weesitting on the side of his bed,
made no reply. The deceased was bleeding profusely from the
head. A light was struck, and Preston, who was very agi-
tated, got up and said "He is only a wooden dolly ; serve
him right, he hasseduced my wife." Witness thm with
assistance secured Preston, who seemed inclined to ao further
mischief. He produced • pail, the bottom iron hoop of which
had some wet blood on it, and several grey hairs diming to
it. When Preston made use of the words, "He is only •
wooden dolly, serve him right,' he added, "I did it." The
part was used for the purpose of cleansing the infirmary ward.
Todman on being re•callial said that Preston held the pail
so as to strike the deceased with the sharp end of the lower

IThe Coroner, addressing Brixton, mid—You have heard
what the witnesses have aid. What have you to say to it 1'
Preston, in reply, said in a cool and calm manner—l have
hosed all they have said, and I do not think they are far
from being correct.
Mr. Alfred Ellsworth, surgeon, of Trinity-street, Borough,
deposed that when be saw the deceased be was quite dead, and
blood ems oozing from the ear' which indicated laceration of
cos of the arteries of the basin or membranes. The injuries
gesersll bad no doubt been caused by a blow or blows from
a blunt at, such es the pail that had been pro-
duced. He had no doubt that the wounds bad been caused
by tho derveted M ing struck with the pail, causing a ',event
fracture of the Auk on the right side, although the blow was
delivered on the left side. The injuries were no doubt the
canoe of death.. .

The Coroner hating summed up, the kzirce.t.u.rued a var.
dirt of " Wilful maid& against James

HEALTH OP LONDON DURING THE WEEK.

The deaths registered in London, which rose in
the previous week to 1,177, declined in the week that ended
on SaturdaSaturday (September 5) to 1,084, of which 537 are dentin
of males, 547 those of females. In the ten years 1847-56,
the avenge number of deaths in the weeks corresponding
with last week was 1,464; but as the deaths of last week
occurred in en increased population, the average, with a view
to oomparison, should be mired in proportion to the increase,
whereby it will become 1,810. It will be seen, however, on
reference to the returns of 1849 and 1854, that in the cor-
responding week of the former year cholera carried off 2,026
persons, and in that of the latter 2,050, and that the average
Is, consequently, too high as e standard of comparison for
seasons when only ordinary causes are in operation. After
due allowance is made for this circumstance, the result is still
very favourable es regards the public health at the present
Lime.
Diarrhcee continues to decline, though by slow degrees;
but ft Is more fatal than to usual at the beginning of Septem-
ber. The deaths from this complaint attained their maxi-
mum to the last week of July, when they were 302, after
the mean weekly temperature had been for a fortnight 68
deg. In each suceeesive week there was a decrease; and
last week, when the mean temperature was 60-4 des.,
the number of deaths returned from diarrhcea was 181.
Besides these, 11 deaths are referred to dysentery In the table
for last week ; and only 4 to cholera, all the mete in which
the latter digest was fatal having occurred amongst infanta.
As diardsea declines, typhus shows a tendency to increase;
for though the deaths from it (52) were leas than in the pre-
vious week, they were more numerous than in the earlier
wt of the summer. Two deaths from small-pox, and one
from chicken-pox, are returned. The deaths of 2 persons are
ascribed to intemperance, and no lee* than 8 to delirium tre-
mens. Eleven infants died from went of breast-milk. Only
one person of the 1,084 who died in the week had attained
the age of 90 years, and she was a widow of 92.
Lest seek the birth. of 790 boys and 784 girls, in all 1,574
children, were registered in London. In the ten correspond-
ing weeks of the years 1847-56 the average number was
1,483.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height of
the barometer in the week was 29620 in. The highest reed-
ing was 29 96 in., at the beginning of the week. The mean
temperature of the week was 60.4 deg., which is 6.5 deg.
below that of the previous week, and is higher by 1.8 deg.
than the average of the same week in 43 years (as deter-
mined by Mr. Olaiehrr). The mean daily temperature wee
from 6 deg. to 9 deg. above the average on the first three
days; it was afterwards below the average till Saturday.
The thermometer in the shade reached its highest point on
Monday, when it was 86.5 deg. The lowest temperature
occurred on Thursday, and was 481 deg. The range of the
instrument inthe week was 396 deg. The mean dew poise
temperature was 54.2 deg. ; and the difference between this
and the mean temperature of the air was 62 deg. At the
Lightning of the week the wind was in the east; on the last
live days its general direction was south-west. Rain fell to
the amount of 0.84 in., more or lesa of which fell on every
day, except Sunday and Saturday. There was thunder on
Tuesday sad Friday.

YARMOUTH RACE FUND.—A donation of 101. hen
Ilietso
been cent by Sir E.N. Buxton, M.P.,to the Item r ltes.
The hoe. member and his colleague, General W had
been applied to some weeks since for the usual n,
which has for forty years been siren by the omelets for
Rest Norfolk; but the general never replied to thw applies.
Man at at, and Sir E. N. Buxton forgot to ecenswesicate to
the committee the fact that he objected to sehecrilse to thcl
sports until the ray day of the maw, when of tome it wee
oat of the power of the committee to withdrew the "
Nthetbsee Piste." The committee Mt themselves aggrieved
that theiitab:d thus been led into incurring the sespriseibilitg
4 tie sad, • statement of the fonts bardellorkiertie
Hand motile of the county plumb.; the brig. fa-
medmildnitel seat tbe shoos liberal subscri to meet las
'ty incurred by the oommitten srong) the hods
redeem of himself and his 011leegue in lot replying:4k/.
stied Ass.