The Express.
London, England, 1868-04-14 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY AT

hACJENZI-WICX.

INQUEST.—(THIS DAY.)
Thia morning, at 11 o'clock, Mr. Humphrey.,
meow for the eastern division of the county at
am. opened an inquiry at the Old Town-hall, Hacknep, re
Wive to the finding of the body of a man in an uninha-
bited house situate in Elgin-place, Hackney-wick.
The stirroundisp of this mysterious case have invested
it with peculiar Interest. The identity of the deadwood is
disputed by two females, each of whom claims his body as
being that of her husband. Their names are Mrs. Banks
and Mrs. Hessian, and the latter was represented at the
int=morning by Mr. Neal, solicitor.
Banks was the first witness examined. She
said—l live at 35, York-row, Kingsland-road. lam the
widow of the deceased, whose name was Ebe Clarke
Banks. He was 33 years old. His occupation was tra-
veller to • spirit merchant. I last saw him alive last
Maroh three years. Oa an average he was away about
six months every year. We did not quarrel
previous to his departure, and I cannot account for his
abeenoe. I saw the body twice in the mortuary, and lam
confident it la that of my husband. There is a scar on the
first finger of the right band. I mentioned that feet
before I saw the body. I had six children by the dr
eased. The youngest was three months old when he left
home. He travelled for Mr. Emotion, of High Holborn.
His life wee not insured, but he belonged to the Odd
Fellows' Burial Club. He also belonged to the Widow
and Orphans' Fund. I don't know what sous they will
give me.
By Mr. Neal—The scar on the finger of the deceased
was caused by a knife. He hail • full moustache at the
time I last saw him. His whiskers were turning • little
grey. He had • dark full head of hair, and wore it short.
I have the books of the societies to which I have referred
at home. I made inquiry at the police stations repeatedly
after lie left. I have not gone to look at other bodies
because the descriptions did not correspond with the sp.
pearance of my husband.
Edward Heasman—l live at 76, Great Percy-street, Pen.
tonville and am a clerk. I have seen the body of the
decomed, and identified it as that of my brother, Benjamin
Heasman. He was 44 years of age, and he had been in
the same office as myself. He had been an inmate of St.
Luke's Asylum since September, 1866. I last saw him alive
in the winter of 18(.7. His delusion was a conviction that be
had been poisoned. He had suffered much from an affection
of the eye. He had suicidal tendencies. Two bottles of
laudanum were found with him before he was taken to the
lunatic asylum. lam not aware that he had a mechanical
turn for malting little boats out of pieces of
wood. I am confident the body of the deceased is that of
ray brother. The squareness of the forehead, the high
cheek bones, and the form of the features make me think
so. Five years ago he was doing something to the slates
on the roof of his holm when he damaged one of his
fingers.
By the jury —He was not in the habit of using laudanum.
He threatened to kill his wife before he was ant to the
lunatic asylum. By his death his wife loses a pension of
1001. a year. The name on his flannel shirt was marked,
by her.
Sophia Heasman. who appeared much affected, was next
examined. She deposed—l live at 5, Selwyn-terrace, and
am the wife of the deceased man. I have so doubt as to
bin identity. I wee married to him fifteen years last
October. He was always at home, and
himself for a long period. He injuried his hand on one
occasion, but I don't remember when. During his in-
carceration he was constantly speaking of religion.
Dr. Ellis sworn—l am the medical officer of the St.
Luke's Lunatic Asylum. I bad an inmate named Benjamin
Hannan, who escated from the hospital on the let of
February, 1868. I have no doubt the deceased is
that man. I know it, not only from his features,
but also on account of the marks on his clothes. I have
seen the boot that was found with him, and I find it be-
longed to a patient named Harnett, from whom the
deceased took it away. The dress of the deceased is in
every particular the same as that which Hemmen wore
when he left. I find a tooth missing on the left side of
the deceased's bead which I know to have been missing
with Heasman.

Sarah Williams—l reside at 15. Commercial-road, Ber-
mondsey. lam sister of Mrs. Banks. I have seen the
body of the deceased. It is very like Mr. Banks, but I
cannot say positively it was he.
By Mr. Neal—l am not aware that Mr. Banks exhibited
suicidal tendencies. When in liquor he sometimes
threatened his wife but he never threatened to destroy his
own life. I have not seen him for seven or eight years.
Mrs. Reesman recalled—l swear that the handwriting
on the flannel shirt and stockings worn by the deceased is
mine.

Mr. Newsom, examined—l live at Victoria-road, Hack-
ney-wick, and am foreman in the employ of Mr. Davis,
builder. On Thursday last I went to 20, Elgin-place,
Hackney-wick. A carter went in through the window,
and opened the door for me. He said," Come in, something
ereells bad here." I examined the house and found
the body in a cupboard under the stain:sae. (The wit-
ness then described the position of the body at the
time of its discovery. He subsequently stated that the
house, which was au unfinished one, had been "screwed
up " since Christmas, and that the deceased must have
got in through the window.).
Henry Pries— I am • carpenter. Some time in the
beginning of February I saw • man sitting on the
ground near the houses in Elgin-place. I went
up to him, and said, " You've got • cold
berth there, sir:" to which he replied, " I have, friend,
but God keeps me warm." He also added, " You're the
Modest man I hare met with to-day, but I wish
you would not interfere with me." I believe the man to
be the one whose body I have seen is the mortuary.
Sergeant Faders deposed to having found • bottle (pro-
duced) marked " Landanum—poison," in the cupboard in
which the body was discovered.
Frederick James Gent, F.I(.C.S, was next examined. He
deposed—l made a post-mortem examination of the body of
the deeeamd. The body wasthatof a mnsculmwell-nourished
man about 40 years of age. There were no marks of any
bruise, but had there been a bruise the advanced
state of decomposition would have prevented
its being perceived. There was • black appearance on the
right side of the head which appeared to have been caused
by • bruise, but in my opinion that appearance was
caused by decomposition of the tissues. I am unable
from the poet mortem examination to state what the
causes of the man's death were. The bottle labelled

7Laudiiium—poison," oontains the remains of some brown
liquid.
The Coroner—Gentlemen, I shall adjourn the inquiryq
in order to have the contents of the stomach of the deceased
analysed by Dr. Letheby, who will also make an asepsis
of the bottle. In the meantime the body must be boned.
There are two parties claiming the right of burial, and with
your unction I shall issue my order in the name of Ben-
jamin Reesman.
Foreman—We are all agreed in thinking the man's name
was Heumaa.
. .

We:inquiry was then adjourned till this day week at
half-past 10.

The death is announced of Dr. John Elliotson,
the mesmerist, aged 74. The deceased was • graduate of
Cambridge, in which university he took his degree of
doctor of medicine in 1821. He studied also at St.
Thomas's Hospital under Mr. Cline and Sir Astley Cooper,l
and succeeded Dr. Currey as physician to that institutionl
in 1822. This office he resigned in 1834. When the hos-
pital of l'iriversitycollege was established he was appointed
Professor of MediAl Science in the college. This appoint-
ment be held till 1838, when he resgnedm oousequence of
the opposition raised to his system of mesmeric treatment
of cases in that hospital.
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL.—The Kentish Gazette
contains the report of the Dean of Canterbm on the pro-
gress of the statues with which the cathedral is being
embellished. Her Majesty has, it is remarked, signified
her intention of presenting figures of herself and the late
Prince Consort, and • hope is expressed that this
example will induce others te take part an the work.
Since 1862, when the scheme was originated,
31 out of the 56 figures contemplated have been erected. Of
these 28 have been presented by special donors. The other
three were erected oa faith of a general fund being raised
by smaller subscriptions but the suet of two of these
figures is, the dean state; with regret, as yet unprovided
for. Among the statues already erected at the cost
of donors, are Christ as the Good Shepherd, St.
Augustine, St. Anselm, Archbishop Cramer, St.
Gregory the Great. King Alfred, King Canute, Arch-
bishop 'Becket. King Edward 111. and the Black Prince,
King Henry VIII., Archbishop Laud, and King Charles I.
The figures given, and in course of erection, are Queen
Victoria and the late Prince Consort, Bishop Ridley, and
Dean Stanhope. Those
,rquired and not yet given in-
clude King Henry IL, Kim William 111., Queen Eliza-
beth, Mary IL, Archbishop Parker, Archbishop Tillotson,
and Richard Hooker.
ACCIDENT TO THE MARQUIS OF QUEENSBERRY.
—The Dumfriesshire hunt, of which the Marquis of
Queensberry is =ester, usually wind up the fox-bunting
seszon with steeplechase races. On this occasion they
took place on Wednesday on the farm of Mitchell, near
Cummertrees. In the first race, for which seven horses
started, the Marquis of Quessiaberry
another had two horses,
ridd himself aad by a groom. The I
marquoneis, en
it is by
well known, is a bold and fearless rider,
and is rather fond of riding at steeplechases; but his ,
hoe's, in taking • feces fell, and the marquis got his
right leg fractured. Notwithstanding the saddest,
the marquis not only managed to extrilate himself heal
the horse, but scrambled into the @addle, and eneseeded
in coming is meson& On reaching the goal the marquis
found it waseria to mod for a pony oamagsto take him
to Sitimrant. Dr. Little, Annan, was mpesaW in atlas&
mos, who found that the small bones only wen
and roodorsd the sopormsey aid, The horse &don hi the
marquis's gram, is laldsig a fosse at suss* rooell
above its rider, who was mom* oroshod, cos of him k f
ribs I
being broken. Ho ores esaroyod home, asd naiad Ad
being promptly at hand, he is in • favourable state. The
mama' an Monday MN going on favourably.—,Blidisid
latpenderet.
SYNOI77.AR AND rATAL ACCIDENT.—At Wigan,
on Thursday ovoids., a soma named Holding while
drunk dropped a boost and broke it. In attempting te
mein her shair she fell, her throat corning in contact with
one of the broken pieoes of the pot, which penetrated the
jugular vein, aid she died in a few momenta.