The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-18 00:00:00

Thep gs terminated with the usual vote of thanks
to the

A SERVANT STARVED TO DEATH.
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The town of Henley-on-Thames has for several
days been in a state of excitement from reports which had
been freely circulated theta young woman who hod lived in
the service of a gentleman had died from starvation.
Inquiries were set afloat, and the following particulars
have been gathered :'—Mr. Robert Durno Mite who is •
retired naval surgeon, occupies • homes in the suburban part
of Henley, called New Town. The site is pleasant, but, as
• tolerably high_ wall surrosinds she house, the upper
part of the beildlog eau be nee by peones walking eking
the road. In the month of August last a young woman
named Clarke, about 24 years of age, was hired as a domestic
servant to Mr. Mitchell, and she entered upon her situation
in the same month. Mr. Mitchell has a wife and children,
and the habit' of the family appear to have been those of
seclusion. The gate in front of the house was kept locked,
and the servant could seldom be seen. The young woman
Clarke was taken very ill at the beginning of the present
year, and she was subsequently removed to the Henley
Coke Workhouse. Her appearance satisfied the officers
of that establishment that she was in a state of
starvation ; and this opinion was confirmed by the
avidity with which she ate the food given to her. The
medical officer of the union was called in to see her, and he
found her to present all the ces of being in a state
of starvation. In addition to she was very dirt , and
exhibited altogether signsof having been fearfully
both with regard to food and other comforts of a domestic
servant. Every attention was paid to the poor creature,
but she became delirious, and, though she was subsequently
more rational, her system was too far exhausted to be re-
covered, and she died on the 9th instant. The medial
officer, Mr. Joston, having stated that he believed death to I
have resulted from a long deficiency of food and nourish.
meat, the authorities deemed it right for an investigation
to be made into the case. The deceased, though 24 years
”are of ase, and about five feet in height, only
weighed
6014. after death—snob was the extreme' emaciation bet
body. It was reported in the town that not only was the
deosssad kept short of food, but that the bed for her to lie
upon was little more than straw, and it is feared that there
is setae truth in this statement, four of her toss having
bees found frostbitten, and in a state of gangrene.
The inhabitants of the town were very indignant at the
conduct of the deceased's master, and nothing but the
atrickat inquiry would seem to calm them. Au inquest was
sooonlingly opened on Tuesday before Mr. Hews, the mayor
sad coroner of the town, and after taking voluminous de-
positions, in which three medical men amassed their de-
cided opinion that death was the result of starvation, the
zy returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Mr.
TowsA raVoV inveniyXatirr.'rittrll:ll.° took place the
and there was a full attendance of magistrates from the
rrittllel was taken into custody, and brought before
the beech. Mr. J. 0. Griffin.. barristerat-law (instructed
by Mr. Lediard), was retained to watch the case on behalf
of the amend.

—Alter some preliminary proceedings the following evi-
dence was taken :

Elizabeth Clarke, of Crown-place, Reading, stated that
the deceased was her niece. The last time she saw her she
was in good health. The deceased Heed with Mr. Shelve,
draper, Minster-street, Reading, for a year, and sbe left
there to go to Mr. Mitchell's, at Henley, bye months ago,
I being at the time in good health.
Martha Clarke, stepmother of the deceased, was next ex-
amined, and she appeared much affected at the sad end of
her daughter-in-law. She stated that about three or four
years ago the decreed was at home fur two or three months,
being unwell, but since then she had bees in good health,
and kept out in her situation.. The last time she saw her
she was in as good a state of health as a person could wish
to be.

Ann Gabby, the wife of a letter-carrier, deposed that
she frequently passel Mr. Mitchell's house, and for a time
delivered milk there, but Dever saw the deceased, although
she always took the milk of her, the wall in front of the
house being too high to admit of their seeing each other.
She always handed the milk up to the deceased. On several
cuicesimm, at the request of the deceased, she had purchased
many loaves for her, and passed then, over the wall to her,
ille could not see her on account of the height of the
wall. She saw the deceased once after Christmas, and she
looked very bad.
Frederick Smoker, a carter, stated that during the last
harvest he was in the habit of daily carrying milk to Mr.
Mitchell's house. He did not know the servant girl, as he
was accustomed to give her the milk over the wall. He
never went beyond the gate. By her desire be bad fre-
quently bought her penny loaves, and given them to her
over the will•
John Middleton said he delivered milk at Mr. Mitchell's
hoses about last Michaelmas. He never saw the deceased,
because he gave her the milk over the wall. Several times
he bought penny loaves for her, and on one occasion he
took her two penny loaves. She never gave any reason for
wishing him to bay the loaves.
Mr. Arthur D Oyley Brook, surgeon, of Henley-on-
Thames, mid—On the 4th of January inst. he was sent for
tones the deceased at Mr. Mitchell's. She appeared very
ghastly. Her eyes were sunken, and cheekbones prominent.
Mr. Mitchell told him that she had been pretty well until
the previous Sunday ; that she was greatly emaciated within
the last few days, and that she had had a tit on the Sunday,
being subject to fits of epilepsy. The deceased told him
eke had been pretty wall until the week previous.
He examined her body, which he found in a very
unclean state, and extremely emaciated. Her pulse vita
feeble. She felt cold, but she did not coinplain to him of it. ,
He found no disease from the examination which he made. •
She had a lateral curvature of the spine. Mr. anti Mrs. ,
Mitchell were present the whole time he was making as ex-
amination of the hotly. He told them that be was un.ible
I to discover say di.Kite, and that she resembled ap• nos