The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-17 00:00:00

.7, 1868.

ANOTHER DEATH PEON DESTITUTION AHDPAROPAROCHIALNEGLECT.
PAROCHIAL NEGLECT.

Lest evening Mr. Humphreys coroner, held an
inquest at the Old Fountain Tavern:Baldwin-skeet, Ofir
read Waive to the death from want end erposime off
!Mime Coleman, aged 45 para.
Ann Coleman. the widow of the deceased, said that he
was a baker, but he was incapacitated by • memo from
working at hie trade. 'There was one aUd, els pan of
age. In summer he and witness got their living by weed-
ing in the fields and by.. hopping. Is winter they came
into tows, and got their living as best they contd. They
*hen slept in refs On last Thursday messing, after
having slept in the Whiesereeseftesi Refuge, the deemed
being ill, the people there advised him to go to the work-
house. They went to Si. Lake's Weekhouse at half-pase
9 o'clock in the missing, and at 10 o'clock they were let
inside. They were kept waitinhiehres, whole day until half-
past 7 o'clock in the evening. got nothing to eat the
whole time. When they were in to the relieving
officer, the latter said there was no room in the house, and
they gave them tid. and • loaf of bread. Witness said that
6d. was no use, and deceased said that he would not
leave the house. The gentleman then took back the six-
pence and gave a shilling. When leaving the workhouse
the man at the gate almost pushed deceased out. They
went to a lodging-house in Golden-lane (kept by a blind
man, and mewed by • servant girl 14 years old.), where
hey sot for 9d. Deceased could hardly eat ;at the
he was so ill that he could hardly sit um?:
chair. They remained all day, Friday, at the
hers, and witness borrowed a shilling from her brother to
pay for the acoommodation. On the Saturday morning she
found demand dead in the bed. She went to the work-
house and asked for • coffin, but it was not sent until
II Tuesday. One of the gentlemen, however, said, " Let her
lave 25.," and then afterwards said " Give her half a
I mown," but they pee her only 2s. Witness thought de-
eteased's death was mostly ceased by the exposure and the
want of food, especially while waiting at the workhouse on
Mee Thursday. 'Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were very
said days.
Mr. James Messer, assistant relieving officer of St.
Luke's, deposed that the Coleman' came before the re-
lieving officers, at 7 o'clock on Thursday evening. They
asked for relief, and said nothing about going into the
house. Witness gave the woman 6d. and a loaf, and told
her to come again in the morning. She made no objection,
and was going away quite satisfied, when be called her
back and gave her • shilling, because three people could
not have got a bed for 6d. On Saturday he gave her
2a. 6d. Be had no recollection of any one saying any-
I this( shout 2a. Tbe sum entered on the book was Is. 6d.
Ile believed the deceased's body was fetched from the
iseging-house on Monday.
Coroner—ls it • fact that they were kept waiting from
10 o'clock on Thursday morning till half-past 7 o'clock at
inight'tneae—l saw them at 2 o'clack in the day, and they
came into the office at 7 o'clock. But we ave more than
350 applicants • day, and we are withohut eating any-
bung ourselves the whole day while dealing with the cases.
A-Juror—Yee ; but you commence after a good meal,
while these people begin their nine hours' fast upon empty
stomachs.
Mr. T. W. George, relieving officer, did not recollect
much of this case, as he bad more than 400 cases on Thurs-
day. On Saturday he gave the order for the coffin at once
when applied to, and he did not know why it was not
acted on. Be was sorry to admit that it was quite possi-
ble that an applicant might have to wait from half-past
nine in the morning till seven at night before being seen
to, owing to the great number of cases. Another officer
had been just appointed, but he had not yet entered on
bin duties.
Mr. Robert Bruce, parish surgeon, said that he was
called in to see the deceased after death. The post-mor-
ten examination eh owed that death had resulted from
effusion of serum on the brain, accelerated or caused by
exposure to cold and want of nourishment. The body was
generally healthy.
Mrs. Coleman, recalled, stated that she informed the
workhouse people at the gate that they wanted to go into
the house, and not to get relief. Deceased could hardly
walk when going away, and the man pushed him. lie
was very ill. She was sure she only got 2m, and not
2s. tid. on Saturday.
Dr. Brace said that he had sent a man in incipient
fever, at 7 o'clock in the evening, with an order
to the workhouse. The man at the gate slammed the door
in the man's face, and said he was if he would admit
him at that hour. The sick applicant said he would com-
plain to the relieving officer, when the gateman
What the devil do I care for the relieving officer." Ile
(Dr. Bruce) of mune was not present at this scene, but
the man come back with the order, dreeehing wet horn
the rain, and said that he could get no access to the re-
lieving caws.
Mr. Messer said that the gateman in question was an in-
mate, and he would be reported to the board. Paupers
were always the hardest and the wont in dealing with
other paupers. Mrs. Coleman would admit that the officials
of the house treated her and her husband with respect.
Witness did not see that deceased was ill, and he heard
nothing of the application to be taken into the workhouse.
The coroner having summed up,
The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased died
from extravasation of serum on the brain, from exposure
to cold and want of nourishment."