The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-09-23 00:00:00

FATAL I'UCIiISTie'C'eNiESi.

Oa Thursday, and, by adjueremeot, es Friday, an in.
enlsition was held at the Boar mood Greve tams., at 1,..pt.
ford, before the Coroeer fur Kent, on the body of Michael
Higgins, aged twenty , whose death ems ureasineed by
receiving certain blows w a pegiliatie eseweistsr. The
Jory took a view of the body of the deceased, after which the
following croleure was submitied to their consideration :
The fir.t %mamas was a man of respectable app►araare,
who said that he was • *mesa. in the family uf Damsel
Whittle Harvey, Esti , of Loam-Mil 11111 House. Greenwich,
and @lairds's follows evening. abort si• o'clock, I
saw the deceased, gad a young man named Jane% wish a
crowd of spectators, go into a field to fight a pitched battle.
A Mug was formed, as is esnal us such °remise% far the
parties is fight in. The deceased stood at mune
from the crowd, sad appeared relecinnt to commence Ilse
fight; be was railed by his party to eater the ruse; Jams
immediately leaped into the Film, rod ifs ew asp his hut. am ■
•igsel that he wee reedy to commence the combat. The de.
teased Men entered the ring sad stripped. Jo..es also
stripped, and they Amok hands. Each of the rosehatanig
were attended by a second, and a person stood with a watch
to keep the time. As sums as the parties shook bands, they
put themselves jab fighting atilt lob a, and etchanard
The deceased had the best of the battle charier the three fits•
round+. In the fourth mewl, Jones hit the decMiseil a very
severcblaw nn the temple, which sent hint staggeriog. "Ekey
continued the fight for abseil a quarter of an boor; but
after lite fourth round, it was all ar•us.t the deceased. Al
the clime of the slush round, the d. ceased " I'll fight
so more;" Jones was declared the coliquelye. Thiry
shook hands AVM, uu the same matinee as slum they lire...
the fight. Immidiately after they sbouk hand., the demote-it
appeared very ill ; he could not stand, soon became
quite insensible, and could not be deemed. lie was-carried
off the ground to have medical assistauce reedited him. It
was fair fizlit.

The second witness, • resident of Deptford (*how name
II is, fur certain reasons, considered unwise Su publish tad
after the trial at Maidstone), stated sag al the DT:ford
turnpike-gate on the morniog ofthe rise the fight took place.
Jones was there, and he said he would ask Higgins (de. -
cc:toed) when mad where he would fight him, in eonsequesice
of some old gruda•e esistiug between thews. Higgins came
up to the gate soon afterward., and Jams addressed him in
these words:—" I understand you want to fight me?" Nig-
gles replied, .4 Yes, and I will fight you this evening." No
angry words look place further than what I have said; there
was uo quarrel. They agreed to awl at the Deptford Bar
at five o'clock on the smite day, and proceed from thence
to fight. Between four and Ave its the emning Bruise came
to the Bar according to his promise, • ith his second and
some friends, and at Os o'clock Jones came from Greenwich,
where he resided, with his setend and friends. They entered
the toll-house, and Jones and Higgins agreed to go and fight -
at that time in • field Nut far of, for lire shiliongs mid!.
They each of them pet their stakes auto my hands, and then
went to the field, marl commenced fighting. They fought for
about • quarter of an hour. when the deceased esrloniral,
" I will have no morn of it." He abets looked very ill, and
snort became perfectly insensible. He was carried to the
Bricklayers Arnis,ausl from thence to the Disponsary.bouse,
a•sr afterwards to his mother's, where her:lined.
adjournment was then agreed to by the Coroner sod
Jury to the next day, to bring evidence forward of the amines
of the seconds in the fight, sad to obtain surgical evidence of
the precise rause of the deceased's death.
Or Friday the Jury re assembled, and the following addi-
tional evidence was received :

The last wits's. ots the first day. inquiry was again rite.
mined. He mated, that the seconds at the fight were a man
named Hillary, and another Denied Twine. He knew
them, because they were the only persona also interfired is
ptckiag up the parties when they fell, and who directed them
during the light. Witness said ►e thought it we. a fair
stand up fight ; each party had fair play ; they struck each
other as bard as they could.
Mr. Juba Atkiar, surgeon, of Vision street, Deptford,
sworn was called to see the sl.ce..sest after death, and
was requested to examine into the canse of has diseolotion.—
I opened the head, sod u• removing that part called the
ealoariatts, nothing traumata, appeared; but au dishlisse
the dttra water, beta era the mrmbren• a of the pia water,
I otorteed • euusidesable quantity of coagulated blued ;
and which, with staotlwr frowsty biased in saddler part of
She brain, iu sorinnut about our owner, mast hers been
produced by a rapture, and its pressure on the rheas Dees.
signed death. Was of opinion the injusy wee oecasioned
by some external violence, and to all pub:ability by blow.
ia She fight.
The Coroner summed up the evidence, and was glad
that, by the adpurament, the names of the accusal' bad
been obtained ; and it was pretty (dimly ascertained My
the eviskuce of the surgeon, that the plume awl'. death
was occasioned by blues received in the fight. It was al.
most unaecessary fur hint to inform the !miry, that pitched
battles were unlawful spores, said that every one concermd
is them were liable to he trued fur murder if they stood by
aiding and abetting while one of the pasties was beaten to
death. In this ca►e two young mess, the eldest only twenty
years of age, fur a small suns of money, hod spend to
fight, till une of them was so disabled nit slot so he able to
stand up any longer; and daring the combat the parties nut
oily struck each usher with all the furor they were able, but
watchesl their opportunity of striking their uppoiseut iu the
most dangerous parts of the body. Such brutal practices
ought to be put as end to, aid he bad no daubs the Jury, by
their verdict, would prove themselves of the same upinto•i.
Thr Jury retired for a abort tone, and ►etaeaed • werdtet
of Maarlaeghte► naiad Jones, the principal, sad Hillary
sad Turner, the two seconds. Turner has aleseueded. Jones
and Hillary were committed to Ma.dstour gaol, warier the
Ct.rotwes warrant, to take their thole at the .eat /Wailes foe
the Greece.

On Saturday list the aunivers4ry of the !holy
Rood Festival was celebrated by an excellent din-
ner at Mr. CADMAN'S. the Eclipse Inn, Mansfield.
The Keepers of the " •ncirot Forest of Sime-
wood." with a select party of friends, partook of the
hospitable cheer, of which the huge venison formed
■ part.
Bread, of as fine a quality as any sold by the
London bakers, has been sellnig twr mime weeks
plat at a village in the barker pail of Hampshire, at
SJ. the quartein loaf ; and when the writer's iu-
furm•nt 10, about a werk since, one baker had au-
flounced his intention of lowering it to 41d.
A gold iing, supposed to have beep a wedding
ring, was dug up • few days siuee at Cucktield,
in the garde,' of Mr. HARDING. The words“Con-
aline constant" were engraved on it. Several
men bones were also found and part of • linger boue
was attached to the ring.—( Doncaster Gazeile.l
The siege coaches, which are now numbered, are
very narrowly watched by •gents of the Stamp-
office. Theme is n person stationed at each of the
toll-bars leading from the metropolis, who takes the
numbers of' the stage coat es as they pass rod
reps's; so that the numbers of jourillea they take,
the coaches ponessed by any one proprietor, can he
checked with the entries at the Stamp-office. This
will make a material difference in the duties. parti-
cularly as far as the 64 short 'trig's" are conc,ried.
For the duties they have no occasion to exchequer
the parties; the coach itself may be seized, accord-
jog to the new Act.
On Thursday night. or early on F►idav morning,
the house of JOHN POPPELL, Esq. at East Burn-
ham, was broke open, and a gold time-piece,
worth fifty guineas. a purse containing eleven sm.-
rope, Ste. were stolen. Luckily, however, the
depredators overlooked • 1,0001. note, which they
could have secured with as much ease as their
other booty. The thieves regaled themselves with
several bottles of wine. and d:p•tted unmolested.

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