The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-17 00:00:00

CORONERS" INQUESTS.

An Inquest was yesterday held at the sign of the Unicorn
Covent-garden, before T. 8100 S, Esq. on the body of the un-
known youth, who was found in a dying state under the portico of
St. Paul's Church, Covent-garden.
Thomas Stevens, of Bedford-court,Covent-garden,stated, that on
Wednesday morning last, as he was passing the Church he saw a
crowd collected under the east portico of the church ' • the deceased
was lying with his AAA! on his hat ; he was alive and sensible, but
appeared dangerously ill ; the deceased was questioned as to where
he lived' He answered, he had no home; he did not complain of ill.
usage. 'Witness went to the watch house ( to which place the young man
was subsequently removed), and afterwards went for Mr. Bamfylde,
the parish surgeon, who was not then at home ; he was desired by
Mr. nuett, holding a situation in the parish, to obtain any me.
dical assistance; Mr. Barrett, the watch-house-keeper, in the mean
time, met Mr. Bamfvlde, who promptly attended, anti ordered
some weak brandy and Water ; the deceased had been previously
supplied with a little tea by Mrs. Barrett.
Mr. R. W. Itatotylile, surgeon, of Bedford-street, deposed, be
saw the deceased about half-past ten o'clock on Wednesday morn-
ing at the watch.house • he found all pulsation had ceased, his
skin was generally cold, he should hare considereilliim dead, but
that he felt him breathe; be understood the deceased had the bowel
complaint, and brought medicine which he administered to him in
tea spoonfuls, also some hot brandy and water, which he took
with hTeat difficulty. Witness ordered some blankets to be warmed,
in which he was wrapped up and carried up stairs to bed ; be like..
wise had bottles of warm water applied to his feet, but no pulse.
don returned. Witness had no hopes of recovering him the instant
he saw him. The deceased died about one o'clock. lie is confi-
dent it was not from starvation, but the bowel complaint, which is
very prevalent at this season. There were no marks of violence;
he had not examined the body since •;,, nth ; he appeared to be
about sixteen years of age.
The Jury considered that the body ought to be examined, to
which witness readily assented ; and, on his return gave his opinion
that the deceased died from the effects of the bowel complaint, and
not from starvation. He appeared to have been a strong muscular
young man, and no marks of violence were visible on the body.
Edward Edwards stated, that he saw the hoy lying under the
portico, and mentioned the circumstance to Mrs. Barrett, and as.
sided in carrying him to the watchtiouse. Ile questioned the de-
ceased as to his place of residence, who said he had none, nor any
' friends, and declined giving his name. Witness saw nothing thrown
at him, but observed some potatoes near him. Nothing was found
on him but a razor, and some white powder in a tin case: this
latter article was examined, but it contained nothing of a poisonous
nature. _ . .

The Jury were satisfied upon the evidence produced, that the
deceased '• Died by the visitation of tied," and returned a verdict
to that effect.

An inquest was held on Tuesday, by a respectable Jury assem-
bled at the Phuinix inn, fur the purpose of inquiring into the
cause of the sudden death of Samuel Porter, who was an impute of.
Gray's Alms House, and whose decease was supposed to be at-
tended with rather mysterious circumstances. It appeared that
the deceased waste years of age, and in the habit of drinking hard;
that on Saturday night last he jetumed home to his apartments, in
the above Alms House, inst Kate of intoxication, and on the fol.
lowing morning was found by a woman, who brought him some
clean linen, in a state of
Several witnesses proved that the deceased was in possession of
some miner previous to this, which he had reserved to pay for a
decent funeral, or the expenses attendant on a lingering illness.
fhe following it was discovered that this little property had
been removed from the box which contained It ; and as a man
named Thomas Paul was known to be on very intimate tcrnis
with the deceased, suspicion fell upon I • as the purloiner, it
having been ascertained that the deceased was accompanied home
by him on Friday night. and that, subsequently to his illness, Paul
had visited him. It further appeared that he was in the habit or
borrowing money at did Brent thorn from the old man, and at the
time of his death he owed hint 11. its. for which deceased had
received some waistcoat pieces and pension papers as a pledge
that the money should be returned to him. Pawl had been seen
on oattirday with an unusual quantity of silver, fur the possession
of which he could give no satisfactory account ; this led the Jury to
believe that he alone must have committed the robbery, and in
consequence of other suspicious circumstances. Paul was, at the
Intimation of the Coroner, detained in custody until such evidence
could be adduced as would clear his character.
. .

l'he Jury were perfectly satisfied that the deceased came by his
death through the decay of nature. in which opinion the, were
borne out by the satisfactory evidence of )Ir. Charles Welch,
surgeon. who staled that he perceived nit indication■ on the body
which could him to presume that siolence had been inflicted.
The Jury, after a very patient investigation. which lasted from
half-past two tc.til near nine at night. returned a verdict that
the deems " Died through the visitation of find.".—Taunton

A Coroner's Inquest was held on Satunlay last, at Lower Nun- I
nington, in the paroh of klilverton, Somersetshire un the body of I
a man named (Clover, who died shindy after taking a mixture of
Epsom salts. It was imagined that the salts had been put into a
bottle which had previously contained some poisonous mixture, and
evidence to that effiet au given, but no poison could be traced in
the stomach.

The Jury 'mimed a verdict, '6 That the deceased died from his
having taken into his stomach sonic poisonous !intuit, or other
poisonous thing; but what the liguid, or other poisonous thing,
consisted of, or by wbont admintatered, no evidence thereof ap.
pealed."