The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-22 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

CHILD MURDER.
An inquisition was yesterday holden in the Board-room of St.
Al.tirew's parish workhouse, Little Gray's Inn-lane, on the body
of a male infant, which was supposed to have been murdered by
its mother, Julia Berry, and afterwards thrown down the water-
closet, at the house of her master, Mr. Henry Westley, grocer
and tea-dealer, 37, Lamb's Conduit-street.
The Jury were selected from amongst the most intelligent inha-
bitants of the parish, as the circumstance had excited an unmixed
feeling of horror.
Mr. P. Fernandez, surgcon to St. Andrew's parish workhouse,
examined the body of a male infant found at 37, Lamb's Conduit-
street. There was a wound in the scalp at the posterior part ; wit-
ness therefore opened the brain and examined the wound ; there
were no appearances there that would lead to a supposition that the
child met its death by violent means ; the truckers, or windpipe.
was also examined, bet as there was no ordure there it was evident
that life was extinct before the infant was thrown into the vault ;
the lungs were rather inflated, and floated readily on water when
attached to the heart, and when a portion was cut off; and violently
compressed. so as to exclude air, which leads to the inference that
the child was born alive ; but at the same time he should say it was
difficult to determine whether it Might not have met its death from
natural circumstances soon after the birth ; the viscera were all
sound ; there was no visible defect in them.
The Jury wished to look at the body, and it was then brought
Into the inquest room, enclosed in a shell, and swathed in canvass
or coarse linen ; it seemed to be a line healthy infant, come to ma-
turity.
The witness, Mr. Fernandez, then showed the wound in the
scalp ; it was merely a surface t. ound, none of the skull having been
fractured. _ . . - . . .

The constable here produced a poker, found In the kitchen,
with marks of blood upon it, and it was presumed that this in-
strument had been employed to effect the destruction of the infant.
Mr. Fernandez said, that from the character of the wound Int
should sae it hatl not; it might have been caused by an obtuse
weapon, but not one of much weight, as a heavy blow from a
poker must have produced at least a partial fracture of the bone.
Considering the nature of the
.place into which the child had
been cast, a wound of that sort might have been produced by strik-
ing against the wall of the vault in its descent. lied it been alive
at the time it was thrown in, it must soon have been suffocated by
the effluvium. . . . .

W. Luke Watt, shopman to Mr. Westley, had observed the
increase in the person of Julia Berry during the last month or six
weeks. On the night previous she evinced great anxiety to get
witness and the porter to go to bed, even before their usual hour.
At seven o'clock next morning (Saturday) witness opened the shop,
and the porter called him to look at some stain which was lying"on
the path from the house door to the lower end of the garden. Saw
Berry in the garden. She had gloves on her hands, and the
porter said that she had been trying to wipe out the spots with
them. She came into the counting-house, and performed her ordi.
nary work there, of lighting a tire and cleaning up the place. On
going into the kitchen to breakfast, witness observed marks near
the fire.place which he had never noticed before; in some places
they had been partially washed out. Witness suspected something
wrong had been done, and told his master, who directed search to
be made, and in the water-closet the bode of an infant was disco-.
vexed by the porter. A constable was sent for, and it was taken up.
Witness described that there were three wounds on the head, one
of which was very considerable.
Pittman, a constable, described the way in which the body was
taken up ; a blunted hook had been used, and a hair broom ' • it
was possible that the hook might have caused a slight scratch on
the head of the infant: it was taken in a basket to Ilatton-garden
Police-office, and Mr. Laing, the hlagistrate, sent it to the work..
house.

Thntselton, an officer of Ilattomgarden, assisted in getting up
the body ; he examined Berry's box, but there was nothing in the
way of baby-linen to be found therein, nor any thing that could in.
ihette preparation for the birth of a child : between the bed and
mattress in her room, an apron, gown, and petticoat were discovered,
all of which she had worn at the time.

This gown was produced-, and two witnesses identified it as being
the same worn by Berry on the Friday.
Mr. Henry Westley said that the young woman bad been in his
service only six months and nineteen days. About 11 o'clock wit-
ness retired to rest, and was disturbed at five next morning by a
moaning. He got up, and went over the house. Berry's door was
open, and he asked if she was unwell. She made no reply at first,
but on repeating the question, she said—" it was all righ,. ' Wit-
ness then went down to the kitchen, and was surprised to find it had
been newly washed, the fire was burning, and fresh coals seemed to
have been just put on. There were stains on the floor. Wit-
ness felt alarmed, particularly as Mrs. Westley was near her ac-
coucheruent, but thought he should of necessity hear the circum-
stance. At breakfast next morning witness mentioned it, and
when Mrs. W. spoke to Berry, saying the stains should be cleared
up, her countenance assumed an ashy paleness. The body was
subsequently
found as described, and he then geve Berry into
custody.
Two young women who lived in the house as servants also spoke
to the enlarged appearance of Berry's shape, and to her agitation
and symptoms of pain on the previous night.
The Coroner then summed up the evidence, and told the Jury to
consider the verdict they were about to give. Heretofore the law
was more strict than at present, because concealment, at one time,
where death ensued, made the mother liable to be tried for the mur-
der. The law was now changed in that respect, as it was necessary
to show a premeditated concealment. with intent to destroy. If the
Jury were of opinion, from the evidence, that such had been the
cane here, they were boundi to send the unfortunate young woman to
trial for the murder. The only palliating circumstance to which be
could direct their attention was her youth and presumed ignorance.
The Jury, after very long deliberation, returned a verdict of
" 'Wilful murder" against Julia Berry, who was stated to be in
custody, under the Magistrate's commitment, in the Infirmary of the
New Prison, Clerken well.

AFFECTING INSTANCF. OF SELF-DESTRUCTION.—YeSter.
day afternoon, an inquiry was held before Richard Carter, Esq., at
the Lord Wellington public-house. Kent-road, touching the death
of a young girl named Harriett Runcorn, whose body was found
in the Surrey Canal the preceding morning.
The deceased had been missing by her friends nearly three weeks,
and from a letter found on the bank of the Canal (a copy of
which will be seen below), on the evening of her departure from
home, there was every reason for believing that she had committed
suicide. Her brothers and sister, at a very early hour on the
morning after the letter was delivered, repaired to the canal, and
having obtained drags from the landlord of the Lord Wellington
public-house, commenced searching for the body. After they had
been thus employed some hours without success, they abandoned
the undertaking, and not hearing any thing of the deceased, it was
rather believed site had fallen Into bad company, and had been pre.
stalled upon by some wicked person to indite the letter above al.
hided to. These surmises proved to be without foundation, for
the dead body was picked up by two bargemen on Sunday, and
was afterwards conveyed to the Lord Wellington public-house.
A gentleman who occasionally superintends the Smith-street
Sunday-school, in Newington parish, was here asked some ques-
tions by one of the Jurors respecting the conduct of the deceased,
who had been lately in the habit of attending the school. He stated
that the young girl was apparently very low spirited, and having
particularly noticed it on the day before she quitted her mother's
roof, he questioned her, but she gave no reason for her depression.
Sarah Piggott, a widow, who lives in the same house with the
mother of the deceased, said that the deceased had left her situation
about nine weeks ago, in consequence of ill health. She used to
walk to and fro in the garden in a desponding way. Her step
was net agitated, but slow, and she cast her eyes on the ground. ,
In her conversation she betrayed a disordered mind. She was ra-
ther a fine girl, and was tall for her age. being in her sixteenth
year. A youth and she were on friendly terms, and were in the
habit of going to chapel together on an evening ; a disagreement
had arisen between the deceased and her sweetheart ; she lived nn
must friendly terms with her family. On the evening the de.
ceased left home, a letter was brought, haring been picked up by a
bargeman on the bank of the Surrey Canal. The hand-writing
was that of the deceased. It was written in these terms, bearing
date Oct. 91.

" Dear Mother—l have left my home myself to make away,
and at the bottom of the Canal, there you may find me. flood bye,
dear mother, and sister, and brothers. I wish you all welL And
now I am gone, for ever farewel ! farewel !"
The letter was neatly folded up, and on the outside were thae
words...." I live at No. 23, Rant-lane, Walworth."
To a question by a Juryman, witness said she did not know
where the deceased could have written the letter.
Verdict—" Insanity."
Yesterday evening another inquest was held at the Town-house,
Mile-end 0141 Town, on the body of a young man named James
Ilanstead, which had been picked out of the Regent's Canal. The
death of this young man, it appeared by the evidence, was entirely
attributable to the gross negligence of the Regent Canal Company.
On Saturday night, between ten and eleven o'clock, as he was
coming over the 31de-end Lock, the footway being in a decayed
state, he slipped into the Canal. He was crossing over the lock for
the purpose of opening it, to let a barge through ; there was a hand-
rail to it, but the footpath was quite rotten and decayed, and so
round. instead of being flat, that, by night particularly. it was almost
impossible to keep on it, and escape danger. He was taken out in
about two hours ; he was then quite dead.
By the evidence of one witness it appeared that three persona
had lately, in consequence of the bad condition of the footway,
fallen into the canal, and by the greatest chance, escaped with their
lives.

flic Jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned."

An inquest was held on Saturday afternoon at the Red Lion,
Ilanway-street, Oxford-street, to inquire into the death of Wesgate
Capping, Esq. It appeared that the deceased had been lunatic for
many years. Latterly lie had lived with Mr. Hughes, a chinanaan,
of Hanway-street, who was allowed 801. a.year for his maintenance.
His habits were exceedingly filthy, and it was necessary to wash
him daily. 1/n Tuesday, in getting out of bed to see his brother,
he staggered against the door post. He afterwards drank a glass of
brandy and another of beer. He fell ill, and gradually became worse
till be died, on Friday morning. Mr. Hughes was examined at great
length by the Jury as to his treatment of the deceased, but nothing
was elicited to his prejudice. The only fault was his not calling in
meslical advice wben the deceased was dying. Mr. flushes said,
that in a ca►e of lingering sickness and gradual decay like this, he
did not consider it necessary. The body was inspected by two sun.
grans, who found upon it no bruises sufficient to cause death, nor
any appearance that the deceased had perished froth btarvatiou, The
Jury found a verdict accordingly,

PRICES OF HAY AND STRAW.
Or. JANES'S. WIIITYCHAPEL.
flay - 70.04 to 106. Od Hay -70 s Od to 100 s at
Ditto (New) —a 04 to —a Od Inferior . lid to -i 0.
Clover - 86. Od to 120 s Od Clover . 80s Od to Ms 6:
Snow -38 s Od to 46s Od Straw -36 s Od to 42i G

i, per cwt. N0v.21.

PRICE OP HOPS,
POCKLTII.
Kent .181 as to 20/ On Kent
Sussex - 151 15s to 171 108 Sussex
Essex - 161 On to 18/ OR Essex
Farnham, tine 241 Os to 281 Os—San

BAGS.

- IIIOs to 181 01
- 161 04 CO 171 14
- 151 10s to 171 IN
Is 211 Os to 241 Os

PRICE OF RAW FAT, per Stone of
Price by Tallow (u stated by the Tallow Makers), 21 90

PRICE OF TALLOW
Town Tallow -80 s Od
Yellow Russia -40 s Od
White ditto . 41s Od
Soap ditto - 3iis 6d
'Melting Stuff . 35s Od
Rough Ditto -23 s Od

V. SOAP, &e. per 1121 b.
Yellow Soap -
Mottled -
Curd
Graves
Good Dregs •

PRICE OF CANDLES.

741 Id
lid
Ms Id
23i N
tis

The price of good Store Candles In the retail shops is es follcill
Candles, per dozen 1k 6d to 7s
Aloulds . . 81 6d

RAW RIDES.
Best Heifers and Steers, J Ordinary - 21 Id to % 14
per stone .3s Od to 3a dd I Market Calf (each) -
Sliddlings - 84 84 to 2s 10d

SHEEP SKINS.
Sheep 4A Od to 5s Od.l Lambs 21 6d to N 2d

Small
Seal
skins PRICE O.F. LEATHER.
Best Dressing Hides
Common ditto • .
-
Crop Hides, l 5 to 301ba - - Itid • 11!d
Ditto- 15ld to 171
Ditto 40 to 451bs. . - • lad to 171
45 to 501bs.
Calf Skins Si to 401bs. • . lid to 19,1
Ditto . ' 1 to 2IJ
Ditto 45 to 55Ibs. " . - llid to 25d
55 to 751bs. . • • "Rd to 31t1
Large ditto - ntt to nd
. - -19 d to old
Tanned Horse Hides ' ..
Spanish ditto - . 16d to 151
' -12 d to lld
- - . ' -13 d to iril
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