The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-02 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.

WiPart Bnkce was indicted toy feloniously killing and slaying
Elizabeth Baker, his wife, on the 4th April, in the parish of
Linston, in ibis county.
It appeared in evidence that the deceased, alto was a woman of
very ill temper. had quarrelled with the prisoner shone a debt due
by him to another woman in the morning of the day laid in the in-
, dictmehr, and got into a very violent passion. The quarrel was
again resumed at about three o'clock of the hams day, when her
husband (the prisoner) struck her a slight blow on the side of the
head, which knocked her down. and she died within seven or eight
hours of that time. On opening her head a ()nand'', of extra-
vasated blood was observed on the right lobe of the brain, and the
surgeon delivered it as his opinion chat the death was occasioned by
the blow. On the other hand it appeared that the deceased was on
apopleptic subject, and that another surgeon thought dier death in
all probality attributable to the bursting of a blood vessel through
ruses of passion.
Verdict—Tut

THE DREADFUL CATASTROPHE IN OLD CAVE2V-
DISH-STREET.

CORONER:6 INQUEST.
Yesterday a Jury assembled at the fluellilo's Mad, New.road,
before 'l'. STIRLING, Esq. the Coroner, to inquire into the deaths
of three females who lost their lives by the late dreadful fire in Old
Cavendish-street. The names given were Mrs. Mary Ann Jones,
3liss Margaret Morris, and a girl named Elizabeth Groves.
Mr. Jones stated that he occupied the house destroyed by fire in
Old Cavendish-stteet, where he carried on the businetts of a tailor.
On Friday night, about ten o'clock, all his family had retired, and
while sittiug with a gentleman of his acquaintance, gamed Holmes,
in the front parlour, about half-past ten o'clock, relien he heard a
loud noise In the back parlour, like the falling ot a heavy body.
That room was fitted up as a cloth-room, or shop. He immediately
went to ascertain the cause of the noise, and perceived a strong
smelled tire. On opening the back parlour door he discovered the
room full of smoke and damesihielt #nrst omit upon hint, and
singed the hair of his head and scorched his face. lie had Only
time to call out that the house way on lire, and to beg of all above
stairs to escape when the flames extended every way, and he was
obliged to flyfor bps life.,There were then in the house himself,
the deceased Mrs. Jones (who was his housekeeper) and her two
sons ; Miss Morris, who occupied rooms on the second floor; the
servant girl and her eister, whose body has not been found ; a to-
regime. who occupied the first fluor, and his yervant. They
escaped by the first-floor front window, as did Mrs. Jones's sone.
He beard the cries of the unfortunate persons, but could render
them no assistance. ‘Here the witness burst Into tears.] The
flames ascended with such tremendous rapidity, that neither life
nor goods could be saved, and it was impossible to ascend by lad-II
ders the front of the house. The youths endeavoured to save their
mother, but she fainted, anti they had only time to save their lives.
The witness had bear eating hie supper with his daughter, 1010
sits also in the room with him and Mr. Holmes when he was first
alarmed. Ile was not insured, and his loss is to a very considerable
amount.

lit answer to some questians from Juries, the witness said he had
been in the room where the fire first originated, about half-past
nine o'clock, with a lighted candle, but hp did not see any spuk
fall from it. He could not say how the fire originated.
Another witness deposed to precisely the esnie effect ; and, In
addition, described the agonised apaseirance of Miss Morris and the
girl ()roves at the windows, but no human aid could reach them
before the flooring fell, and they were precipitated into the burning
gulf. It was stated, that on this being witnessed by the crowd a
scream of horror punt from one extreme to the other of the street,
and several persons sunk on the ground in fainting flu.
The Jury went to the workhouse to perform the duty of looking
on the remains of the unfortunate persons, and a stgitt the most
disteessing was witnessed. The bodies were neatlycutirely con-
tumid.

On the return of the Jury they returned a verdict of " -Acci-
dentally burned to death."
The body of Betsey Groves, also e young female who hid come
on the evening of the fire on a risk to her sister. being Pubsecluently
found it the /eine, another Inquest, with the mune result, was held
On Loc,

W INTkiLTORNCh.
COURT OF CHANCERY, MONDAY, Attatter 1.
THE ELEPHANT AND CASTLE CHARITY.
The Loan CHANCELLOR. having recapitulated the eircum.
stances of this case, which has been so frequently before the public,
stated, that he had still toleotsider several questions connected teeth
It. The first was, whether, under Sir Samuel Hominy's Act, the
Couvehad jurisdiction to do that which would amount to s declare,
tion ? The present overseers were not such overseers as were col.
templated by the foundation of this charity. ffthe Court had not
jurisdiction, then the question was; whether the trust, as to the die.
tribution, did not fail; as the churchwardens had no right to act in-
dependently
of the overseers, or of a majority of those overseers. But
that being the case, it would be tot the Court to decide whether it
had not been brought into such a state by the proceedings, that It
would be obliged to declare that the parties must goon upon infor-
mation. If, on the other listid, the Court had jurisdiction, thin
the question became whether it would adopt either of the plans pro-
posed by the Master, or provide persons to distribute the charity
Lund, or take It upon itself to say what should be the distribution,
or call upon those persons who might be so appointed to suggest • ,
scheme for the approbation of the Master ; or offer to the parties
themselves to consider what schethe they might think best. • These
were all important questions. and the answers to them were some-
what difficult. At the same time, the Court felt a strong desire to
terminate this unfortunate dispute about the distribution of the
funds 01 the charity, and it was for the parties to consider, atter
what had passed in Cant, if it would not be wise to carry the whole
of the matter into the House of Lords. Upon all the paints the
Court would give its judgment on Wednesday morning.
Mr. Hear said lie regretted to hear his Lordship suggest the
removel of the matter to the (louse of Lords. It would prevent
the distribution of the funds of the charily, and he feared would be
construed into an encouragement to wirste its money in litigation.
The Lynn CDANCELLoa did not so mean it. lle tn er saw a
case in which there was a greater necessity for preventing expense,
and he would take care that the charity should not be liable to fur-
ther losses.

COLEHAK V. SMITIII9.
His Lonnsiii► stated the leading circumstances oonneetell with
the cue, ar.l said that he would give judgment upon it on Wednes-
day next.

-
JONES V. LEWIS.
• Mr. HORNE moved to discharge an order of the Vice Chan-
cellor, made on the 31st of May, 1322, directing the production of
an agreement in this case. The bill had been filed to compel the
specific performance of an agreement, and the defendant, in her an-
[lnver, had declared that she was ignorant of any such agreement,
and that if any such agreement did exist it was a forgery. She had
then obtained an order from the Vice-Chancellor, directing HA pro-
duction. Mr. Home contended thst it was unusual for a defendant
to call iipo:l a plaintiff' for the production of an agreement, particu-
1 larly when in the affidavit itself an answer had been made to the
bill as strong an could be made if the affidavit were produced. The
case upon which the present proceeding had been groupdcd was, the!
well-known ease of the late Qeeen against the Earl of Liverpool
and others, in which it was slated that her Majesty was possessed
of duplicates of certain promissory notes of the late Duke of Bruns_'.
wick to a large amount ; the Court ordered the production of such'
duplicates, it being extremely necessary that they should be ex-
attuned by the Duke's executors. But that case was of a very pe-
cuhar nature, and altogether differed front the present, which was'
merely an every-day case of a hill tiled for the specific performance
of an agi ecttient.
The Lonn CHANCELLOR agreed that the CMS were essentially
...... __.

Mr. LYNCH, on the part of the defendant, said, lie relied solely
upon the precedent of the case quoted by Mr. Horne, in which the
Court had ordered the production of two bills before the defendant
had put in an answer.
The LOUD CHANCELLOR was Of opinion that he could not
order the agreement to be given up. He recollected a case which
occurred on the northern circuit when he was at the bar, where •
prosecutor had given a prisoner notice to produce the forged instru-
ment on which he was tried for his life, and this he thought was
going a little too far. Here the affidavit having declared the agree-
went to be a forgery, was a complete answer. The order must be
discharged.
LUNATIC AND CAUSE PETITIONS.
_

The LORD CHANCELLOR stated, it was extremely unfair that
iponcy petitions in causes and lunacy should be heard before ethers.
fle had perused about forty of them in lunacy, and would order a
list of them to be handed down, to save counsel the trouble of read.
Ing them.