The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-03-15 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY DEATH OF WM. OWEN, ESQ.

On Saturday evening an inquest was held before Mr. HIGOI
and a meat respectable Jury, at the late residence of Wm. Owen,
k:sq. No. i 3, Bruton-street, Berkeley-square, whose death was oc-
casioned under the following afflicting circumstances :
Martha livans awom—l was cook to the late deceased gentle-
man, and had been in his service twts years and a half. He was
so unwell all the time that be kept his room, having lost the use
of his limbs. illy master had been In the constant habit of taking
medicine during that period, and very early in the morning. About
three o'clock on Friday morning the deceased called me. I went
immediately, and inquired if he would take tea ? He said no, but
he would take his draught at four. I they took a phial from the
table where the medicine was always placed. Only one bottle was
there ; Mrs. Owen had put it there between eleven and twelve the
preceding night, and told me it was a draught for my master to
take when lie wished to have it. This bottle I showed to the de.
ceased at four o'clock, as lie was particular to read the label, and
lie said, "It is very right." I cannot read writ:og myself. I shook
the bottle, and poured the liquid into a glees. He swallowed the
medicine, and immediately observed that it had • different taste
frum his former physic. lie leaked at it seversl times, and repeated
it wee " the draught." He added that I was to take care of the
bottle, and give it to his son, Mr. W. Owen, for hint to take to the
chemists', saying that perhaps they had varied the medicine. I
slept in the same apartment as deceased. He desired me to go to
bed, am! begged I would not disturb him. I did in, and awoke
about five. The deceased then snored very loud, and 1 considered
lie was going in a fit (being subject to them). I went to him, when
lie told me he was going to sleep. At six o'clock I again heard
him snore, which being very unusual, I inquired of him it he was
ill, and whether the medicine had disagreed with him ? The de-
ceased said that his head ached, and he wanted sleep. About half,
an hour afterwards I rang the bell for our boy, and soon after the
deceased appeared very sleepy, but would speak, and desired me
not to be alarmed as he was only sleepy. I sent the boy to call
my master's son, to whom I said there was • great alteration is
his Elaine for tl • worse, and that I considered the wrong medicine
had been administered. I instantly brought the deceased some tea,
but he could not swallow it. The deceased gentleman was between
50 and 60 years of age.
Mr. Win. Owen said, my father, now deceased, was in the habit
of taking an opening draught, prescribed by Sir Anthony Cathie,
and lie daily took a preparation of opium, called Battley's Drops.
Ile invariably took thirty drops on going to bed. The two phial+
I now produce were brought home by one of our servants on Wed-
nesday last. On one is a label containing these words :—" The
draught as before, for W. Owen ;" the other phial is now full,
and has written on it " Battley's Drops." This I have no doubt
contains the draught that ought to have been taken by my father—
the castor oil of it is quite visible. As soon as I discovered the
unfortunate mistake. 1 sent for medical assistance. After my fa-
ther's death, I went to the chemists' shop, where the mistake was
acknowledged to have occurred, and that it was accidentally done
by one of the young men.
Mr. R. Risks, of Conduit-street, surgeon, said, I was sent for on
Friday n oming,between seven and eight o'clock, to attend the de-
ceased ; I weal instantly, but in consequence of sonic mistake in
the message, I repaired first to the Haymarket instead of Bruton.
street, concdving the melancholy occurrence had taken place there.
I arrived at the latter place soon after eight, where I saw the de.
ceased gentleman, whir was in a state of stupor. I administered an
emetic, and repeated it—be brought up much matter from his sto-
mach. I afterwards sent to Mr. Weiss, instrument-manufacturer,
in the Strand, for sonic instruments, with which 1 injected liquid
and cetracted a great portion of it. The deceased, however, gra-
dually got worse, and lingered till nearly four o'clock In die af.
ternoon, and then expired. I have to add, that I was informed that
the deceased gentleman had taken a quantity of poisonous matter.
Battley's Drops (a nostrum) is a preparation of opium.
Joseph Jenkins, a servant of the deceased, said—On Wednesday
evening I west to the chemists' shop ; I asked for a draught—(l
have procured such a draught there forty or fifty times before for
my master); and also for a bottle of Battley's drops. I left the
order and called again in an hour, when the two bottles were given
to nie, which I brought home, and took into the deceased's rooin.
This being the while of the evidence, the Jury most deeply la-
mented the unfortunate mistake that had occurred, and after a long
consultation they returned the following verdict :—" That the de-
ceased, M'm. Owen, Esq. died from taking a large quantity of
• preparation of opium called Battley's Drops, the b title containing
that liquid having been negligently and incautiously labelled by
the person who prepared the medicine as an opening draught,
such as the said :Hr. Owen had been in the habit of taking."

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

Sta,—Having this day read in your Paper an account of tlic late
destructive fire, which occurred soon after one o'clock on Sunday
morning, we conceive it a duty we owe the Public, and that much-
injured individual Mr. Vizer, to state most distinctly, that the fire
did not originate on his premises, but on those of the drug mills of
Messrs. Bentley and %Vocal adjoinirg. These facts we state from
our own personal observations. made immediately after the com-
mencement of the fire, sonic of us being threatened with the sad
effects of the devouring element.
We also beg to state, that Mr. Vizcr's lois appears to be double
the amount of his insurance.
(Sighed) Thomas Collingwood, High Holborn.
J. Runat, 124, High Holborn.
M. llowitt ironmonger, 123, High Holborn.
E. Ives and Co. Little Queen-street.
William Frost, Little Queemstreet.
Edward Bullock, 211, High Ilolborn.
J. Richards, 122, High lielbotn.
March 14th, 1825.
We have made further inquiries and find our first report incorrect
as to where the fire commenced, and also as to the amount of loss,
which we learn exceeds 50,0001.—ED1 T.

On Friday the 4th instant Francis Harrison, clerk to the
Fradley Janet:on Canal, put a period to his existence by
discharging the contents of a loaded blunderbuss through
his head.

In the night of Friday week a melancholy circumstance
took place near Berwick: James Beveridge, about 17 years
of age, while conveying smuggled spirits from Spittal, was
shot through the heart by one of the crew of the Preven-
tive boat. The crew, with a body of Excise officers, were
on the watch, as a few days before a vessel had landed her
whole cargo at Spittal. An inquest was held on the body
at Tweedmoutli, before Michael Hall, Esq. Coroner, and
a verdict was returned of " Wilful Murder." The boy
was shot in the act of running away, after throwing down
the keg. James Stephenson, who fired the pistol, has been
committed to Durham gaol.
The following inquest was held last week at Green-lane,
Sonthsea, on the body of Mary Ann Cavanagh, very far ad-
vanced in pregnancy, who, on Wednesday evening, from
her alann at the report that a Ghost had been seen near the
house, was seized with eotivelsive fits, and became insen-
sible till the next evening, when she died. Verdict—
`• Died by the Visitation of God." The Hampshire 'tele-
graph says the ghost has been discovered to be a shoe-
maker's apprentice, who has been committed to prison for
one of his pranks subsequent to the death of this poor
woman.

On Thursday an inquest was held at the sign of the Bri-
tish Volunteer, in 111inshull-street, Manchester, on the body
of the wife of Mr. James Bentley, a respectable shopkeeper
in that neighbourhood. Mr. Bentley had retied to bed
rather early on Tuesrlav evening, in consequence of indis-
position, leaving Mrs. Bentley up. A servant-maid of the
above-named public-house stated, that the deceased pur-
chased some spirits between ten and eleven o'clock, and re-
quested her tuistress would allow one of her servants to ac-
company her home. Examinant was accordingly sent, and
she not only saw Mrs. Bentley safe in h.r own house, but
was careful to observe that she secured the street door.
Early in the morning, bowever, Mr. B. discovered the
heart-rending spectacle of his wifclttite dead at the bottom
of the cellar itepe.--Verdict—,Aecidental L'ce.M.