The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-19 00:00:00

alleging, as a reason, that he bad not his staff: l'elek,r
much for the deceased, and fell• evidently intentionally upon him
sometimes dropping his knees upon his stomach. On the close 4
the bat round, the deceased fell in a kind of shiver. Witness dim
said to Cummins, "He is a dying man." Cummins replied,
" bet him die, sad be d—. 41."
_ . _

Coroner—Do you know the name of the officer who refuted !s
stop the fight?
Witness—Ye/I, my Lord—John Parton.
Coroner—Did Packer fall intentionally, with his knees oc t},e
stomach of deceased ? _ _

_______
Witness—Yea, to to be sure he did.
Mr. Roberta, surgeon, of Pratt-place, Camden Town, ptat-4
that on Sunday morning he saw the decease! in a room of th.it
house. Ile wu qdiie dead, but the body was warm. The witt:iss
attempted to bleed him, but the blood did not flow. On examining
the body there were some ordinary bruises, but none of any cense.
quence. There appeared a quantity of blood as if from the burs..
of a blood-Teasel. The witness is of opinion the deceased died in a
fit, and not from a blow.

Coroner—Are you of opinion that if a man lights for an hour a
rupture of the head will he caused ?
Witneu- It might cause a rupture, and that might take place
without any suffusion from the ears or nose. The wi:neas had
opened the chest and abdomen, but nothing of any uncommon ap_
pearance was risible.
Coroner—Are you of opinion that a man will die suddenly from
mere exhaustion ?

Witness—Yes, Sir, that will cause sudden death.
James Stone, another brother of the deceased, saw the fight, seal
held his brother's things; was in the ring. There was sere:
punishment on both sides. Saw the deceased fall in last rouN.
and Packer upon him. He was carried to Chalk Farm, g!,
never spoke afterwards.
George Rook, Long-acre, baker, was at the beginning of the
battle. Li the last round the deceased fell, and Packer on bite,
which he believes was quite accidental.
George Poultner, 12, Earl-street' Lisson-green, plasterer, was u
the Adam and Eve with Stone. A pipe struck Stone on the bridge
of the nose ; he accused Packer, and offered to tight him fors
sovereign. Five shillings were put down ; the remainder of tut
money was to be made good on Saturday. Was at the fight;
thinks that Stone was hurt by the many heavy falls he received.
He was always undermost. Several persons requested Stone to
leave off 'l'he deceased was a very quiet lad. Cummins. after ht
heard Stone was dead, said—" Let him die and be d—d." Cum.
mins afterwards seconded a man in another battle, which tool
place before the deceased was moved oil the ground.
Francis Burn was also at the Adam and Eve when the tobacco
pipe war thrown ; said it war Packer. Stone jumped over the
table. The deceased said he would fight him fur a sovereign.
Packer said he was too much for hint, and did not wish to figh:
him. Heard the agreement read ; it was a stranger who wrote a.
Saw the deceased fall front his second's knee. The deceased te.
tetrad a severe blow on the chest in the middle of the fight, lut
believes the falls were the cause of his death.

This being the whole of the evidence, the Coroner and JIM
viewed the body, which presented a shocking spectacle : on tilt-sr
return to the Jury-rootn—
Mr. Sri st ht et addressed them to the following effect :—Get.
tlemen, I think it necessary to make a few observations on the
case, and on a practice, which of late has been pronounced by the
first legal authorities to be illegal ; a practice which, in itself,
disgraceful to society, and only encouraged by the most debasel
of mankind. Haring made this allusion, Tou, lam sure, oil
perfectly understand I mean the practice of prize-fighting. If s
sudden quarrel arise between two men which Is decided by bozite
directly, although, perhaps, not altogether legal, yet they cam:
he supposed to have any malicious motive ; and, if one be kill's,
the law humanely takes the suddenness of the circumstance into
consideration, and gives the accused the full benefit of it. Be',
Gentlemen, if in a public house, or elsewhere, two men it,
matched to fight for a sum of money, at a given time, auk
enter a field, where a ring is prepared, to fight this pitches
battle, although they may not use murderous weapons;
yet, if one or other be killed, most undoubtedly, in my op.
nlon, it is wilful murder, and comes within the meaning of the
statute ; and to such an extent has this disgraceful system gone,
that it rests with you, if you think the man died not from exhaus.
tion, to return such a verdict as will bring all the parties before ao.
other tribunal. lam informed, that of late the practice of prise.
fighting has been carried on every Sunday in this neighbour.,
and the local authorities will, I trust, by a summary process, pre.
vent a recurrence of such disgraceful scenes. ThrCarotier. tor.
eluded his remarks by stating the distinction of the law as 'masa
murder and manslaughter, and called upon them, on the evidence,
to find one or the other.

The Jury remained in deliberation for half an hour, and C.
returning,
The Foreman said, "Mr. Cosoner, we have founds verdict
Manslaughter against Joaeph Packer, snd apinst Commit,
Saunders, Adams, and Hearne, the seconds and bottle holders, u
accessaries ; and the Jury fully concur in the propriety of clieckir;
the practice of prize-fighting."
The Coroner—Gentlemen. I cannot receive your verdict ;
persons accused mast all be guilty alike ; they are all Clitlll..
culpable, nay, even more so than the principal.
The Jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned a rerd:.
of " Manslaughter" against all.
Packer surrendered on Monday, and is in Clerkenwell prison.

CASE OF SALVAGE.

PLYMOUTH GUILDHALL, SATURDAY, JAN. O.

Refute E. LOCIYER, R. Rost)Lw. and JOHN WERE Ci.aar,
Errs. Magistentee for the County.
This was a Meeting of the Magistrates, under the statute+ of Ist
and 2d Geo. IV. for the purpose of determining the amount of
salvage due to several individuals who were the salvors of a chest
of plate, value 10081. 14s. being part of the cargo of the brig Hiber-
berhia, Dyer master, wrecked under the Citadel, during the gale
of wind on the 234 November last.

The case excited a considerable de of interest, and was se-
veral hours in deciding. It ap that the salvors required of
the owners, one third of the value; and we understand that thy
were offered one eighth. The decision of the 3lagistrates gives than
nearly one sixth.
It is a generally-received opinion, that parsons salving wrecked
property, are entitled by law to one third of its value, but such
o n
The i
remedyo ni erroneous;
i ithe nimonstisench lanwoetver
eehavtionibribeenng the use ells=
the Magistrates, for their decision ; and if suzii decision is nut D.:-
proved of by either the salvors or the owners, an appeal may De
made to the Court of Admiralty.