The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-02-19 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUESTS.

SUICIDE BY A BOY.
An inquisition was taken yesterday evening, before J. W. Un.
win, Esq. Coroner, at the Prince of Orange. Philip-einet, St.
fieorge's in the East, on view of the body of Edward Day, a youth
whonniniitted selfanurder.

The first witness examined was Thomas Taylor, who being
sworn, deposed he was a green-grocer, and resided next door to the
Prince of (range. On Mimday morning. between seven and eight
o'clock, the servant of that house came to him and said the deceased
boy was fasterffil in the pricy, and she supposed him to be in a fit.
He instantly accompanies! her, and ferixd the privy door oren tit
having been fastened with a piece of offing on the inside), and dts-
' covered the deceased hanging bra strong rope round his neck from
!a beam. The deceased appeared to be dead, but was not quite
cold.

Mr. Henry Chapfleld sworn.—Witness is landlord of the Prince
of Orange ; the deceased has lived with him, as pot-boy, for the
last six months; he was a very wild sort of youth, end very much
addicted to drinking, and whenever inebriated conducted Minitel'
in a strange way ; he was fifteen last December, and there can be
no doubt bat he committed the rash act himself, but what could
have prompted him to the co. • mission of such a dreadful deed wit-
ness cannot develope; he was, generally speaking, very honest,
and wan only a very trifling slum in arrear of his beer money.
Mary Kelly stated she was servant at the Prince of Orange, but
did not sleep there; she came to her work as usual about seven
o'clock on Monday morning, and having knocked at the door. was
let in by the deceased, who had then just finished taking down the
shutters I she t:ien instantly repaired to discharge bet usual avoca-
tions, and he went out into the yard, as customary every morning,
to dean his knives, &e. Thinking that he was out a long time.
she went in search of Aim, and finding the privy door fastened, she
became alarmed, and made the matter known to her mistress's
brother, who said he could not leave the bar, and told her to call
some body else, upon which she forthwith repaired to Mr. Taylor.
who instantly came with her, and found the deceased as described
by him.
The evidence having here closed, the Comer addressed the Jure.
observing, there could be no doubt that the deceased committed
the act himself, and that suicide at such an age was rather rare.
They had no evidence of his insar.ity, but there could be little
dnubt that he destroyed himself In a fit of temporary derangement,
produced by drinking; and they ought, under these circuu.stanices,
to take the merciful side of the question.
The Jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict, .. That the
deceased destroyed himself, being at the time of committing the
act not of sound mind, memory, or understanding."
Yesterday a Corinne* inquest was held over the body rf the Rev.
William Soddins, who was found dead in his lodging-room. at
Mr. Smith's, without Monk-her, in this city, the same morning.
Three witnesses were examined, the first of whom (Mr. Matter son,
a most respectable surgeon) stated, that near nine o'cleck be was
sent for, and found the deceased laid lifeless, Wit warm, on his
face, near the dressing-table, In his lodging-room, with a little
blood on the floor, and a slight Innise over his left eye, occasioned
by his fall to the ground—that he believed the decuto d had died
of apoplexy, through the bursting of a blood-vessel, occasioned by
violent vomiting, as appeared from the chamber utensils.
The second witness was Mr. Smith, who stated, that the deceased
had lodged with him seven years ; he had done duty at Stockton
! (of which parish he was the incumbent) on the meennig preceding
his death. Witness and a servant being in a kitchen below the
lodging.room, heard something above fall to the ground. That
about ten minutes after, witness went up and knocked at dsexaseti's
(door, but not receiving ar.y answer, a ladder was procured and
placed to the window, when the overseer of the gas-works (also a
lodger) saw the body on the floor. A boy was aftersmals introduced
at the window, the door was opened, and a surgeon sent for. The
body was not disturbed till the arrival of the surgeon ; it was fully
clothed, but the cost seemed not quite on, which induced a belle;
that the deceased had died whilst in the act of putting it on.
The next witttess was Mrs. Smith, who deposed that she studded
deceased while at tea the preceding evening. Co appeared very
uneasy in his chair, and she obserted to hint that be was * poorly',
worse than usual" (for he had been unwell some time), and alto
advised him to pots-ate medical assistance. His :nurse was, that
he was much troubled with a bilious and an uthmanc complaint,
but he would rot procure advice, fee it mast have its entree. De-
ponent also stated that he ate nothing for his supper. but die' k a
little milk, He often (being a atudinus ratan) sat op very late, but
that evening retired to rest rather early.
After 1 very short consultation, the Jury returned a vess'ict of
--`• Died through the visitation of lin& by a lit of apoldeey...
Mr. Noddins was nearly fifty-seven years of agt a man of strong
mental abilities, of very great acquirements as a set.clar, and of a
benevolent diaposition and unassuming manners. He sets unives-
aally beloved by all who knew him, and his sudden death will be
as generally deplored. It is very remarkable. that me beloved sister
of the deceased, who lived with him, but seven months before re-
paired to Ilanogate for the benefit of her health. and was found in
a similar situation. Her sadden demise was a snore, of great affiic-
tion to her affectionate brother; and the sadden and unexpected
death of the deceased (who was chaplain to the present Lord
Mayor) is an additional proof of the vanity of earthly pose lone,
and of the uncertainty of human life.--York COlllelli of Tuesday.

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Mr. Sergeant Chrwow
wished the Vestry bee&
Mr. Sergeant Pam. a
haw any books or downstate
The tort au produced.

Veenber N. 1743, bilging
/he Inn ; Sairsetd, a

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

VOMIT OF KING'S BKN(H, WEDNESDAY, FEs.lB.

ligilthopfcr Westminster, before the Lean CIIIET JUITICti
mad Commas Jtirice.l

ItNMI W. TURNER, BAIT. aG
This vas an undefended action for payment of 111 rs. llater's bill
for wash'.lg, during the period of one rent, to the family of Sir
fir:goty Page Turner, before any appiteation for a commission
'o:nary. At any rate the work had bmn done, snd ought to be
}old for.
.P,te Douche had been in the serviLe of the family, and knew
the plaintiff to have washed for them, sometimes to the mown of
Pl. a week, certainly to the amount of 11.
Verdict for the plaintiff, 521. as. lkl.

TAYLOR V. TITTESTON.
The plaintiff and defendant occupied Nos. 7 and 8, in Warning.
tor'. 'thee. The plaintiff complained that the defendant had oh-
rtnieted a way which the plaintiii had enjoyed from his garden to
Merlin's-paw, by building s wall behind his premises. Kenn% a
Geld which intervened bet Ween plaintiff's garden and Merlin's-
plane Tne houses were built in 1817.
Mr. ATTORNEV.IIESERAI. led for the plaintiff. Mr. MAR.
AAAA fur the defendant.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE, after two witnesses had been ex.
intimated to Mr. Matrystt, that a verdict must pass
peaks: him, and suggested whether it would not therefore be the
retry way to take a verdict, and appoint some person to view the
premiws, and do what might be right for the accommodation of the
parties
Mr. MA said he could show that the plaintiff had never
any right whatever to miss beyond his own garden.
incite funher examinetion of witnesses, and leases, was gone
into at en-at length.
The 1,0 n txr JUST ter again repeated his suggestion.
Mr. AI Alt RVATT still persevered, and after tbrther evidence had
been given, addressed the Jury fur the defendant; bin he soon
nineed to his Lordship's recommendation.
Verdict fur plaintiff
hrunts r. MARTI*.
. .

Mr Gaser.rs. +stated that the raiLitiff, I tailor, in Doret-
street, Fleet-street, brought this action to recover two guineas and
littlf for a pair of ker.cymere trousers_
31r. rllussiGEn contended, for the defendant, that the charge
w.ts evtravagant for Lktntet-strect, and called evidence to prove an
rojtivalent in pork.
The Loao Jva-rlce reconur.ended the sithdrawing a
J••Trr.

MS: slot viSlt did met accede to this suggostion.
Vmhet fist the defendant. _ .

The I nun was. occitpted the greater part of the day in causes of
no public interest.

rOURT OF COMMON PLCAS. ITZDNIESDAY, FEL. I.

Sittihrr at Nisi Priv, after filer, Tenn, at Werttretarter, before
the Lori) C•uer JUST It C red a Special Jare.l

LENS. SLIM rANT AT LAW, v. 1111110 W O.
Only .right special jurors answering to their names, 31r. Sec-
grant %tarot:as prayed a tales.
Mr. Ttspat.i. opened the pleadings. The defendants pleaded
the treetond lathe. It was an action of trespass.
Mr. P'crgennt Vat:GRAN, for the plaintiff, stated it would be
lii. tattiness to set faith, with as much perapicidtv as he could, who
the parties in this action were, and the nature of it. The plaintiff
'could not be unknown to them. Ile was one of his Majesty's Ser.
r• them at I,w, and be might say of hint, he was now lost to his
protersion,Vat. " Take him the all • fai'er shall look
tai his likaagain." The defender' wish efficient of St.
'Dimon. lilwhich Sergeant's-Inn. the plsintiffs chambers
mem. was &Hord to be situated; the subjein of the action
was the imposition of a parochial This was the first time that
.an itemise-lent had teen imposed on the chambers in question, and
if this was not emelt:sive, it was a violent presumption that the rate
.was illegal. The beamed Sergeant supposed that the Jury were
,uoqnsinted with Sergeant's Inn. It was a building venerable for its
antiquity, and remake! le for the beastly of its architecture; to
w:ticti coder it belonged, however, he did not know; it was not
qtytne; or Doric, or Gothic. It had been the residence of the great
sayer if the law foe more than fan hundred year., and had mg':
na'Av tolisiged to the Dishoprick of Ely, the Prelate of which
Nee had exercised great privileges and franchises. The gees-
thin was, whether this lon was 111 the limits of the Pariah of
St. Duncan, and to negative the allegation that It is within mach
limits, was the case which the Learned Sergeant had to establish,
• eintithis he would do by public acts and other documents. The
. fine4locuroent to which lie referred, was an ordinance of Charles
eh' RM. panting to the said Sergeant's Inn peculiar immunities
and privileges The next document to which he called their at.
• atotion..was *Parliamentary survey of 111* to which, he ob-
served, it was yen important to attend, as it defined the bounds.
'el the with of Bt. Dunstan. The Leerned Sergeant read the
' paper to *Ma he adverted. It stated that there was no ehapel in
the parish but the parish church, whereas there has always been a
'chapel In Sergeant's Inn ; not a chapel of emes for is that are it
would have been dependent upon the mother church, and an ergu.
a ota treat spinet him. next referred (a the 4th of Williams and
• hlery. appointing C misalonces for the Laud Tax. That Act
hid been etetuard missioners appointed by the Society of
• laernaters Ins; dm sesetinnents ha". .... made by them ; the
schedule wan made oat, not as in the pariah of St. Dunstan, or the
tit', of London, buts." in the county of Middlesex. Its area.
greets were distinct Illid separate from those of the parish of St.
I) insulin, or the ward of Farringdon. That act had been executed
in the same manner m the present hear. The Inn had its own
assessor, aad its coon collector, and was, in fact, a spot that seemed
to he entirely insulated and cut off from every other place. The
Learned Counsel thea aid that he had another doeutnent, which
he considered alone as almost conclusive. He referred to a recent
Act of Parliament—that of the let of Oen. IV., e. MI, for uniting
tits rectory and vicarage of St. Dunstan. By this Act a certain
mate watt to be levied upon every house in the parish of St. Demean,
acesaliog to a certain schedule thereunto anemed. The houses
mete all numbered, and the names of the occupies all stated, com-
mencing at the corner of Chancery-lane. The Learned Sergeant
read the names of the inhabitants of the hams according to their
numbers, until be came to the name of Daniel Elks. which he
understood would be heard of again in the course of the cause.
Ite then allueed to the custom of perambulating the boundaries of
the parish on Ascension Day, and he should like to know whether
any evidence would be produced to thew that as these oecasims the
'persons making the perambulation have ewer catered the body of
the Inn. On one ocauion of this kind, indeed, the dem of the
Inc was left open, and a parcel of boys limbed in, but were Mime-
shately turned out. On the sub:,:ct Of the Poole the Society had
never thrown any burden on the elvish. The Loused Sergeant
then mentioned the circumstance of a child being ems dropped
Ils'iiiin the Inn (an accident whirls, be observed, aught happen to
fhe best regulated families), and, as the stay went, at the dear of
Mr. Justice Fortescue. The child was maintained by the Society.
For more than two hundred years this attempt bad never been made.
lie concluded by observing, that the parish charged double fees for
lancrids out of the Inn, and instanced this as another fact in sup-
per. of his case.
The atlnuasions agreed on by the respective Attensem in the
taxer were put in and read, as was also the ordinance of Chm. 1.,
chord ISM, a ropy of the " Parlhtmentary Survey," of the date,
of I f;fro, and the Land Tax Act of the 4th of William and Mary,
chap. I.
>I r Sergeant Prvt. requested the officer to turn to sec. 32 of
tit,. Land Tax Act, relating to places extra-parochial, which was I
mid.

A copy of the assessmeet was put le and read.
Mr. *mom t PELL admitted that the Inn had separate commie.
Mums, separate amemors, separate collector', mad separate dupli-
cates. and that the land tax had been always collected according to
the prffiliolls of the Lead Tax Act.
Mr. Sergeium Van imam observed, that by the 3&b of the late
King, the lend-tax bed been made ppeerrppseetsal, mid that the tax in
tie lon continued to be collected as i.ttibob
The Act of theist of Ow. IV., cap. ON, was them read. It was
an Act for making provision Ws the payment of a composition
to the Rector, In lieu of certain dates or ream. The 'boned
achedule, containing the tenants' and and the mem woe read.
There was the name of Daniel Beg, imearted ehom—" Cress
Daniel Ellis."