The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-10-27 00:00:00

CORONER'S

DIREADTIIL SCtictur.—An inquisition was yesterday evening
taken betore Thomas Higgs, Esq., the Deputy Coroner for the
City and Liberties of Westminster, at the Vs bite HOlll4l and Bower
public-house, in the liorscferry.road, on the body of Mr. John
Dungate, a respectable tradesman, residing in the neighbourhood,
who allot himself on the afternoon of the previous day.
presented a most appalling proof of the self determination with
having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, which
The Jury
which the fatal act was perpetrated, the head being literally shat.
tared to atoms, and its contents dispersed in every direction. The
sight drew forth an involuntary shudder from every perch] present.
On the return of the Jury. the following evidence was taken
blr. Day, plumber and glazier, residing at No. 2, Regent-street,
Toddll-fields, being sworn, stated that he had known the deceased
for this twelvemonth past. He was only 21 years of age, was
married, and had one child. He carried on trade as an under.
taker in the same house in which witness resided. About half.
past twelve yesterday witness came home to dinner, and soon
after hearing the report of a pistol, he ran out of his room into
the landing-place, whence he saw the blood flowing from under
the deceased's room door. In consequence he opened the door,
when he found the decerted lying stretched en the floor, and
weltering in his blood. The deceased lived on good terms with
his wile. {fitness had not the least suspicion that any person
was with the deceased at the time the act was committed. The
deceased had been in low spirits for some time past.
file. Painter, surgeon, of the Horseferry.road, was called in to
see the deemed, who he found stretched on the floor, quite dead,
Ile had neither coat nor waistcoat on. On examining the frag.
meats of skull, witness ascertained that the pistol must have been
placed in contact with the forehead, so that its entire contents must have passed into the head. Death must have been in.
stantaneous. Witness picked up the bullet he now produces is
the room, where he also found a small duelling pistol. The right
hand of the deceased was stained with the smoke of gunpowder.
The bullet produced was of large size, was quite flattened, and
nearly severed in two.
Several witnesses spoke to facts which tended to show the de.
jected and deranged state of the deceased's mind.
The Jury were unanimously of opinion that the deceased cony.
mitted the act himself, being at the nate in a state of insanity.
Yesterday an inquest was held in the Boardroom of Camberwell
workhouse, before R. Carter, Esq. on the body of William Henry
Richards, late organist to Camberwell old Church, who shot him.
self through the heart on Monday evening last, in the parlour of
the Grove-house Tavern, at Camberwell-grove. The body was de.
posited in a shell in an out-house of the workhouse. The deceased
appeared to be a man of between 30 and 40 years of age, and of
remarkably genteel appearance. The mortal wound of which he
died was visible ; it was immediately under the left breast, and ap.
peered to have ben inflicted with a pistol bullet.
It appeared by the evidence of Mr. James Baker, aurgeon
Camberwell, who was accidentally in the house when the deceased
killed himself, that all that the unhappy man said, on Alt. Baker's
entrance into the room In which he was dying, wails "Oh, God
forgive me," immediately after which lie expired.
In answer to a question from the Foreman of the Jury, Mr.
Baker said he saw a paper lying on the table, on which were
se.
venal sentences that appeared to have been recently written.
A discussion took place between several of the Jury, as to the
propriety of having this writing produced, which It was finally es.
solved should be done. The Coroner then read it aloud. it was
as follows, and at the end of each tenter ce a line was drawn along:
" May God torgive the Rev. J. G. Stolle, Vicar of this parish,
and the cause of this my unhappy state of mind and this rash act.
I forgive him. Alay God preserve in health and prosperity my kind
brother and sister, Gillingham. And, Oh God ! there is one to
whom I would have proved faithful fervently pray for.—lllere
the name of a female appeared to have been written, with the pen
dashed through it.l—She is too good to share my misfortunes; let
her live to possess a partner more fortuhate. God bleacher! I
believe this to be the mercy of the Almighty, that I may rid myself
of toils and troubles so ill.requited, and of a proud, merciless
world. Oh God forgive all my enemies, protect and bless all try
friends, particularly those who have strived hard to prevent this disgrace."
Immediately after this writing was read, a Gentleman who sat at
the table near the Coroner rose, and that as a most serious imps.
ration had been inflicted upon his character by that which the
Gentlemen of the Jury had just heard read, he thought he was most
particularly called upon to refute it. My name, said lie, is John
Jones Stone. About two years ago, when I became Vicar of this
swish, I found the deceased holding the situation of Organist to
the old church, which situation he held for a period of nearly
four years, with great credit to himself, and satisfaction to the
parish. A short time subsequently to my being ap, °kited
view of the parish, the deceased met
therewih two disappointments, the
one was not being allowed to hold tuation of organist of the
new church building in the parish, as well as the old one; and the
other was his not being invited to open the organ at the new church
on its consecration. In eousequence of these disappointments,
the Revernend Gentleman said, and especially the latter, the de.
ceased resigned his situation of organist to the parish. When
I heard of it, thinking it was done in a hasty moment, I pre.
vented his resignation from being given in, and advised him to
consider well of it before he sent it in to the Committee. The de.
ceased, however, on that occasion, refused to take the advice, and
resigned accordingly. Upon a subsequent vacancy takingplace,
I was surprised to find that he became a candidate fora situation
which he voluntarily threw up a short time before, and when applied
to for my support atthe election of organist, I certainly refused it,
not wishing to subject the parish to the caprice of such a man, and
another organist was appointed on the UM October. On the
2•2 d of the same month, I received a letter from •lie deceased,
dated from lioll'cbuildings, Fetter-lane, the purport of *lnch
was, that in consequence of my refusal to support him at the petal.
ous election,he had come to the determination of destroying himself.
When I received this extraordinary fetter, said the Reverend Gen.
leman, I proceeded to a Magistrate, in order to have his opinion, sr
to the possibility of placing Mr. Richards under some restraint, to
as to prevent the possibility of such an act, as that he contemplated,
but was informed, however,- that no Justice of the Pace would in.
terfere in such a business, and I subsequently transmitted the
letter to a friend of the deceased's, at Kensington, named Maddox,
who I was given to understand, had received a similar letter from
the deceased, and laughed at it, conceiving that he had no
intention whatever of putting his threats into execution. The
Reverend Gentleman conclud•d his statement by declaring that
he never had the slightest personal enmity to the unfortunate
deceased, whose death he lan e ited as much as any man, under the
unfortunate circumstances in which it h d taken place. The situation
of organist to either the New or the Old Church was not in his gift,
but was at the disposal of a committee, one of which he was.
The Jury, with one voice, expressed their entire conviction that
there were no grounds for the imputation alluded to against the
Reverend Mr. Storie, and came to an unanimous verdict, That
the deceased shot himself; being at the time in a state of temporary
mental derangement."

THEATRICAL AMUSEMENT.--011 Wednesday night last,
two gentlemen, from the neighbourhood of Williamstown,
were taken into custody by Peace-officer Gallogly, for
spitting from the upper gallery of the Dublin Theatre on
' thole beneath them in the middle gallery! Au a warning
to other practical jokers,- they were sentenced to ten days
imprisonment in Newgate.—Duhlia Popes.
On Friday last, one of the workmen employed in exca-
vating the new tunnel at Hare Castle Hill, was buried in
the bed of running sand, which he was endeavouring to
stem. He was found in it standing perfectly upright, and
entirely deprived of life.—Steftprdshire Advertiser.

COAL MARKET, OCT. N.
Ships at Market. Ships Sold. Pepe,2l Newcastle - -111 i --Us6d to 44i Od
9 Sunderland . - II . -34 i Gd to 453 3d
I Stone Coal - . I • - 60. Od to —a tal
I Connell Coal - 0 . . —a Od to .... Od
2e Small ditto - - le . - 211 ad to 24s 03

MUMS.
On the 2.? d inst. at Swindon, Wilts, the lady of A. Dodder.!,
Esq. of a daughter.
On Sunday last, at his house In tipper Grotrrenor.str.et, the lady
of J. S. Willett, Esq. of a son.

MARRIED.
•
On the 20th instant, at Lower Christ Church, Wells, Mahn If.
C. Streatfield, of the 87th Regiment, to Eleanor, daughter of the
late Harry Darby, Esq.
On the 25th instant, at St. Jamea's Church, William Jot.t)
Symona, Esq. of Chapel-street, Orosvenor-place, to Anne Emma
Crewe.

DIED. •
On the 23d inst. at her house in Devonshire-place, Mrs. Lamour,
widow of the late Francis hauteur. Esq.
On the 25th inst. suddenly, at Beverly College, Putney-bottom,
Surrey, Mrs. Sarah Cawston, relict of Mr. Phillip Cawston, in the
66th year of her age.
On the 25th inst. 'at the house of the Rev, John Wain foully,
Brighton, the Rel. Dr. Bogue, of Gosport, in his 77th year. Be
had been about fifty year. Pastor of the Church of Protestant
Dissenter* at Gosport, was Tutor to the Missionary Seminary, and
one of the first Promoters of the London Missionary Society.
On the 11th instant, at his house, Rathmines. Major Jams
Allen, late of the sth Dragoons, formerly Port Surveyor of Drog-
heda, a Magistrate of the county of Kildare, and late Treasurer of
the Ordnance. lie entered the military service of his country at so
early an age as to hare held the rank of Lieutenant in 17a5. and
was distinguished under Generals Braddock, Amherst, and Wolfe,
in the first American war, by the command of reversl deer-mos
expeditions., which were conducted with ability, courage, and tur-
ner,. lie was present at the storming of Ticonderoga, where his
father was killed, and at the taking of Montreal. In this country,
he was subsequently Aide-de-Camp to Sir John 'twine, while
Commander ut the Forces, and also to three Lords Lieutenant.