The National Register.
London, England, 1821-10-08 00:00:00

INQUESTS.

On the 25th ult. an inquest was held at Hentlington, OD
view of the body ofJatues Harris a labouret. This was a
case a hich excited considerable attention, and the exami-
nation of several witnesses.
It appeared front the evidence of Mr. Wingfield; surgeon,
and Mr. Rusher, apothecary, of Oxford. that the deceased
died in cousequeisce of taking corrosive sublimate on Sunday,
the 9th inst. ; but how he procured the sublimate could not
be ascertained. He lingered iu extreme agony until Sunday,
the 29t1, tai which day he died.
From the evidence given by Jane Harris, the wife of the
deceased, and other a itnesscs, it appeared that in May last
she left her husband, and cohabited tie about three weeks with
Henry Hyatt, a labourer, of ilcadington, a married moan.—
Hyatt is a young matt; her hmhand was only 31 years of
age. She did not leave her husband on account of any
quarrel. She left Hyatt, and stem to her sister's, from
w hose house her husband fetched her, Ile never afterwards '
reproached her. On Saturday the Ph inst. site was re-
lit. g foot work with her husband, when Hyatt came up
to her, and asked her how she anti, at %Inch her husband
was much irritated, tend challene,ed Hyatt to light, who de-
elated it then, but said he would tight him at any other time.
Hat Os and his wife then went home. No COIIVerSai kill passed
bet area them in going home. He a cat up stair, and said
" I wall go away," and immediately ram down stairs. His
ife °vet took him, and locked him in ; he then jumped out
of the is indow, and went stay, hut retained its a quarter
of an hour, and went to lied. Did not speak all night, but
appeaied much agitated and distressed in tnisid. About
right o'clock the next mortiiiig she asked Win to get up and
have his breakfast; he refused. She then went dose stairs
and fetched some milk, a hid' she took up stairs. Shortly
afterwards he said to her, " I have been and took some poi
son." Site looked at hint, and saw him wills a cup in has
band, which she took from him, but lie had drank the greater
part of the contents. Mr. Rustier was sent for, who examined
the remainder of the liquid in the cup, and found it to be at
before stated, corrosive sublimate.
Elizabeth Willie, a near neighbour of the deceased, ttr.,
one of the es ituesses, stated, that, in her opinion, " VPte de.
ceased had not been its his plotter wind for sante tittle,"
es hich was evidently occasioned by his jealsogsy of Hyatt.—
It appeared also, by the evidence of t.tlier witnesses, that
ow conduct of Harris had lately been very different to se hat
it hail been previtnetly to his elopement.
After the Coroner had se:mined up the evidence, the Jury
return d a That the deceased died in consequence
of having poison when in a state of temporary Mom
limy." bite Cormier then addressed Jane Harris is strong
terms; pointing out to her the gross impropriety of her coil-
dael, which was clearly proved to have been the cause of her
husband's premature death r anti that, in fact, she was
nionille. though .not ;mint of law, guilty of murder. Its
this address the Jury unanimously coincided.
The AOCIDENT AT ST. PAUL:* C•TLI0014 A 16-00 Mon-
day, at anon, an Inquisition was taken before T. Shelton,
Esq. Cormier for the City of London, at St. Bartholomew's
hospital, on the bodies of Thomas Moutgun and James May,
who were itidartunately killed by the falling of u scaffold
within the douse of St. Paul's Cathedral, oa Saturday morn-
ing last.
James Delaney, one of the labourers, deposed, that on
Saturday morning, a little before seven o'clack, he and
several others wets: employed in hauling up a pole, for the
purpose of erecting the scatfold, when suddenly the center
ledeer, which supports the planks, broke, and instantly the
whole of the norkiiien, eight in number, came down with
the scallottling, but most fortunately wily the deceased per
sons were precipitated on the hag stones; the others pro-
videntially becteenejammed between the boatds, and were
loan rescued from their situation, without any material
injury; witness fell with them, but saved himself by catching
hold of a ladder. The height of the scaffold was J 4 ket.—
hlelligan cause down upon his head, a hich appeared to be
dreadfully fractured, and when taken up etas quite insensible
and covered with blood; be died before he reached the
hospital. May received several severe bruises on his body
mid limbs, but was sensible. The pour fcllots were iustantly
conveyed to the hospital.
Mr. Linguard, a l yor, stated, that he mid several emi-
nent builders have examined the scatbild, which is perfects)
secure and strong; it is their °piano' the occurrence was
purely accidental. They have examined the center ledger
that hi tike, which appears to he perfectly sound, and in his
opinion the weight of eight men occasioned it to break.
On a question by a Juno., " Was it requisite to have so
many persons employed to hand up a scaffold pole I" Wit-
miss said " No ; he cutisidered tog would have been quite
sufficient, and that they bad dune it without any instructions
from their employer."
Mr. A. Maxfield, one of the House Surgeons in St. Rar.
tholoinew's hospital, then described the Willa, WO Of the suf.
ferers. He said, on examining Mohican, he found a severe
fracture of the skull, and that part of the brain had been
beaten in; he was quite dead, May, the other individual,
had hi, left thigh mid leg brultea ; his right area and some
part of his bat k bone appeared to have been driseti in by
the fall ; lie sum rived only a few loans.
The Jury, without a momeut's hesitation, returned as err
dirt of " Accidental death."

Monday evening at seven o'clock, an inquisition, which
la-red several hours, was taken before 1. Shelton, Esq.
Coroner for London mid Southwark, in the Hoard-room
of St. Thomas's Hospital, on view of the body of Joseph
Harris, aged 64, by trade a trunk-maker, who came to
his dr ath under the following circunistatiees. Toe in-
quest room was much crowded, as the case excited wore
than sit dinai y inlet est, and several respectable friends of
the deceased were in tendance.

The first witness called was Joseph Harris. He stated
that he is no relative to the deceased, and is a carpenter
by business. On the evening of last Saturday three
weeks, about half past eight o'clock, he was passing
along Oraceelinich-street, accompanied by his wife, and
1/11Sel veil two coaches coming from London-bridge, to•
wards 'limy were each drawn by four horses,
and were driving at a furious rate, and seemed to be
racing one against the other; one of them was a tittle a-
head. 'l•he deceased at that time was crossing from the
end of Lombard-street towards Gracechurch-street ; the
coach which was in the rear got on first, and passed the
deceased; seeing that lie was likely to be run over, lie
(witness) called out to the driver of the latter coach to
poll up, but lie drove oil, and before the poor mail had
time to get out of the way he was knocked down by the
leaders; the driver then pulled up the horses, and he ran
and took hold of the tents to pi event the coach from going
over him; the tore wheel passed over one of his legs, but
Slapped before it went over the other. ?Several person.>
as well as Wittnes, called out to the coachman to stop; bat