The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-09 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday an inquest, which lasted for several hours,
was held at the Belvidere Tavern, Nunhead, Peckham,
before Mr. W. Carter, coroner for East Surrey, on the
body of Wm. Lester, aged five years, son of Mr. Thos.
Lester, of 27, Thornton-street, Horselydown.
The cause of this inquiry, which has created much ex-
citement in the locality, was a letter addressed by Mr.
Payne, the City coroner, to Mr. Carter, coroner for East
Surrey, to the effect that the deceased had been buried in
Nunhead'Cemetery without an inquest, having died a vio-
lent death. Mr. Carter accordingly issued a notice to the
churchwardens and overseers of the parish of Camberwell,
and to the minister, secretary, and sexton of the ce.
metery, to exhume the body.
Mr. John Benstead, registrar of births and deaths
for St. John, Horselydown, stated that he received a
certificate signed by Mr. 'White, surgeon, that the de-
ceased bad died from " scalds, effusion on the brain," &c.
Mr. 'William 'White, of 'Horselydown, surgeon, de-
posed that he attended deceased for scalds on the chest
and neck. Deceased 'progressed favourably for a week,
when he expired from effusion on the brain and fever,
which had existed since the scalds. His certificate was
to the effect that deceased had " died from scalds and
effusion on the brain."

The jury here, accompanied by the coroner, pro-
ceeded to the cemetery to view the body.
On the return of the jury to the inquest room,
The Qoroner asked whether the examination of Mrs.
Lester ought not to be proeeeded with, as without
that evidence the case could not be carried out ?

Mrs. Martha Lester, mother of deceased, stated that on
the 25th November last, about a quarter to five in the
swelling, she was sitting with her husband in their
kitchen. There were three other children present, in
addition to deceased, who was sitting on his father's
knee near the fire. They were taking tea, and the wit-
ness poured out some boiling water from the kettle into
a cup, which was held by Mr. Lester, for the purpose
of making the tea weaker for deceased, when the latter
suddenly threw his head back and turned over the cup,
the scalding water from which ran down his neck and
chest. Mr. White, the surgeon, was at once called to
attend deceased, but he sank and expired on the 14th
December.

Mary Ann Wright, of 50, Russell-street, Bermondsey,
deposed that she had known Mr. and Mrs. Lester for
28 years. On the 25th November last she heard some-
thing had occurred to the deceased. On going to the
house she found that the neck and chest of the child was
much scalded.

Coroner—Do you think that the father of deceased, or
the mother might have thrown the cup containing the
hot water at one or the other, and in that act have
scalded the child ? If that were the case, one or both
would be guilty of murder or manslaughter.
Witness said she of course could not give any positive
answer to that question, but they lived very happily to-
gether, and she considered the whole entirely the result
of accident.

This being the whole of the evidence,
The Coroner said that there could not be the slightest
doubt that deceased had died a violent death. The father
of deceased had on several occasions rebuked the Regis-
trar of the District for giving information of the cause
of the child's death to Mr. Payne, the coroner for the
city of London. He (the father), not satisfied with that,
paid a second visit to the Registrar, who felt that from
repeated applications he was bound to give information
to the coroner of the district. Whatever means might
be taken to evade the coroner's investigation, the facts
must, sooner or later, become known to the authorities.
The jury then returned a verdict of " Accidental
death" the Coroner giving an order for the re•interment
of the body.

LONDON AND (:)UTEL-EASTERN RAlLWAY.—Traffie re•
turn for the weekending Jan. 6, 1855 £17,291 14 4
Cornoponclizig week Lot YeAa'utlitirtrimiirm 104,208 17 5