The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-20 00:00:00

PADDINGTON.

Mr. Arthur John Wood, one of the assessors appointed
by Government to discharge the duty of setting out the
wards and apportioning the number of vestrymen, under
the recent act for the local management of the metro-
polis, held a sitting yesterday in the Vestry-hall, Pad-
dington, for the purpose of apportioning the number of
vestrymen to be elected for that parish. The present is
a select vestry, of which the Bishop of London, 18 mem-
bers of Parliament, and several magistrates, are ex officio
members. The local parochial authorities who met the
learned assessor were Mr. Southwood, churchwarden ;
Mr. Hunt, overseer; Mr. F. Aveling, vestry clerk;
Capt. Liveing, Mr. H. M. Kemshead, J.P., Mr. R. L.
Jones, Mr. E. Bayli, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Martell', and
Mr. Gulch, members of the vestry; Mr. Robins, a rate-
payer ; and the collectors of the differect districts.
In reply to a question whether the Great Western
Railway was to be computed, •

The ASSESSOR said we intend to exclude from our
computation all water companies, gas companies, rail-
say and other companies, whose pipes or lines run
through several wards in the parish. If the railway is in
one ward we must include it, but if it runs through seve-
ral we cannot apportion it.
The VESTRY CLERK raplied that it ran through several
wards.

The returns of the four wards into which the parish
has been divided, made up from the collectors' bookl,
were then banded in.
The return of the persons rated in each ward, including
non-resident landlords, was as follows :—Ward No. 1,
number of persons rated, 1,271 ; Ward No. 2, 1,431 ;
Ward No. 3, 1,394; and Ward No. 4, 2,105.'
The next return' allowed the rateable value of the wards
to be :—Ward No. 1, 52,8721. ; Ward No. 2, 78,85°/.
Ward No. 3, 108,248/. ; Ward No. 4, 203,4181.
The acreage of the various wards is :—Ward No. 1,
170 ; Ward No. 2, 615 ; Ward No. 3, 290 ; Ward No. 4,
160.
Total number of persons rated in the parish, 6,201 ;
total rateable value, 443,390/. ; total acreage, 1,235.
The ASSESSOR, having looked at the returns, said they
were very creditably made up, and he had to thank the
collectors for having attended so carefully to his instruc-
tions. The learned gentleman then proceeded with his
calculation on the returns furnished by the collectors,
and in the explanations which ensued he ascertained
that they had personal knowledge that certain persons
were not occupiers though they were entered in the rate
books as such. Proceeding on that information, the
number of vestrymen who could be elected for the parish
was 72.
The ASSESSOR said that would be the number of Ves-
trymen if he acted on the personal knowledge of the col-
lectors, which he had no doubt was perfectly correct,
that some of the persons were not occupiers although
they so appeared in the occupiers' column. But it was,
a question whether a person entered in the occupiers
column was or was not a resident householder ? He would
not yet decide whether he could take parole evidence that
a person was not an occupier, or whethdr the rate-books
were the evidence by which ha was to be guided. It had
been held that, if the. name of a person appeared on the
rate-books, he was sufficiently rated, and they bad no
right to ask the overseer on what ground he had been
rated. Now, it was a question for him which he would
wish more maturely to consider, whether he was not
bound to take the rate-books as evidence. It appeared
to Lim at present that it was sufficient to find the names
in the rate-books, and that he should not take parole
evidence as to whether persons were resident or not.
He would, therefore, require from the collectors further
returns, giving, in addition to the number of persons
returned, those which they had excluded, on the ground
that they knew them to be non-resident.
The calculation of the number of vestrymen to be ap-
portioned to each ward, on the basis that the number of
rated householders, exclusive of non-residents, would
allow 72 vestrymen for the entire parish, was then made
by the learned gentleman ; but, as in the event of the
rate-books being the evidence by which he is to be
guided, the number would be increased to 84, the rela-
tive numbers to be returned by each ward cannot be
decided until the legal question is determined.
The business of the sitting having now concluded,
Mr. HAWORTH moved a vote of thanks to the learned
assessor, which was carried unanimously.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT THE GARRICK THEATRE.-0a
Tuesday night a woman, named Mary Sullivan, aged
43 years, while in the act of descending the stone steps
lealing to the pit saloon, by some means lost her equi-
librium, and fell a depth of 15 feet, whereby she received
a most extensive laceration of the scalp and fracture of
the skull. She was removed to the London Hospital,
where she now lies in a precarious stat e.
SUPERSTITION IN CHESHIRE.—A few days ago, in a
village not more than five miles from Tarporley, a wed-
ding party was assembled, and, according to some
superstitious notion prevalent in that neighbzurhood, If
the bride bake a cake with her ring in it, the person who
gets that part of the cake with the ring will be the next
to be married. Accordingly the bride baked a cake with
her rin; placed in the inside ; a young roan present took
the piece- of cake without knowing the sing was in it,
and ate both the cake and the ring.—Cheater aironide,

THE MURDER IN ARTILLERY-LANE.

INQUEST ON THE BODY.

[The following appeared in our third edition of last
evening.]

This morning an inquest was held by W. Baker, jun.,
Esq., deputy-coroner for the eastern division of Middle-
sex, at the Old Artillery-ground Court House, Fort-
street, Spitalfields, on the body of Catherine Lordon,
aged 45, who was so cruelly murdered yesterday morn-
ing by her husband, Daniel Lordon, at their residence
15, Parliament-court, Artillery -passage, Artillery-lane,
Bishopsgate-street.
The jury having been sworn viewed the body. Oa
their return the first witness called was

John Davis, residing at 15, Artillery-passage, la-
bourer. He deposed that he occupied an adjoining
room in the same house with the deceased and her hu a-
band, who was a velvet weaver. Yesterday morning
about seven o'clock, as he was lying awake in bed
he beard screams of " Murder" uttered seven or
eight times by the deceased, and proceeding from her
room, and her husband calling her opprobrious epithets.
He heard the deceased open the door and run down
stairs. Witness did not get up, because it was a frequent
practice for the deceased to cry murder when having a
row with her husband. About five minutes after ho
heard a person leave deceased's room and go down stairs,
treading heavily like the footsteps of a man, when he
heard deceased scream " Murder " three times, and the
person immediately return to the room. Witness dressed
himself and wont down stairs about six or seven minutes
after he heard the cries of murder, and saw the deceased
sitting on the landing in a crouching posture. He ob-
served blood on the upper landing against de
ceased's door. When he came out of his room,
deceased when he saw her appeared quite dead.
There was a great quantity of blood about the
landing, bannisters, and stairs, and also on her clothes.
Witness went and informed his fellow-servant (Ellen
Leary, residing at 7, Artillery-lane) what he had seen,
and on his return to No. 15, in about ten minutes, he
saw a doctor, a policeman, and the husband with the
deceased. Lordon said to him, " Holloa, John."
Witness said to him, "What do you call this l" He re-
plied, "I don't know ; it's a bad job." Witness said,
" Yes it is." The husband appeared as if he had been
drinking. He did not observe deceased was wounded
until Mr. Shaw, the surgeon, moved her head on one
side. He had never heard the husband threaten his
wife's life. They both drank very much, and he had
interfered on more than one occasion to separate them
when quarrelling and fighting.
By the Jury—There were persons living on the floor
where he found the deceased, but he did not alarm them.
Sarah Elias, wife of a general dealer, resided in the
same house as the deceased. She occupied the first floor
back, and did not hear any noise yesterday morning.
Had she heard any she should have taken no
notice of it, it being such a frequent occurrence
for the deceased and her husband to quarrel. About
half-past seven o'clock, or 20 minutes to eight, witness
came out of her room and found deceased sitting on the
top stair of the first flight of stairs, with her elbow on
her lap, supporting her face with her hands. She saw
blood about half a yard from where deceased was sitting.
Witness passed her, went downstairs, and returned
without speaking to her. About five minutes after her
attention was called to the arrival cf a policeman, and
Mr. Shaw, surgeon, and then it was she knew de-
ceased was dead. She heard no screams of murder that
morning. Witness was much disturbed about 2 o'clock
in the morning by the deceased and her husband quar-
relling in the street. Deceased was apparently tipsy
at the time. Witness did not speak to deceased on the
landing, considering she was in liquor. The husband
was generally of quiet habits, and rarely tipsy; but the
deceased was scarcely sober one day in a month, and
quarrelled with everybody. She used vile language.
Witness never heard him call her other than "You dirty
blackguard, you have been drinking again."
Police sergeant, 13 H, Police constable, 59 11, and
Inspector Marsh gave similar testimony to that before
Mr. D'Eyncourt, at Worship-street, yesterday after-
noon, and reported in The Sun.
Margaret Lordon, one of the daughters of the de-
ceased, 18 years of age, deposed that, in accordance
with her mother's directions, she slept on the stairs.
She went at 10 o'clock on Monday night with her mo-
ther to a raffle, at the Green Dragon, Half Moon-street,
Bishopsgate-street. Her father was there, rather in-
toxicated, but not so much so but that he knew what he
was about. Two of her mother's brothers were also
there, and they quarrelled with her father, and one of
them, Daniel Crease, threatened to throw him down
stairs. Daniel Crease pushed her father, and he fell over
the stairs. A man named John Kingstone was at the
Green Dragon, but no quarrel took place between him
and her father. About one o'clock in the morning, just
as she and her mother got home, they were met at the
door by Kingstone. Her father returned home about
half an hour later, and saw her mother standing with
Kingstone at the step of the door. On coming up to

them he pushed Kingstone and went up stairs, leaving

her mother and Kingstone at the door. Her father
threw something out of the window, which she believed
struck Kingstone on the face, after which he came down
with a poker and struck Kingstone. A struggle took
place bet ween them. He then went up stair; and she
saw no more of her father that night. Witness and her
mother slept that night on the stairs, being afraid
to go to her father's room. Her two brothers, aged 12
and 14, slept with her father. They were called by her
mother, who knocked at the door, one at half-past 5,
and the other at 6 o'clock, and left to go to their work.
After the boys had left, witness and her mother left the
house about a quarter to 7 in the morning, followed by
her father to Sandy's row, Bishopsgate-street, but she
did not hear him speak to either of them. She and her
mother walked up Bishopsgate-street until the clock
struck seven, when she parted with her mother at
Wbitegate-street, which was the last time she saw
her mother alive. Her father had previously gone in
the direction towards home. When she parted with her
mother she turned to go home to wash herself. She
said she felt wretched and miserable. Mother was per-
fectly sober yesterday morning, although she had had
a little drink over night. Witness believed her father
was jealous of Kingstone, but he made no remark to him
when he pushed him aside at the door step on Monday
night. Witness on her return home about 10 o'clock
with her mother, was sent by Kingstone for a pot of
porter, which they drank at the door.
By the Jury—When her father struck Kingstone with
the poker he threw him down, but was unable to take
the poker from him. Her father got up and went up
stairs directly. Kingstone left five minutes after, at the
request of deceased, to get a policeman to take her father
into custody. She did not think her father heard what
her mother said.

The knife produced by the policeman was identified by
the girl as belonging to her father, who used to keep it
in his chest after he had finished his day's work when
out of employment. He had been out of work some
time. Her father last worked as a labourer at the tea
warehouse in Cutler-street. She saw him on Sunday
night last put the knife and his tioket in the chest close
by the bedstead.

By tho Jury—Kingatone was an old friend of her
father's, and he had frequently brought him to their
house.

Mr. Henry Shaw (Shaw and Fl
was
o y ear ),
surgeon,o f Bis h
ando p sg
wa tae
was
Without, deposed
gthtabtvhiesi
ye
finouornndina—lar . of blood in her lap
found
dd odneaMd.ondHa
pooleciabevtheethdeceased, whom he
awith blood. On moving
wounds on the neck
and her clothes muchosnaetujruasfet
collar bone in a
the head aside he saw two large
.was an oblique
under the right ear ;
to near the
line with it about an inch and a haallidlong, the other
latter
about three inches and a half long,
wound extending from the angle of the
He put his finger into the wounds the
ed
shoulder. The muscles were exposedal7,l
wound.
they extended to the vertebrae, near the collar bone. foundA
small portion of the vertebrae was was chopped broken,
showing great force must have been used in indicting
the wounds. A post mortem, examination of the body
showed the muscles were completely divided to
the vertebrae, and tho carotid artery half cut
through. The point of the knife produced was
slightly turned, as if from coming in contact with
the bone stated to be chipped. It was just the
kind of instrument he should have suspected the wounds
were inflicted by ; great force must have been used.
Witness found the lungs, liver, &c., healthy, and he
attributed' death to the loss of blood. He thought, from
the position of the wounds, they were inflicted when her
back was towards the party. She could not have sur-
vived the injuries two minutes.
By the Jury—The small wound was not sufficient to
cau.e death.

This being the whole of the evidence,
The Deputy-Coroner summed up the evidence to the
jury, remarking that in addition to the husband's state-
ments there was sufficient evidence to show that the
death of the unfortunate woman was caused by her hus-
band. Neither drunkenness nor jealousy was a sufficient
excuse for the committal of such a crime as this, and it
would be for the jury to consider what state of mind the
prisoner was in when he committed this act and the na-
ture of the offence. He quoted several cases where
death had resulted from wounds inflicted in haste re-
ducing the crime from murder to manslaughter, pointing
out their bearing on this case. If they were satisfied it
premediat
a fedact they would, of course, return a
verdicto
fa
verdictmurder.
0
w" a
The jury,
after quarter,,wilf
wilful
lf
murder"an hon hour's
g- caoinnsstulDntaat ioinei
returned
Lordon, the husband, adding that he committed the act
i through jealousy and drunkenness.