The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-17 00:00:00

The Late Tragedy near Reading.

On Monday afternoon Mr J. J. Blandy, the coroner for
Reading, resumed the inquiry at the Public-offict, into the
circumstances connected with the deaths of Emma Legg:e,
25 years, and her three children—Flora Legge, six years,
Louis Legge, three years, and Napoleon Legge, three
months—all of whom were taken out of the river Themes
at Caversham, near Reading, last Wednesday morning, as
reported in Thursday's impression.

The additional evidence taken was of considerable
length, and the proceedings lasted nearly seven hou .a.
Mr Legge, upholsterer of Tonbridge Wells, and ',brother
of the man Legge who deserted the deceased si omen,
attended, and proved that on the night of Thursday week,
the day following that on which the man was suppo ,:ed to
leave Reading, he came to his house at Tonbridge 'IVeIIB,
and told him that he had I.ft her and her children at read-
lug, and that he requested the witness if he beard from
Reading to allow them lOs per week and he would rei-and
the money. He told his brother ho led a wretched life, as
they were always quarrelling, and he was quite unfitted for
work. The witness had previously advised his brother to
take the woman to her friends at Reading and sever the
connection, as he never understood they were married.
Several persons who saw the deceased woman in Reading
subsequent to Legge leaving her gave evieence, from which
it appeared there was nothing in her manner, appearance,
or conversation to lead them to the conclusion that she was
not in the full possession of all her mental faculties, and
they were not impressed with the idea that she was utterly
destitute, A sum of 14s was left by her at her lodgings
when she started for Caversham.
The Coroner carefully summed up, and said there was
no satisfactory evidence to show that the woman was
otherwise than in the full possession of her mental facul-
ties; and there was no evidence either of such destitution,
such want, as would lead a person rashly to commit such
ran act as the destruction of herself and offspring. He
pointed out the circumstances in the case which showed
that the two eldest children must have been fed, and the
infant suckled immediately prior to their being drowned,
and he suggested that it was possible, in the absence of
proof as to how they came into the water, they might have
been accidentally drowned, perhaps through one of the
children falling into the river through a thousand little
accidents that might have happened.

The jury deliberated for a short time and returned an open
verdict of "Found drowned."
The man Legge has not been heard of since the morning
of Friday week, when he left his brother's house at Ton-
bridge Wells.

Mr Pain, solicitor, of Reading, Woking, and Frimley,
attended, and watched the proceedings on behalf of Legge,
the alleged husband.

A Victim to Crinoline—A Frightful Case.

Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held by Dr. W.
Hardwicke, deputy coroner for Central Middlesex, on the
bogy of Mrs Susannah Bailey, aged 36 years, the wife of a
commercial traveller, who fell a victim to fire, and met an
agonising death through wearing crinoline.

Mr Richard Bailey, husband to deceased, said he had no
family, and occupied apartments at 23, Storey-street,
Caledonian-road. On Sunday morning last he left home
for a ramble and to return to dinner for half-past one.
When ho entered the house he saw the landlady in the
passage with other persons, who told him his wife was in
the hospital. He went there and was informed by her that
her muslin dress caught fire while her back was to the
grate. She wore an extensive crinoline, but he appre-
hended no danger from fire, as he had a fireguard always
in use. _ _

-- ---
Jane Rogers, the landlady, said on Sunday morning last,
at a quarter to 12, she saw deceased come down stairs in
complete body of flame. She ran into the back yard, where
witness threw nearly a pail of water over her, but the act
seemed to excite the greater progress of the flames on the
ao
ltahremr sideand of
MrNixon
her
ose, and with wet towels extin..clothing. Witness raised analarm,
guished the fire. Witness afterwards went into the room in
whi
to the
ehitapre:A deceased was making a pudding with her
back There had been chump wood on the fire,
some portions nnburnt being in the low fender. A guard
was before the fire. Deceased said when she found herself
on fire she rolled about the floor, but receiving no reply to
her appeal for help, she ran down stairs.
Mr Charles Willett, house surgeon of the Great Northern
Hospital, deposed to the deceased being admitted about 12
o'clock in blankets, every vestige of clothing having been
burnt off her. Every part of her body, with the exception
of the soles of her feet, were extensively scorched and
burned. She was in a very collapsed state, and sunk at
thhael fi-npjausrti
etsh rbeye t
hSeh
fie
rdei.n ds ihree rwsi
atsh esosheoxcteknt,oivtipleym
sbyt 1.8 rt ne d fromthat
nothing could be done, the ease was hopelcsa. There was
a precisely similar case in the hospital from crinoline, and
that woman also was making a pudding, Ile thought she
would recover.

The Deputy Coroner referred to the fact that women's
attire could be made fireproof at a very slight expense, and
it was astonishing that wlv.it they knew tLat a saturation
of tungstate of soda or common alum would render thun
safe from fire while wearing crinoline, they did not adopt
the process. _ _

had
herialleojf,uarnydgathideiritvreaws
to the letter been "burned to death, and was a vtetitu to
the fashion of wearing crinoline."
otth e
the most
body frightfulhoed case they had
Re t
A verdict of Accidental Death was recorded.

THE TEMPLE CHURCIL—Thie beautiful structure,
which has been thoroughly cleansed during the vacation,
will be reopened for Divine service on Sunday, the 2d of
October. There will be a full choir, and the acumen will
be preached by the Venerable Archdeacon iiobinsou,D,D.,
canon of Rochester.

R. ALFRED MELLON'S CONCERTS 1
EVERY EVENING, at Eight.
ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN.
Mdlle. Carlotta Patti, Mdlle. Marie Krebs ; Mr. Levy, Mr.
Patey, Mr. It. S. Pra.ten. and Ali Ben Sou-alle, This Even,

1.13 g.
BAND OF ONE lIIINDRED PERFORMERS.
The Programme is varied every Evening.
Conductor, Mr. ALFRED MELLON.
Promenade, Amphitheatre Stalls. and Amphitheatre, One
Shilling, ; Dress Circle, 2s. ed. ; Private Boxes, £1 ls. and
les. ed.
To-morrow, Thursday, a Mendelssohn Night:

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.--.
Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining.
THIS EVENDTG, BORN TO GOOD LUCK. Paddy
O'Rafferty, Mr. Dominick Murray.
After which, THE STREETS OF LONDON. Messrs.
Vining, J. W. Ray, D. Fi her. D. Murray, J. Nelson. 11.
Forre'ter. H. Mellon ; Iflrs. Henry Masaton, Miss Emma
Barnett, and Miss Fanny Gwynne.

W T HEATRE-RO lAL, ADELPHL—
soie Pronrlßtor and Manarzer. '4lr. B. ‘VF.-bster.
THIS EVENING, MY WIFE'S MAID. Vessrs. J, L.
'oofe, F. Bedford, IL Phillips, and Mr.. Alfred Mellon.
After whicl), MASKS AN D FACES. Messrs. B. Webster,
p. Bedford, It. Billington, Stuart ; M.
stirling,
Mn.o Billington. and Miss 11. Simms.
'lt; conclude with THE ACTOR'S RETREAT. Messrs.
J. L. Toole, P. Bedford, R. and Miss Woolg,a.

Commence at 7.

CCUNTRY and SEASIDE DRESSES.
Messrs. JAY, of Regent-street, have now in stock a
variety of WASHING 6IL1( DRESSES, suitatle for the
country and seaside, and at the c.earing--out puce of only
£1 11$. 6d. the dress.

J AY' S,
247, 249, and 251, Reg-oat-street.

BLACK SILKS.—The Price of Silks in the raw
material has already e am 15 per cent,and it will soon
reach a far treater per-centage. Messrs. JAY, therefore,
invite their numerous patrons to take advantage of the stock
they ,have on hand, which they can nowdispose of on favour.
able terms ; but the same qualities will naturally bs; more
Co3tly as the price of silk fluctuates to a higher average
JAY'S,