The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-15 00:00:00

Extraordinary Inquiry.

A protracted inqy was held last evening by Mr W.
Payne, coroner for the City of London, at the Vestry-room,
Fountain-court. The inquest was held on the body of a
newly-born male child, and, owing to rumours of an extra.
ordinary character, excited great interest. Mr Clines, vestry
clerk,attended to watch the case on behalf of the parish autho-
rities, and the Rev. Mr Roberton, incumbent of St. Botolph,
Aldgate, the Rev. Mr Hunt, curate, and Mr Churchwar
den King, C.C., were also present. The first witness railed
was Walter Parkhale, who said that he was steeple-keeper
and gas-lighter of the parish of St I3otolph. On Friday
last, at twelve o'clock, he saw the body of the deceased
child in the vault of the church of St Botolph, Aldgatc. It
was wrapped up in a newspaper. Miss Hammond, the
sextoness, brought him a meesage from the curate, the
Rev. Mr Hunt, to come to him in the vestry-room. Wit-
ness accordingly went thither, and Mr Hunt told him that
there was a parcel down in the vaults, and that he
wanted the skeleton of a child. Ha said, "There is no
other way of doing it but to boil it." Mr Hunt gave
witness a shilling to buy a saucepan to boil it in. Ho was
to bring the pot to Mr Hunt on Saturday evening.
Witness went out and told Mr Wllliam Biggs and the
sextoness. It was after that coFiersat.on :hat witness
went into the vault and saw the body in the parcel.
Witness took it up and put it in a shell. Witness did not
Ibuy the pot, as he did not think it right. He did not see
the curate after the Friday. In consequence of informa-

tion given to them, the churchwardens ordered the vaults
to be locked np. Mary Hammond, sextoness to thi
church, said that on Wednesday last the curate came to
the church, and said to witness, " Open the vault door,
and let me down there." He said no more, and witness
opened the vault and turned on the gas. The curate had
a parcel, and he took it down into the vault and left it
there. Witness thought it was a bundle of clothes. Wit.

ness then locked the vault. Mr Hunt told witness not to
let the steeple-keeper go away before he saw him. The
steeple-keeper came out, and told witness that Mr Hunt had
given him a shilling to buy a pot to boil 'the child in.—Mr
William Biggs said that on Friday last he officiated at St.
Botolph's Church as parish clerk. Witness was speaking to
Miss Hammond, when she told him Mr Hunt had deposited
a bundle of clothes in the vault. Witness thought that was a
strange place for clothes, and when Parkhale came out, after
speaking to the curate, witness said, in a jocular manner,
" Bring out the baby from the vault." Park hale, to his sur-
prise, answered, "Yes, he has given me a shilling to buy a pot
to boil it in." Witness went to Mr Churchwarden King,
and told him what had occurred, and the vaults were con-
sequently locked up. On Saturday Mr Hunt-called and
asked for the key, but on being told that by Mr King's
orders the vaults were locked, he said, "Mr King is a fool,
and a big fool." Mr David King said that he was church-
warden of the parish of St. Botolph. On Saturday he
requested the Rev. Mr Reberton, the Rev. Mr Hunt,
and Mr Clines, the vestry clerk, to meet him in the
vestry room, and at three o'clock he met them there.
He cautioned the Rev. Mr Hunt as to any statement
he might make, and asked him for an explanation of the
charge. The rev, gentleman treated the matter with
great levity. He said that the body was that of a fee:us
and not of a child, and that he only wanted to boil it to get
the skeleton. When asked, "How and from whom did you
get it ?" he declined to answer. A surgeon was then sent
for, and from what transpired they sent to the coroner.
Afterwards Mr Hunt stated that he wanted the child for
scientific and anatomical purposes. Mr Holman, m.R.u.s.,
said he had examined the body, which was that of a well-
formed seven months' child, only very recently born. He
believed the infant was alive up to the time of birth, but
might have died curing birth. Judging from ap-
pearances he did not believe that a medical man
had been present at the birth. The Rev. Mr. Hunt
was examined at great length. He had been pur-
suing for some time anatomical studies, and in doing
this he contended there was nothing inconsistent with his
duties as a clergyman. He had attended a complete course
of lectures by Mr Savory, the eminent lecturer on anatomy
and physiology, at Bartholomew's Hospital, and that gen-
times entirely agreed with him as to the benefit a theolo-
gian would derive from those studies. Dr Thynne last Wed-
nesday gave him the foetus as a present. Having no
convenience at his lodgings he took it to the vaults,
and told Parkhale to buy a pot to warm water on
81urday for the purpose of dissection. He then
remarked upon what he considered the extraor-
dinary conduct of Mr Churchwarden King, and when in-
formed by the sextoness that Mr King had ordered her to
keep the vault locked he was naturally amazed, and told
the sextonesa in a good-natured way to tell Mr King that
he was a fool. He solemnly declared that the words " boil"
and " saucepan" were never used by him. Dr. Thomas
Thynne proved giving the body of the child, which was
stillborn, to Mr Hunt. Dr. Hadlow and Dr. Barnes
gave evidence as to Mr Hunt being devoted to medical
studies. The coroner in summing up expressed an opinion
that the churchwardens had done their duty in investi-
gating this case, as the public mind would not have been
satisfied without an inquiry. The jury delivered a verdict
to the following effßci.—" That the deceased child was
still-born, and the jury, while admitting the right of the
Rev. Mr. Hunt to study medicine, are of opinion that it
would be better if he confined his studies to matters of a
clerical character, to the exclusion of the study of ana-
tomy."

Dreadful Sufferings of a Ship's Crew,

On Saturday the Anchor Line steamer Caledonia arrived
at the Tail of the Bank from New York. She had on board
three of the crew of the brig Ayrshiro Lass, of Ardrossan,
which vessel the Caledonian fe 1 in with about 7 p.m. on the
9th inst., in latitude 55 N. longitude 13 W. with a flag of
'diStresssliying: Kboat was immediately sent on board the
brig from the steamer, when it was found that the Ayrshire
Lass was a complete wreck and water-logged. The sur-
vivors of the crew of the brig were only three in number,
and were very much exhausted. They were accordingly
sent on board the Caledonia, and the second officer of the
steamer, with a number of men, wtre left on board the brig,
The Caledonia then took tho Ayrshire Lass lu tow. Mr
Brown, mate of the Ayrshire Lass, states :—We loft
Miramichi on the 26th September, with a cargo of deals,
bound for Ardrossan, and had proceeded on our passage,
all well, till the forenoon of Sunday, the 23d October, in
latieude 54 30 N. latitude 11 20 W., when the vessel was
struck on the starboard bow with a heavy sea, which
threw her over on her beau, ends. The captain and two
of the crew were below in the cabin asleep at the time,
and were drowned. After the vessel had been on her
beam ends for about half an hour, the mate managed to
cut away the main topmast backstay, which allowed the
main topmast to break away, and it carried away the
foremast close to the deck. The vessel then righted. The
decks were clean swept of everything ;:and all the beef and
water we had on board, being on the deck, was therefore
lost. The cabin was filled with water and the vessel water.
logged. Next day, Monday, wo managed to hook up a
small bag of biscuits from the cabin. They were quite
soft, having been in the water for 28 hours. On the next
Monday the biscuits were about done. Then we killed the
dog, and on it we survived, with a very small portion of
biscuit for other ten days. On the 9th, at two p.m. we
had finished the dog, and had nothing to eat, thus having
been 17 days on the wreck. At seven p.m. on the same
night we were picked up by the Caledonia, Last Sunday, a
barque, supposed to be a foreigner, passed us, and although
they saw our signals, no attention was paid to them, Last
Saturday we got the bodies of Capt, James Grant, and one
of the crew, named Andrew Hudson, out of the cabin and
buried them at sea. The body of the other seaman, named
Lawrence Smith, was never seen." The Ayrshire Lass, as
she lies at the Tail of the Bank. is a complete wreck. The
bulwarks are carried away on both sides, and the foremast
is clean away by the cock. The cabin furniture is all
broken up. The jibboom is broken away, and all the fore
chains are bent up.—Greenock Telegraph.

PURSUED BY INDIANS.—The Kansas correspon
dent of the New York Times gives an account of the re
treat of an expedition sent a few weeks ago against the
Indians, but suddenly encountered by superior numbers :
"As soon as our party faced about to return, we had a
lively and most exciting exhibition of their peculiar tactics.
Yelling, they circled nearly around us, at a distance of from
50 to 200 yards, each warrior siding at the top cf his pony's
speed, circling to the left, always firing, and falling back to
reload. Ihe circle immediately near to us had about 200
warriors in it, and about 300 more reinforced them as need
'night be, while from the west hundreds of others, mounted
or on foot, could be seen either hastening to the fight, or
looking on as spectators. Our force consisted of about 60
men. We occupied the cuter, falling back slowly, the rear
or front platoon, as the needs might be, facing about, or right
or left, and by well directed volleys checking the yelling
devils' furious ride and attack. Many of them must have
been killed and wounded, as wo could see them fall, be put
on ponies again, and carried to the rear. The scene wet; ex-
citing beyond description. We retreated in good order for
two or three miles, when the report was circulated that am-
munition was growing scarce. The order to countermarch
became in danger of le3ing a rout. By the strenuous exer-
tions of the officers the men were restrained till the main
command appeared in sight, on the south side of the
stream. Our difficulty was to get across. The banks were
narrow and abrupt. The 'alums knew our object,
and strenuously endeavoured to prevent i,. At every
ravine they sought to cut us off, and when we made a stand
they sot fire to the prairie, so as to smoke Ili out. One of the
Indians made himself conspicuous by his dashing courage
and dai ing horsemanship. Many of the men made especial
attempts to shoot him, but seemingly he bore a charmed
life. It made no difference, to all appearance, on what part
the horse ho rode. The fabled Centaur could not lave been
so completely identified with his animal as these Indians
are with theirs. In riding the circle all of their body visible
was one arm and leg where they hung on the off side.
Under the neck, belly, between the legs, it seemed to make
no difference whence they fired. I know that the balls or
arrows came most unpleamantly
close. Riding without
saddle or bridle, lariat loose and trailing on the ground,
guiding the ponies by voice and limb, if one was dismounted
all ho had to do was to grasp the trailing lariat, and he was
_ remounted quiok,r than it takes to tell the model