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

Extraordinary Inquiry.

A protracted inquiry 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 called
was Walter Parkhale, who said that he was steeple-keeper
and gas-lighter of the parish of St Botolph. On Friday
last, at twelve o'clock, he saw the body of the deceased
child in the vault of the church of St Botolpb, Aldgate. It
was wrapped up in a newspaper. Miss Hammond, the
sextonees, brought him a message 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 toil it." Kr Hunt gave
witness a shilling to buy'a saucepan to boil it in. He was
to bring the pot to Mr Hunt on Saturday evening.
Witness went out atd told Mr William Biggs ar.d the
sextoness. It was after that conversat 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
buy 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 up. Mary Hammond, sextoness to the
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 efficiated at St.
Botolph's Church as pariah 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. Butolph, On Saturday he
requested the Rev. Mr Roberton, the Roy. 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 fetus
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 ho wanted the child for
scientific and anatomical purposes, Mr Holman, M.R,C.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-
tleman entirely aareed with him as to the benefit a theolo-
gian would derive from those studies, Dr Thynne last Wed-
nesday gave him the flatus 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
Saturday for the purpose of dissection, Ile 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 sextoness 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 effec.,—" 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-
, teeny."