The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-05 00:00:00

Alleged Death from a Fight.

On Monday the coroner, Mr J. B, Grindon, hold an in-
quest at the Infirmary, Birmingham, touching the death
of Chalks Burden, who had died in that institution, it was
supposed, from injuries caused in a fight with another man,
named Gao. Carpenter.

Mr E. C. Board, house surgeon at the infirmary, said the
deceased was brought into the house on Tuesday last. He
saw him shortly afterwards, and observed symptoms like
those arising from an affection of the bladder. He was at
first treated for that disease, but in consequence of hearing
that ho had met with an accident witness made an alteration
in the mode of treatment. He died on Friday afternoon,
and on Saturday a post-mortem examination was made.
Witness ascertained rupture of the bladder to have been
the cause of death. That rupture must have been the resul
of external violence. It was not an extensive rupture—it
was about an inch long. Surgical treatment could not have
saved life in a case of that sort. There was no other cause
of death apparent.
Thos. Lewis, landlord of the Bristol and North Somerset
Ea:away Inn, St. Philip's Marsh, stated that he knew
Chas. Burdon. He was a combmaker, about 39 years of
age, and a married man with five children. On Monday
last deceased was at witness's house. Between six and
seven in the evening witness was engaged in the front par-
lour, when he heard a commotion in the taproom. He went
there and saw Carpenter and Burden. They were quarrel-
ling ab )ut the cards. He was very angry at the sight of the
cards, and he seized them immediately and sent for a po-
liceman. In the meantime he saw several blows with fists
pass between the two men. They closed together, and fell
heavily on one another on the floor. They fell three times.
The last time Burden was undermost, and his head struck
a leg of the table. His head bled, but not a great deal. Wit-
ness did not hear him complain of having received any in-
ternal injury. Witness left the room, and Burdon was takes
home in a cart by his brother-in-law.

By a Juror—They were not over remarkably gone with
drink, but they had been drinking together, and appeared to
be perfectly sensible. Carpenter brought the cards into his
house without his knowledge and against his rules. He
said he had fetched them at Burdon's desire.

Henry Cock, cooper Newtown, said he had a slight know-
ledge of the deceased. He was in his company on that day
week at the Bristol and North Somerset Railway Inn. He
was there at a quarter past six, and saw Carpenter and
Burdon playing at cards there. Carpenter was a coachman
out of employ. A dispute took place between them. They
had arranged that the first man who played a false card
should forfeit a chalk. It appeared Carpenter played a
false card, and the deceased took a chalk. Then deceased
played a false card, and Carpenter wanted to take a chalk,
but the deceased would not allow him to do so, and then a
dispute occurred. They began to fight, and when they had
had ono round he stopped them, and one of them hit him
on the nose for so doing. They then sat down qu'etly for
a time, but again fought, and Mr Lewis came into the
room. They fell three times, and witness again separated
them. It appeared to him that neither of them had sus-
tained any serious injury ; but on one occasion Burden fell
very awkward—all of a heap on his face. He did not corn,
plain of being hurt. Both men were tipsy. Immediately
after the fight witness found Burdon lying down moaning
in the yard.

George Carpenter, after being cautioned by the coroner,
said the evidence which had been given contained nothing
but the truth. Ho believed, however, that the deceased
since he had been in the infirmary had given his opinion
that he (Carpenter) had not caused the injury.

The deceased's wife was called, and she stated that what
her husband said at the infirmary was that he felt hurt
before he was put in the cart, but the jolting of the cart had
not done him any good.

The Coroner summed up, leaving to the jury tt o ques-
tions—Was the rupture the re-zult of violence? and, if so,
was that violence intentional or accidental ?

The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from
ruvure of the bladder.

lADVERTISEMENT.]—HoIIoway's Ointment.—All varie-
ties of ulcerations, bad legs, sores, wounds, and eruptions,
can be cured by the diligent use f this cooling, soothing,
and healing unguent. Tiao old and often-failing fashion
of strapping the edges of ulcers together with plasters has
entirely given way before the more reasonable treatment
by Holloway's ointment, which builds up from the bottom
of the wound with sound and healthy granulations; these
gradually grow till they reach the level of the surface, then
contract, harder, and immediately become covered with a
new and wholesale skin. The proper application of this
ointment diminishes the inflammation, causes the un-
healthy discharge first to grow thick then to cease. The
pills should be taken, so as to act in unison with the oint-
wont.