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

The Late Tragedy near Beading.

On Monday afternoon Mr J. J. Blandy, the coroner for
Reading, resumed the inquiry at the Public-office into the
circumstances connected with the deaths of Emma Legge,
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 Thames
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 sevenhOu;37—
Mr Legge, upholsterer of Tonbridge Wells, and brother
of the man Legge who deserted the deceased woman,
attended, and proved that on the night of Thursday week,
the day following that on which the man was supposed to
leave Reading, he came to his house at Tonbridge Wells,
and told him that he had left her and her children at Read-
ing, and that •he requested the witness if he heard from
Reading to allow them lOs per week and he would refund
the money. He told his brother he 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 evidence, 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 fall 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
an 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
body 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 he 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 a
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
other aide of her extended clothing. Witness raised an
alarm, and Mr Nixon came, and with wet towels extin-
guished the fire. Witness afterwards went into the room in
which it appeared deceased was making a pudding with her
Lackto theti fire.s nbwood on the fire,
some on
Turnhetrebheiandgbeinen chtheuml,
low
fender.
A guard
before the fire. Deceased said when she found herself
on fire she rolled about the floor, but receiving no reply to
was
por
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
half-past three. She died from the shock to the system front the injuries by the fire. She was so extensively burned that
nothing could be done, the case was hopeless. There was
a precisely similar case in the hospital from crinoline, and
that woman also was making a pudding. He thought she
would recover.
The Deputy Coroner referred to the fact that wornen's
attire could be .made fireproof at a very slight expense, and
it f
t was astonit.,hing that when they knew that a saturation
oungstat'e of soda or common alum would render them
safe front tire while wearing crinoline, they did not adopt
the pros ass,
The Jury said it was the most frightful case they had
heard, of, and their view of the body
showed that she had
to the letter been ,t burned to death, and was a victim to
the fashion of wearing crinolin e."
A veldiet of Accidental Des.th was recorded.

Tat TEMPLE CHURCII.—This 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 sermon will
be preached by the Venerable Archdeacon Robi non, D,D.,
canon of Rochester.