The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-28 00:00:00

Death from Starvation,

A very painful inquiry was held by Mr. Jahn
Humphreys, Middlesex coroner, last evening, at
the Duke of York Tavern, King's-road, Homerton,
respecting the death of Mary Hale, aged 64. The
jury having been sworn proceeded to view the body
of the deceased, which lay in the room she had
occupied. Upon entering the small back room at
the top of a re-pectable-looking house (No. 16,
King'e•terrece, King's road) they found it destitute
of furniture, but more than ankle_deep with ashes,
and a heap of old rags and newspapers which had

'ortned her bed. Martha Harrison said she was a

lodger in the house where deceased lived. The
deceased had lodged there 18 months, and about

tour years in the next house, She had been a
servant, and had earned her own living for 40
years. She was a single woman. The witness was
out at work daily, and therefore she did not know
much about the deceased ; but she believed that
she used to go out charing for a fe Qv halfpence when
she could get it to do. She was not employed more
than two or three days in the week, and she could
not have got 61 a day at most. When she was
out the witness believed she got something to eat,
but could not say if she had anything when at
home. She was very reserved, and she used to
keep her outside clothes very clean and neat. She
was thinly and poorly clad. She had no clothes
fit for the weather. The witness saw her last on
Wednesday ; on Friday she was missed, and her
room entered. She was dead on the floor. There
was no bed but rags and all manner of things—old
papers, &c., in the corner. An old broken chair
and a table were there, but no other furniture of any
kind. Her sister was comfortably off; she war
stewardess on board the Queen's yacht, and she
paid the deceased's rent. Mary Ann,Wright, an-
other lodger in the same house, said that she could
not say if the deceased had anything to eat at home.
She sometimes said to witness, "I should like a few
sprats." Witness, if she got any, would put a few
on a plate and leave them outside deceased's door.
The deceased would come out and take them, and
go in and lock herself in again. Mr. William Har-

bin, 1, King's.road, said he believed what he gave
the deceased was her principal Support. She used
to come and clean the place for a few hours on Sa■
turdays, and he gave her ls. and her food, She was
very honest. His wife used to give her gowns, but
she latterly became so badly dressed that he could
not let her come to his house, and he told his wife
to pay her without coming. Twelve months ago he
applied to the parish for her, and she was allowed
two weeks' relief; they then wanted her to enter the
house, and as she refused she got no more. In con-
sequence of an allegation that was made the follow.

ing letters found upon deceased were produced by the
police, and read by the Coroner to the jury—" Royal
Yacht; Cowes, July 20.—My dear Sister, I hope these
few lines will find you well, as I am happy to say
they leave roe, thank God. I have been going to
write so many times, and then I have to go away.
The Queen is going to Scotland again this week.
I have been to Antwerp with the Princess Alice,
and the Ist of September we shall have to take the
Queen over to Antwerp ; she will be away six
weeks, then I shall be home to Pimlico. Eliza and

the three children•, and al► of them, are quite well.
I have a few old things of mine that you may find
useful if I could send them, I hope you will nut
make yourself unhappy about Mr Seeley's rent. I
shall be home and let him have it when I get it—
they keep us so long without it. I shall be in Lon-
don on Wednesday. God bless you. I remain
your affectionate sister, E. Belbin.', The Coroner
said the next letter was dated Nov. 30, and was as
follows—" I have got a few old things I will send
you, but they are not, 1 assure you, worth much. I
wrote to Anne after I received your letter, and
asked her if she had any to let mehave them, and
if so I will send to you this week. I will put the
money to pay the carriage in the parcel inside, and
I will send by the Parcels Delivery. As soon as I
get some money I will send to Mr Seeley. The
Queen will spend Christmas at Osborne, and then I
shall have only to cross to Cowes on board the
Fairy. I shall be happy to hear from you when-
ever you like to write:, Dr F. Daly said that he
was called in and found the deceased dead on the
fluor. The room was the most miserable that he was
ever in. A teapot and two broken plates on the
floor could not have been used for years, for they
were encrusted with earth. There were two old
bones, but there was nothing on them, and there
was a bit of old and hard crust. The de.
ceased's dress was quite thin and fi:tby ;
he had to eat the rags off her body to examine
it, She was dreadfully emaciated. There was r com-
plete absence of fat in the body. The stomach -was
empty, and the small intestines were empty and
c)ntracted, as in cases of death from starvation.
The blood was very thin. There was no organic
disease. Death arose from cold and starvation.

The Coroner said there did not seem to be any
ground for blaming the sister of the deceased; she
bad paid the rent; and even if she were written to

by Mr Harbin, she might not easily have believed
that deceased was really in such frightful circum•
stances. The jury returned a verdict " That de•
ceased was found dead in a certain room from the
mortal effects of cold and starvation."