The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-18 00:00:00

The ter at Colney Hatch,

ADJOURNED CORONER'S INQL.,TEST AND

SPECIAL VERDICT.

Yesterday the investigation opened on Tuesday, the 10th
instant, at Coiney Hatch Lunatic Asylum. as to the death
of John S winey Phillips, aged 52, late confidential clerk to
Messrs. Rogerson and Ford, solicitors, of Lincoln's-inn-
fields, who was killed by another inmate named Daniel
Hobbs, on the sth instant, was resumed before Dr, Lankes-
ter, coroner for the central district of Middlesex, at that
institution.
The inquiry, which involves the general mode of con-
ducting and the character of so important an institution,
created very deep interest, and Mr. W. H. Bodkin, assist-
tact judge, and a large number of the visiting justices of
Middlesex, were present. Mr. Ford, in the employment of
whose firm deceased had been, again attended on behalf of
his relatives and friends.
Prior to resuming the evidence, which, it he remem-
bered, showed that on the sth of May a patient named Daniel
Hobbs came out of one of the closets with a piece of gas
piping, which he had torn from the wall, in his hand, and
that deceased attempted to take it from him ; that Hobbs
wrested the pipe from Phillips, and, striking him a blow on
the head with the gas pipe, at the end of which was a joint,
fella him to the ground; the jury proceeded to view the
closet, and also the half-padded rooms in which Hobbs and
deceased were placed in seclusion after the occurrence. The
gas piping had passed over the doorway of the closet, and
could be reached by a patient. Hobbs, the accused, was
placed in it, and although he exhibited symptoms of the
most complete insanity, he put up his hand and showed he
could reach the pipe. The half-padded cells are padded to
about the height of a man's chest, and are well lighted and
ventilated. On retorting to the inquest-room,
Dr. Sheppard, the senior medical officer, was recalled, and
subjected by Mr Ford to a severe cross-examination, as to
why, in the face of the two medical certificates, one repre •
senting Hobbs as a violent, restive, dangerous, and revenge-
ful lunatic, and the other stating deceased to boa paralysed,
harmless imbecile, they had been placed in thelsame ward,
and he produced the book in which he made the entry of
his own observations on both cases when admitted. In re •
ference to a statement Dr. Sheppard had made previous to
the adjournment, that he had at once placed Hobbs in No,
5 ward, with the rest of the paralytic patients, he wished to
correct it. He at first ordered him to the dangerous ward,
and on the following evming he was conveyed to No. 5
ward. He now produced the case book, containing the
entries made on admission with regard to the deceased,

and to his assailant, Hobbs. The first, with regard to
the deceased Phillips, made on the 13th April, was as fol-
lows :—" A strange but highly intellectual-looking man.
Symptoms, general paralysis, in an advanced stage." There
was a second entry with regard to Phillips, dated May 5,
the day on which he died, viz. :—" His conduct since his
admission has been characterised by extreme restlessness,
violent, and rapidly becoming emaciated. About 1 p.m. he
wes struck behind the loft ear by another patient." The
entry with regard to Daniel Hobbs, deceasedts assailant,
was made on April 21, and described him as "full of extra-
vagant delusions, paralysed, and impaired,"
In further cross-examination, Dr Sheppard said he gave
verbal directions as to the wards in which patients should
be placed. Placed Hobbs in the violent ward when he first
came in, probably in deference to the opinion of the medi-
cal man under whose certificate he had been sent ; hat his
own observations did not confirm that medical opinion. Put
Hobbs in the violent ward with a view to his own observa-
tions, and from reports as to his quiet conduct transferred
him on the following day to No. 5 ward. Received reports
from the warders of No. 5 ward as to Hobbs's conduct from
time to time, They generally were that he was violent and
destructive. Most of the patients in No. 5 ward were so.
Hobbs had been four times placed in seclusion on account
of such violence, and the deceased had been once in seclu-
sion since ho had been in the asylum before the day
of the occurrence. Had no doubt but that he had no-
tice both of deceased and Hobbs being placed in se-
clusion on the day of this occurrence. These reports
were made on small memorandum firms, and were after-
wards destroyed, Believed
.he received notice of the de-
ceased and Hobbs being placed In seclusion on the sth of
May, about two hours after the occurrence took place. Was
not called to see deceased until five o'clock, and then found
him in a comatose state. The wound on the head behind the
left ear had had blcod flowing from it, and did not appear to
have been washed. Saw deceased again about seven o'clock.
He was then rapidly sinking, and died at a quarter to 11.
Did not give any notice of the deceased's death to his rela-
tives, but forwarded the particulars of the case to the
coroner, as required by the Lunacy Act. Did not know.the
actual cause of the deceased's death until after making the
post-mortem examination. Dr. Sheppard also produced the
m. dical journal, in which there was an entry on May 9,
" John Swiney Phillips, died sth May; fracture of the
skull."

Francis E wens, the keeper present when deceased re-
ceived the blow from Hobbs, was recalled and said, after he
had wrested the pioce of gas pipe from Hobbs he saw there
was blood issuing from a wound behind deceased's left ear.
He did not think it serious at the time, but replrted the
occurrence immediately to U,her, the chief attendant of
No, 5 ward.

Thomas 11. Chancy, clerk to the asylum, produced the
certificate he had received from the medical officers, stating
that the death of the deceased had been " precipitated by a
blow on the head given by another patient." lle had sent
the letter produced to deceased's relations. It simply stated
that deceased had died on the sth of May, but not the cause
of death. It was not usual to state to relatives the special
cause of death, and he considered he had acted in this case
in accordance wiih the rule of the asylum.
The rule referred to was read, and stated that in case of
violent death notice should be sent, not only to the coroner
and registrar of
.the district, but to the chairman of the
visiting justices, the overseers of the parish to which the
patient belonged, and to the friends of the deceased
patient:

William Knapp, another keeper, deposed to running to
the assistance of Ewens when the occurrence took place.
He saw two pieces of gas piping which Ewens had taken
from the patient Hobbs. The deceased did not appear
much hurt, but was excited. They were both placed in
seclusion.

Thomas John Ford, inspector of the A division of the
asylum, said he received information of the occurrence
about a quarter to two o'clock, on We sth of May, and on
doing so he went to see Phillips, who was in one of the
half-padded rooms. He was excited, but he at that time did
not observe anything which made him think it necessary to
report to the medical officer. About five p.m. he was in-
formed that there was a great change in Phillips ; and on
seeing him, and finding his feet cold, sent a notice to •the
doctor that ho was required to ba seen, but did not recollect
that he stated that he had received an injury.
This being the close of the evidence the Coroner reca-
pitulated the circumstances, and gave his view of the law
of the case, which was that if they considered Hobbs a
responsible individual at the time he struck deceased, he
was liable to have a verdict of wilful murder or roan-
slaughter returned against him.

The Jury retired, and in about ten minutes came into
court with a verdict—" That the deceased, John Swiney
Phillips, died from the effects of a blow on the head in-
flicted by Daniel Hobbs, the latter being at the time in a
state of manaical insanity,"

They desired also to append the following :—" The
jury impannelled at the Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum on
the 10th and 17th of May, on the body of John Swiney
Phillips, and having returned a verdict to the effect that
the deceased came to his death by a blow from Daniel
116bbs, are desirous of calling the attention of th 9 visiting
justices to the necessity of issuing direction to the attendant
to send for the medical superintendent whenever an acci-
dent, however slight, occurs to the patients. The jury are
also of opinion that the gas pipes throughout the establish-
meat at Colney Hatch should be rendered more secure by
covering, so as to prevent the recurrence of attacks, by this
means, of one patient on another,"
The inquiry then terminated.

INTERESTING BUT NOT TRUE.—A Nottingham
correspondent has sent us a story to the effect that an infant
was floated in its cardlo on the turbulent waters of the Shef-
field flood to Mexborough, and was discovered unharmed
by the clergyman's wife, by whom it has been kindly
adopted. It is another version of a very pretty story which
has been current in Sheffield and the villages around ever
since the flood, and which in its most romantic shape repre-
sents the infant as having been floated from Malin Bridge,
as being the only survivor of a large family, as having pur-
ring at its feet in its wooden cradle a pet kitten, as having
been deposited on an embankment at Attercliffo perfectly
dry and unharmed. The story adds that it was found and
aaopt.-.d by the Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, who refused an offer of
£lOO from the mayor for his living relic of the great inun-
dation. We are sorry to spoil so pretty a story, but truth
compels us to say that there is not a word of truth in it.—
Sheffield Independent.
FRENCH VOLATILITY.—An anecdote that Mr
Wilberforce said had been related to him by Mr
Pitt :—" Shortly after the tragical fate of Mario Antoinette,
a French emiged of some distinction, a denizen of the
French Court, who had become acquainted with Mr Pitt by
meeting him there, took refuge in England, and on coming
to London went to pay his respects in Downing-street. As
was natural the conversation at once turned on the terrible
scenes of blood which had recently occurred in Paris, and
in particular on the cruelties wreaked upon the Queen. The
Frenchman was at length overcome, and he sobbed out,
" Ah I Monsieur Pitt, la pauvre Reine, la pauvre Reine I"
These words were pronounced with much emotion, when a
new idea possessed him, and starting from his chair he ex-
claimed, " Cependant, Monsieur Pitt-, it taut vous faire voir
mon petit chien dancer.' Then pulling a small kit from
his pocket, and calling 'out, "Fanchon, Fanchon, daises.
dansez !' he and the dog began to cut such capers together
that the Minister's gravity was quite overcome, and he
burst into a loud laugh, scarcely knowing whether to be
most amused or astonished."

A project has bee❑ started for the construction
of a railway through a pass in rho Andes ; the line would'
connect the Pooqic and Atlantic seaboards of the South
American continent.