The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-29 00:00:00

DEATH OF THE HON. MAJOR
FORESTER.

ADJOURNED IN'QuEsr,

rebpeGtabie jury, r,-.11-iva to the death of 1,40 -H on.
‘.lajor Forester, who had died saddenly on the previous
•Aneiday night at his town residence, in Cavendish
From the position of the deceased the inquiry
itarauy soused some excitement in the neighbourhood,
ad the room was very much crowded.
The Hon. Cecil Forester, deceased's brother, sub•
imptroller of her Majesty's household, and lieutenant-
- tonal in the Horse Guards, said the deceased returned
very ill from Ireland; on Thursday witness was hastily
summoned to deceased's residence from the Regent's-
park Barracks, but deceased had died before witness
tscrived.
roan Millet', deceased's valet, said that for seven weeks
deseased suffered greatly from pains in the loins and
mach; at first Dr. Chapman attended him, but sub-
,ue.ntly discontinued his attendance. After eating a
Ivy breakfast on Wednesday morning he started for
city at half-past ten, returning home in a cab about
:f-past twelve. He was so ill that he had to be carried
his room. The pains through his body were fright-
and he took it hot bath; after which he lay on the
'a. At two o'clock witness went out with the carriage

th Lady Forester, when his master gave hire a pre-

iption to be made up at Savory and Moore's, Bond-
.ireet. The medicine, with syringe, was sent immediately.
five o'clock his master rang the bell violently, when
,e,ness found him sitting at the foot of the bed. He de-
' .ed witness to get thirty grains of Dover's powder,
'rich was refused him without a written order. Del-
,ased then requested her Ladyship to write an order for
1", grains, which he ordered witness to get with another
bsttle of the mixture, as he had taken the first. In giving
the medicine Mr. Savory cautioned witness to tell his
!Laster that the powder contained three doses. At nine
o clock his master had a cup of tea, and witness heard no
)re until he was summoned by his master's bell, when
it a master told him that there would be no prayers that
r. 4ht, and that he might go to bed. But many minutes
(1,1 not elapse ere another violent ringing of the bell
again summoned him, and upon entering the sitting
roma, her Ladyship directed him to fetch the nearest
In dical man. Witness accordingly called on Dr. Halley.
nod then having gone for Madame Beaumann, remained
with his master until he expired.
3y the Coroner—,Daceased took the medicine and
used the syringe just before his tea. Deceased, himself,
generally got his medicines, such as laudanum, Scc•
Ltness here produced one of deceased's prescriptions,
which was as follows: " two drachms of sedative solu-
tion
twenty
miasma of opium, half a drachm of camphorated tincture to
opium, two drachma of mucillaga of gum acacia, v!,
miasma of spirit of camphor (to be used for injec-
tion)eny IL D."
Alexander Halley, M.D. member of the College
.C,,oltlheagte
he
Surgeons, 14, Queen Anne-street, deposed
was called to see the deceased, and found ni
eyes con-
tracting pewit.
ing and apparently asleep, the pupils of his
perfectly to light, and were in a nalf dilated
state."
Witness—" No stertorous breathing.
Per!
was found
blood
Post mortem examination—"
clotted in the heart, but in the head it was found fluid.
Tee lungs congested. The_ bladder was found con-
gested at its trigone. The mucous membrane lin-
in the prostate perfectly healthy, bat a short
di:-,tance from the neck of the bladder there was
an irritable spot about the size of half a pea,
congestion around, which was likely to give
rite to
a constant desire to pass water. No stric-
ture, no portion of the mucous membrane was in the
lightest abraded; nor could it be referred to any cause,
for the delicate membrane which lines the methra was
is no way abraded."
Witness—" I attribute death to an overdose of a nar-
t.tic, an over•elrect of opium. There was no smell in
0.f.,)..rs contents of the stomach of opium—was not any
„ign of any poison. No direct evidence that opium had
hoes in the body by injection or otherwise. I never
heard or knew of such a thing as opium oausing death
ueder such circumstances! Quito contrary to all me-
dieel experience."
Coroner's statement—" Nor did I in all my life!!!"
Witness—" I should say, on the whole, that is after
hearieg the evidence of every party, coupled with my
04-a observation and post mortem examination, that it
W 44 not opium that produced death. I should not even
hove suspected opium to have caused death."
Alexander Shaw, surgeon to the Middlesex Hos-
pital—" I cannot tell what in this case was the cause of
death; I have nothing to form the opinion upon."
The inquest was then adjourned until Tuesday, the
sth instant.

The adjourned inquest was held yesterday morning.
the CORONER, addressing the jury, said,—Gentlemen,
y.;ti will recollect that this inquest was adjourned from
6:iturday, the 13:h instant, to this day, at your unani-
ins-Jus request, in consequence of what you considered
to be the imperfect state of the evidence at the
time; and it was your wish that a further
examination of the body should be made, that the
lal.)od should be analysed, and that other witnesses
would be called. We have now assembled again in per-
Ince of that adjournment; and I believe all the other
w:-nesses required by you are in attendance, ready to
give evidence on this occasion.
The first witness called was

iealy Forester, who was accompanied by her noble
r_ her the Earl of Roden. her sister, and her brother-in-
la v the Hon. Colonel Forester. She deposed as fol.
lows:—Major Forester was my husband. He was 40
pees of age. On Tuesday week last the Major's
h alth was as usual, and we went out together,
wham he met his brother, Colonel Cecil Forester.
Oa the following day the Major was not well, and corn
whined of illness, and after breakfast he went out be-
tween eleven and twelve o'clock, aaying that he was
going into the City by an omnibus. He returned home
to Cavendish-square about zwo o'clock, and complained
y much of a Gain in his inside. I was not with him
doling the rest of the day, because I went out, but I
reeirned about half-past three o'clock, and he had
t21:1 a warm bath before I went out. On my re-
turn I found him lying on the sofa, and in the course of
the afternoon, about eight o'clock, I gave him some
n:ledieine. It was a Dover's powder. I gave him a
lietlet more than half a paper, a whole paper being, I
heleeve, 13 grains. I did not see him take
3'3, other medicine, but I understand he took
4rime more afterwards. We took tea together about
salt-pant eight, at which time he seemed better, and did
riot complain at all, indeed he said he was quite com-
fortable, only rather sick, and he remained so when the
tee, things were removed. He then lay down on the sofa
and began to perspire very much, asking me at the
83.11 e time to give him some toast and water, which
I did, and then sent for a clean shirt to change the ono
lie had on, as it Wu very
wet with perspiration. I
afterwards directed the servant to warm his bed, and
then asked him to go to bed, but he said he felt so com-
fortable on the sofa that
should stay there a little
he longer, adding that was then quite re-
lieved from all Pain, and he thanked God for
all his mercies. I then began to change his
shirt, and whilst I was doing so his head fell down
between the sofa and the pillow, and, drawing the
;veered to be
quarter before
blanket round him, he left
tenso and fell
a-deep. This was about a o'clock.
and rung
rnlooked
Ile remained lying between the sofa and the pillow for
ji!3eted
the
a short while, making a snoring noisean with
his, throat, and once
so wildly round that I became
a
he starltaerdmeduf
came LIP I directed
l• violently. When the servant me
le:re to go for the nearest doctor, and siaortly afterwards
the servant returned with Dr. Halley-
The Major never
spoke to me afterwards, nor did he to the doctor, for
now he was quite insensible. Dr. Halley took off his
ceet, and remarking that he was uncomfortably placed,
the doctor lifted him up and placed him on the sofa,
with his head on the pillow, and in that position he re-
rained till he died.
Dr. Halley, being recalled, stated that according to
the directions of the coroner, he had again examine.
the body and collected as much blood from the heart,d
baleen, and liver as he possibly could. He had
previously received the stomach and its contents,
aed now he collected tho blood and contents of the rec-
trim and bladder. He had received no portion of the
lleer, but got as much blood from it as he could, about
two ounces and a half. The contents of the stomach and
he collected blood he placed in two separate jars, which
he, sealed up, and then deposited them in a sealed box,
which he afterwards handed over to Mr. Rogers.
',Mr- Rogers surgeon, Professor of Chemistry and
setneer at S't. George's School of Medicine, exa-
tl,,,ald--I received a box from the deputy-coroner, in
7-'h were contained the stomach, the bladder, their
Loktents, also the contents of the rectum. The box was
SI, sled and was opened by Dr. Halley in my pre-
',once% I examined the whole of the contents, and sub-
mitted them to chemical analysis, separately and dis-
tinetlY• I fT9and the stomach in a state of rapid decom-
position' washed it, and added the washing
to the contents of the stomach, which I had in
another jar. I found no appearances in the stomach from
which I could draw nten7 inference& I then subjected
the contents of the stomach to an analysis, and I found
there nem:oleic' acid, but no trace of morphia. The con-
teats of the rectum I also examined fo
traces both of 111033011ie acid and of morphia.p lexamined
There seemed to
the bladder and the urethra also,
be no signs of old disease, though
there was con-
siderable redness in one portion of it, and a great
deal of vascularity in the commencemeint of tlae posterior,
immediately behind the prostate g and. Anterior to
the prostate, also, there was considerable redness,
but
5t vascularity. This extended about half the length of
the urethra. I did not see any wound, and no destruction
of surface, except a small black spot, which however
eves easily removed, and there was no disease tinier it.
I should say that it wis merely a little furred blood,
The integrity of the mucous membrane was quite main-
taMed. I also submitted the contests of the bladder,
which were about 2i ounces, to very careful analysis ;
.iecovered there decided indications of morphia. Be
es the test of nitric acid I submitted them to another
te;which is not very generally known. I took some
romate of potaas, and after applying it to the contents
of the stomach they immediately became green, and as
merrphia is the only acid which will turn bicromate of
peewit green, I immediately inferred from that
that there was morphia present in the contents
e,f the bladder. In order to show that it was
Something foreign to the urine which had caused this
reeult, I also took some urea and some urine, and ap-
plied the bicromate of potass to them, but they did not
produce the same result. I could not form any opinion
as to the way in which the morphia had been introduced
into the stomach. I also examined a small quantity of
the blood, about 1 oz. 6 dr. I purified it from every-
thing else kesides morphia, if there had been any there,
but could Ae9ver only very small traces, not sufficient