The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-13 00:00:00

DESTITU7IOIV AND DEATH AT
STEPNEY.

Last evening Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the de
pnty-coroner, held an inquest at the Maid and
Magpie Tavern, Wellington-place, Stepney, on view
of the body of Elizabeth Loney, aged 56 years, who
died from destitution at No. 4, Annie-street, near
the Thames Police-court.

It appeared by the evidence that the deceased
was a charwoman, but for some time she had been
unable to follow her occupation through ill health.
She occupied one small room, for which she paid
2s. per week, but was in arrears of rent to her land-
lady to the amount of 11 ss. On Saturday last
the deceased did not make her appearance as usual,
when one of the lodgers finding the key in her door
it was opened, and deceased was discovered lying
upon the floor a corpse. She had a quarter an
ounce of tea in her hand, and it is supposed, when
she returned on the previous evening, that she
must have fallen down from exhaustion, as she had
complained to a neighbour of weakness, which she
attributed to her distress.

The Deputy-Coroner said he was much surprised
to find the body of the poor woman still lying on
the floor, fully dressed, as she had fallen. He
would not have allowed a dog to lie in such a man-
ner : it was a disgrace to humanity. The parish
authorities ought to have been made acquainted
with the case, and the body should have been put
into a coffin. She ought not to have been allowed
to remain in that condition since Saturday last.
Mr. Stevens, the summoning officer, said when
he first heard of the case he found the deceased as
described, and the parties belonging to the house
were going to put an execution in the room while
the corpse was on the floor, but he dared them to
do it at their peril.
Deputy-Coroner—Let the parish authorities at-
tend to the case at once, and get the body removed
without delay.
Mr. Stevens said he and the police had been
using every effort to find the friends, and they only
found them late on Tuesday night, but
.they were
too poor to bury the body.
Mr. Horton, the divisional medical officer, said
he was called by the police, and found that the de-
ceased bad been dead several hours. He believed
the deceased had died from disease of the heart,
accelerated by bad living ,nd the want of sufficient
nourishment, The weather had no doubt acted
upon her condition. The room where deceased
lived was poverty-stricken, but clean.
After further evidence, the Deputy-Corder re-
marked on the case, which he considered a very
distressing one.
The jury returned a verdict in accordance with
the medical testimony.

ANOTHER CRIN LINE FAIALITI.

SHOCKING DEATH.

On Tuesday evening, Mr. James Bird, the coroner
for the Western Division of Middlesex, held an in-
quiry at the Golden Lion public-house, Fulham, re-
specting the death of a lady named Anne Maria
Leaver, aged 39, who died on Monday night from
the effects of severe burns, The evidence elicited
was of a very melancholy character, and the case
may be added to the long list of crinoline fatalities.
The unfortunate deceased and her daughter, a young
lady about 17 years of age, were staying at the re-
sidence of Mr. Charles Mathews, the comedian, Gore
Lodge, Fulham, on a visit from America. On Mon-
day last the whole household were terribly alarmed
by the piercing screams of the deceased, who was
found on the stairs enveloped in flames. Immediate
steps were taken to extinguish the flames, but not
before the deceased was burnt in a moat shocking
manner about the lower part of the body. Mr. Ree,
th
of
Walhatn• green, promptly attended,
bute u
all surgeon,
efforts were unavailing, as she died in a
srin ,
few hours afterwards. It also appeared that the
drapery about the fire-place of the room in which
the deceased had been was in flames, and they
extinguished without much damage be-
ing caused. No person was present when
the unfortunate occurrence took place, and it was
supposed that the deceased was standing in front
of the fire, and in turning round to look at herself
in the glass her dress, being expanded by crinoline,
was pushed into the burning coals, and was soon in
a bleze. The burning dress ignited the diaper of
the mantel-piece, and upon the deceased finding that
she was on fire she rushed out of the room and down
the stairs screaming. The bannisters of the stairs
were scorched by the fire. The jury, after hearing
the evidence of the deceased's daughter and Mr.
Ree, returned a verdict of " Accidental death." Mr.
and Mrs. Mathews were from home at the time, but
on the melancholy event taking place, they were
I immediately telegraphed for.