The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-13 00:00:00

A GIRL KILLED BY HER FATHER.

An inquest held at preston on Monday night resulted
in the committal of Owen M'Culloch, tailor, for the
manslaughter of his daughter, a child aged 10 years.
It appears that he went home about 10 o'clock on Sa-
turday night, when, provoked because a man had fetched
away a ferret during his absence, M'Culloch rose, with
a stick in his hand, to strike his daughter, who sat on a
chair nursing an infant. The mother stepped between
them and received a blow on the eye. She says she did
not see whether her husband struck deceased or not. In
the affray, however, both the child and the chair she sat
on fell. When taken up the child was found to be in-
sensible, and death ensued immediately.
Mr. Hall, surgeon, who made a post-mortem examina-
tion of the body, deposed to finding several bruises on
the internal surface of the scalp. He was of opinion the
cause of death had been pressure upon the brain occa-
sioned by an effusion of blood. The effusion might have
been produced by a blow on the top of the head.
Mr. Gibbons, superintendent of police, stated that
when M'Culloch was taken before the magistrates, he
said, " I struck her, and she fell over the stool." Sub-
sequently, he said, " I had my hand in my pocket and
something pricked my fingers ; I plucked it out, and I
don't know whether it hit her or not."
The jury returned a ♦erdict of manslaughter, and the
prisoner (who absconded early on Sunday morning, but
surrendered himself on Monday) was committed for

SUICIDE BY VITRIOL-VERDICT
OF 6 6 FELO DE SE."

Yesterday afternoon Mr. Langham, the deputy West-
minster coroner, held a long inquiry at the Regent Arms
Tavern, Regent-street, Westminster, into the death of
Sarah Mummery, a married female, aged 47 years, who
committed self-destruction by swallowing a large quan-
tity of sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol, under the following
extraordinary circumstances :
John Mummery, the husband of deceased, deposed
that he acted as chamberlain at the Albion Chambers,
Dean-street, Soho. He had lived away from his wife
for a short time past in consequence of her intemperate
habits. Deceased lived at 87, Regent-street. He had
been in the habit of bringing shirts and other wearing
apparel from gentlemen at the Albion Chambers to his
wife for her to get up. He last saw her about half past
nine o'clock on Saturday evening last. He then went
to see if she had washed some of the linen he sent her in
the week. Some of the things had been pawned by
deceased for the purpose of procuring liquor, and the
remainder were unwashed. Deceased then appeared
unwell. He thought she was suffering from liquor.
She said to him that she had taken some oxalic acid and
some sulphuric acid. He thought, however, that she
had been drinking. He left her, and returned shortly
afterwards to the house to speak to the landlady to in-
duce deceased to redeem the pawned articles and get
them washed, when on entering deceased's room he
found her lying on the bed quite dead.
John Callow, the landlord of the house, having given
corroborative testimony, proved finding a milk jug,
which contained some oil of vitriol. A paper of
oxalic acid was also found in deceased's possession. He
Lever saw anything in deceased's manner that induced
him to think her likely to destroy herself. She was
given to intemperate habits. He believed deceased had
been disappointed of money from her sister, who had
refused to give her (deceased) any more, and that not
being able to redeem the articles given her to wash she
had determined to destroy herself.
Mr. W. Pearse, surgeon, of Marsham-street, deposed
that he had made a post mortem examination of the body,
and on opening the abdomen be detected a strong smell
of sulphuretted hydrogen. The stomach and bowels
presented a highly-inflamed appearance. There was a
quantity of fluid in the !Stomach, the inner coating of

which was perforated, as were also the mucous mem.
brane of the mouth and throat. He had analysed
the contents of the stomach and found the presence of
sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol. He assigned the death
to sulphuric acid.

By the Coroner—The other organs were quite healthy.
The liver did not show the least signs of deceased's hav-
ing been addicted to drinking. There was no appearance
whatever of delirium tremens.

The Coroner then summed up, and having pointed out
the bearing of the law with regard to the state of mind
of deceased at •the time, cited " Blackstone" as an autho-
rity ; and
The Jury, after a long discussion, divided, when there
appeared—for felo de se, 10 ; and for temporary insanity,
6. After holding out for some time, the minority gave
way, and a verdict of Felo de se was returned by 12 of
the jury.
The proceedings thin terminated.