The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-09 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

INQUEST AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL.

The demise of a patient in this Hospital having rendered.l
necessary the holding of an inquest, the present was, we be-
lieve, by direction of the Coroner (Thomas SIIE LT ON, Esq.),
again served upon the beat of St.Andrew'‘Holhorn, a parish
which has before resisted thONecepts on theground,that they
are. specially exempted 'from !crying on all juries, and which .
question they are now contesting in the Exchequer, in a case
in Which their non-attendance as jurors has been visited with
a fine by the. Chief .Justice of the King's Bench. Notwith,
standing this:claiM of exemption, upwards of 18 out pf the 24
jurors summoned were in attendance. Their names having
been called over, and the Coroner-rising for the purpose of ad-
ministering the oath to their foreman, one of their body (Mr.
Browne) rose, and stated that he was, in common with the
other gentlemen present, an inhabitant. of St. Andrew's, and
he believed it was an unusual thing to summon a jury froni that
parish; he was, however, unwilling to impede public businesS,
and would theretine serve ; but as he was unwilling that his so
doing should prejudice the important question they were con-
tending for in the Exchequer, he begged to enter his protest
against•the right of summoning them in the present instance.
Coroner—l cannot receive your protest. I have no record
upon which I can enter it.
Mr. Harrison, another juror—Then allow me to say, I do
not think 1 ought to serve.
Coroner—You are certainly at liberty to say s'o.
Mr. Harrison—We ought to have obtained legal advice be.
fore coming here, and i still think we ought to decline serving
till we have obtained such advice.
Coroner—Then I -can tell you that if you refuse serving, I
shall certainly indict you. •
Mr. Harrison—That, Sir, will be your business : it is ours
to maintain our rights.
Coroner—You should not have come, then..
Mr. Harrison—l sliould not, but that I expected our church-
wardens would have been here; they could not, however, I
have.since learned, attend.
Coroner—f can only stiff;, gentleman, that as respects your
claim of exemption, I do not think you have the remotest chance
of establishing it. •
Mr. Browne—We will serve now weare here, but we will tot
acknowledge that we have any right ito to do.
Coroner—l am willing to bear testimony, if called on, to your
having protested against serving.
Mr. Harrison thought their consenting to serve would be
establishing a precedent, which might afterwards be construed
to amount to an abandonment of their privilege..
Coroner.—l really do not know what may be its effect on the
question of privilege, ori would at once tell you.
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Several jurors here expressed an opinion, that acthey 'Aire
there, they had better serve. The usual oaths were consequently
administered, after which the, evidence touching the death of
James Neale was heard, and from which it appeared, that he
was employed as labourer at the building now erecting fur the
congregation of.the Rev. Alexander Fletcher, in Mooriielas,
and had fallen from the scaffOld, and injured himself in so se-
vere a manner as to cause his death shortly after his admission
into the hospital.-:—Verdict—" Accidental death." Deodand, Is.

SUICIDE.—Last night an Inquest was held at the Queen's
Head, St. Martin's-le-Grand, on the body of Mr. John Philips,
aged 33, the proprietor of an eating-house, in St. Martin's-le-
Grand, who l,Reg himself. The deceased formerly had an ex-
tensive business at Charing-cross, which he disposed of, con-
ceiving he could.carry on a more lucrative trade in St. Martin's-
le-Grand. He took bills in payment for the Charing-cross
business, but .the first one, when it became due, a few days
since, was dishonoured. He conclUded that he,should have to
take them all up, and although he was generally of a cheerful
and happy disposition, he fell into a profound melancholy.—
The Jury returned a verdict of " Insanity."

Last night an Inquest was held at the Norfolk Arms public-
house, in Leigh-street, Burton Crescent, on the body of James
Bighorns, who was killed on Tuesday last by a sugar hogs-
head falling upon him. Dennis Ivers stated; that he was
waggoner.to Messrs. 'Hicks and Co. merchants, Borough. On
Tuesday, about three o'clock in the afternoon, he was unload-
ing four hogsheads of sugar and one tierce of coffee, at the shop
of 3lr. Pratt, grocer, in Judd-street. The deceased who was ap-
prentice to Mr. Pratt; was assisting, when, as he was endeavour-
ing to lower the rail-board of the waggon to let down the first hogs-
head, deceased, supporting the hogshead with one hand, suddenly
slipped down, and the.cask fell over him. He did not know what
caused the young man to slip down .; he immediately helped Mr.
Pratt and John Crosson to take the body from under the hogs-
head. It appeared to be lifeless, and blood was gushing from
the eyes and ears. Deceased never spoke
.or moved after the
accident, and was quite dead .in a few minutes. Crofton Cooper,
Esq., a surgeon, residing.in Judd-street, deposed that he saw
the body about a quarter of An hour after the accident. He
did not examine it professionally ; but had no hesitation in
giving it as his opiniou:that it was the undue pressure on the
head and chest which occasioned death. The waggoner, upon
being further questioned, said, that he had been seven years in
the business, and never knew of an accident•happening before.
He thought two men were quite enough for, the work of un-
loading a waggon with sugar hogsheads, It was not customary
to send. more than one man, .the carman; upon such occasions.
The body did not exhibit a single mark of external violence
beyond a slight scratch on the cheek. The following verdict was
returned :—" The jury return their verdict-of accidental death,
and consider it highly improper on the part of the merchants
• in not sending a sufficient number of persons to unload the
waggon, it having been stated in evidence to the jury that it is
not customary to .send more than one man, viz. the carman,
with each waggon, except in cases nearer home."

Yesterday evening a Coroner's Inquest was held, by Tno- I
HAS STIRLING, Esq., at the Cherry Tree, Bowling-green-
lane, Clerkenwell, on the body of Frederick Smith, a tine boy,
fire years of age, whose death was occasion by his falling or
rolling off the foot pavement into the carriage-road, as three
loaded drays belonging to Messrs. Combe and Delafield, were
passing. Under the last of these drays the deceased fell, and
the wheels going over his body, crushed him in so dreadful a
manner, .that he died while he was being carried to St. Bar-
tholomew's Hospital. By the evidence, it appeared that the
drayman was driving very steadily, and walking by the side of
his horses, did not see the deceased, and was not conscious that
any accident had occurred until the
'road
was atartred at
the obstruction of the wheel. The road is extremely narrow,
and the footpath consequently very dangerous ; and, by the
evidence of a hackney-coachman, named Thomas Davis, who
was driving his coach, and following the drays, it was clear no
fault was attributable to the drayman. 'l'he Jury having
viewed the body, which was literally crushed to atoms, re-
turned a .verdict-of accidental death.

ANOTHER ROBBER. SHOT.—The grounds of Mr.
JOHN HARRIS, farmer and market-gardener, at
\Vargrove, Berks., having been continually of late
plundered of the most choice produce, and as the
depredations were generally committed on mar-
ket-daps when Mr. Harris was obliged to be
absent from home, he determined on Monday last
to return hack some hours before his accustomed
time. Accordingly, having disposed of his pro-
duce, he left his team to jog on slowly, under the
care of-his man, and mounting a coach, soon found
himself at home, when, (Irking with him a horse-
pistol, -loaded with small shot, ha proceeded di-
rect for his orchard, where he found a person in
oflle
from
lrpinig himself tolerably bountifully
aff one of the pear-trees. The
titirlae thec
uaotti fruit
seeing, him, attempted to run off, and
having refused to stop when Called on so to do,
Mr. Harris discharged his piece at him, and,
from 'his subsequent limping, it became evident
that he was wounded. Mr. Harris did not,
however, pursue him, but contented himself with
t)xe surnary punishment he had thu- inflicted.

A PPREIIENSION FOR. FORGERY.—An individual
of whom the police have been long in search, was
on Wednesday evening apprehended in the neigh-
bourhood of Holborn. He claims the rank of
Field-officer, and is said to be known at the
fashionable gaining-houses. He was taken to
Bow-street,' where the examination was conduct-
ed in the .private room, upon the charge of utter-
ing forged checks upon the house of Smith, Payne,
and Co. The names of the parties are concealed
for the present, an active search being on foot
Ifor others who are said to be implicated.