The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-09 00:00:00

849.

[PRICE SD.

THREE FEMALES SUFFOCATED
BY CHARCOAL.

INQUEST ON THE SUFFERERS.
On Saturday afternoon Mr. G. I. Mills, the deputy
coroner for the county of Middlesex, and a jury as-
sembled in the coffee-room of the Eyre Arms Tavern,
St. John's 'Wood, for the purpose of investigating the
deaths of the three young females alleged to hare
died from the inhalation of the fumes of charcoal at
Miss Caroline Mann's establishment for young ladies,
Liburnia House, 2, Loudoun-road, on the night of
Tuesday, or morning of Wednesday.
The jury were empanelled to inquire into the deaths
of Eliza Griffiths, aged 15, Francis Carter, aged 17,
and Eliza Pritchett, aged 23. It is necessary to
explain that the last-mentioned deceased, who acted
as cook to Miss Mann's establishment, had passed by
her maiden name; Eliza Tidd, by which alone she was
known in the establishment, and it was not until
after the melancholy occurrence that she was dis-
covered to have been a married woman.

The jury viewed the bodies, which lay in the small
apartment of Miss Mann's establishment, where the
discovery was made, and presented a truly shocking
spectacle. On the return of the jury,
The CORONER inquired if the fourth female who
slept with the three deceased persons, and who was
found still alive when the discovery was made, was
in a fit condition to undergo examination ?
Mr. Crellin, the surgeon to the establishment of Miss
Mann, replied that she was not. She had had strong
convulsions that morning, and she was in such a con-
dition that he feared it would be impossible that she
could be examined at that time.

Evidence as to the identity of the; bodies having
been given, _ _

Miss Anne Wilson examined—l am assistant
to Miss Caroline Mann, the proprietress of a
ladies' school, at No. 2, Loudoun-road, and
I reside there. I discovered the deceased
females dead about six o'clock in the morning of
Wednesday last. The room in which they slept was
a small room in front of the house. The door of the
room was not locked. There were four persons in the
room. The name of the fourth is Hannah Prike. Two
were lying partially out of the bed, and one in the
bed, and the third upon the ground. The shutters
were closed when I first went into the room, and
there was no light. There was a close smell, but not
a sulphurous smell, when I went into the
room. I opened the window shutters, and then made
the discovery. The bed upon which three of the
persons lay was made up upon boxes, and the other
bed was made up on a board on trestles. Hannah
Prike, although alive, was too insensible to speak.
She was lying on the ground with her feet against the
trestles. When she could speak she said she had got
up to dress herself,and when she did so she fell down,
she became so ill. She was partially dressed. She
said that Eliza made a noise that awoke her. Two
of the deceased persons had vomited. Mr. Crellin,
surgeon, of the Wellington-road, was called in and
has attended Hannah Prike ever since. He said the
other three were dead.

The CORONER—Was there anything in the shape
of a stove in the room ? Witness—A patent stove
used for warming the hall.
Evidence continued—l saw all the servants about
seven o'clock on the previous evening, and they ap-
peared as usual. Pritchett had been very ill with a
cold. She had had an exceedingly bad cold some
days before, and had been trying to get into the
hospital. She usually slept in the room adjoining
that where the bodies now lie, but sometimes slept on
the sofa up stairs. She slept up stairs on the night
previous to this occurrence. Pritchett appeared so
poorly on Tuesday night that Miss Mann requested
one of the servants to sleep with her. The others
went and slept with Pritchett on the night of Tues-
day by their own choice. Their bedroom was next
to that in which the bodies were discovered. I think
it was the deceased Fanny Carter who was requested
to sleep with Pritchett on Tuesday night. The last
time I saw the stove was in the hall on fuesday night.
We have had that stove about two or three months.
It was bought by Miss Mann of a tradesman in
Portland Town for the purpose of warming the hall
and staircase.

The CORONER—Has there been any conversation
about that stove? Witness—Yes; a medical gentle-
man told Miss Mann that it was unsafe, and she was
to send it away, and was only induced to keep it
from the assurance of Mr. Buckingham, who sold it
to her, that it was safe. Prepared fuel or charcoal
was used. The fuel was placed in an iron pot on the
fire, and having been ignited, was then placed in the
stove. I never :noticed any unpleasant smell in the
house arising from tke stove, nor do I believe any of
the young ladies were made ill by it. We have
thirty-seven young ladies in the establishment. I
have AO knowledge of who removed the stove from
the hall to the room where the bodies were found. There
was no chimney in the room where the bodies lay. The
stove was not considered unsafe in the hall. The room was
not ventilated, and the flooring was of cement or con-
crete. Miss Mann was always of impression that the
fuel was calcined, or prepared charcoal, and that no
danger could result from it.
A juror said that all prepared fuel was the same
as charcoal, and asdangerous as any ordinary charcoal,
could possibly be.
Mr. Wilson said that Miss Mann had five servants,
and that two slept up stairs and three down stairs, in
the room next to that where the bodies were found.
The reason a medical man was not sent for to see the
deceased, Pritchett, was, that she was much better in
the day, and being ill towards night Miss Mann told
one of the other servants to sleep with her, as Pritchett
refused to let her send for her sister.
Miss Caroline Mann deposed as follows :—The
cook, Elise Pritchett, was ill with a cough and cold
for about the last six weeks, and I administered some
medicine to her, which appeared to do her a great deal
of good ; she, however, became worse, and on Sunday
last she requested permission to go home to her sister,
who would nurse her until she became better. I gave
her my permission, and she went away on Sunday in
a cab. On Monday morning I was informed by Miss
Anne Wilson, much to mysastonishment, that she was
again back in the house. She still appeared very
poorly, and I sent to Mr. Crellin, the surgeon, to see
if he could get me an order for her to go to the ho-
spital at Brompton. I waited Mr. Crellin's answer
until Tuesday morning, and about half-past one
o'clock on Tuesday afternoon I saw Pritchett, and
she appeared, and said she was very much better, and
I told her I did not want her to do too much, and
hurt herself. I was not informed that she was worse
until about ten o'clock that evening, and having
seen two of my pupils to bed whom I had been nurs-
ing, I went down stairs to see her. I then found she
had chosen to lay herself down on the bed in the
little place usually occupied as a sleeping apartment
by the footboy. Her going into that place to lay
down I understood was altogether an act of her own.
Whet I went into the room I found the deceased
Pritchett faint, and slightly delirious. I gave her
some medicin*, and in about ten minutes afterwards
she recovered, and became conscious. I then wanted
her to allow me to send for her sister; but she would
not permit me to do so, as she said it was too late.
She then appeared to be getting much better, and I
stayed with her until about half-past eleven.
The CORONER—Where were the other servants, and
what were the preparations made in the shape of a
bed in the room at this time ?
Miss Mann—One of the poor servants was standing
by my side all this time, but there was nothing made
up in the shape of a bed at this time, except the small
palliasse on which the footboy slept, and on which the
deceased Pritchett was lying. Whilst I remained in
the place, I observed that there was a great coldness
and damp feeling about it, and I had once or twice
been apprehensive that it was too cold even for the
footboy. That impression had induced me about five
weeks back to have the place measured for the pur-
pose of having it boarded, and also to see if a stove-
pipe could not be introduced into the chimney, so as
to allow it to be warmed, and my order was oonley.
being waited for in order that this should
. ould
.tbe n ,
but, I regret to say, that I had not gr
uneasy about the cold of the place, enn leaving
f the
et
room where Pritchett lay, directed that the stove
ro_oved into
used to warm the hall should stove from the hall to
do not know who removed ttheex
actly to which of the
the room, nor do I reco I
gaveeethe direction to remove it.
servants. it was that I
you any apprehension of
The COBONEE—Had
from any one sleeping in a room
Witness—None
danger arising
burning ?
where that stove was
whatev•er.
A jvcror—Would you have objected to have slept
yourse if in a room where that stove was lighted ?
%Vane ss—l should certainly not hare objected to
have slept in a room where that stove was burning
myself.. The deceased Eliza Pritchett's cough had
been v all bad, and I thought the place cold, and it
was that -which made me request that the stove might
be brought down.
The C ORONER—Was there anything said about the
windows being pulled down whilst the stove was
burning in the room ? Witness—No, there was not ;
nor do I know when the stove was brought down
from the I tall.
The 0 3RONER—From whom did you obtain that
stove ? Miss Mann—l obtained the stove from Mr.
Bucking: ham, a tradesman in Portland Town. I made
inquiriei of him first respecting it, as I had been at-