The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-11 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

AWFUL INSTANCE OF SUDDEN DEATH.
Yesterday evening an Inquest was held at the
Bull, Little College-street, Westminster, before the Coroner
for Westminster, on the body of- Samuel Walker, journey-
man baker to Mr. Gooding, of Little Parliament-street.—
T. Davies said, that about eleven o'clock in the forenoon,
as he was about to go up the steps of his master's shop,
(Mr. Ginger, the bookseller in College-street), the deceased
called to hint, saying, " Davies, look at my leg ; take me
to the nearest Doctor's." The deceased's right leg was
bleeding profusely; the blood covered the pavement, and ran
Into the kennel. Witness led him to Mr. Stevens, the apo-
thecary, in Wood-street, only two streets off; the leg bled
all the way, and, on getting into Mr. Stevens's house,
they proceeded to remove deceased's trowsers, when they per.
ceived a large bandage, from under which the blood flowed vio-
lently, so as to fill a large bowl in a minute or two. The de-
ceased said, " It's of no use; it's an old rupture: I am a dead
man." These were the only words spoken by the deceased,
after having called to witness to assist him to a doctor's. Mr.
Stevens observed to witness that it was of no use undoing the
bandages, the poor man could not live; and, in about two
or three minutes after he was taken into Mr. Stevens',
lie died. Witness was not aware that any accident had
happened to the deceased ; he did not say that he had
slipped, nor was any person near him. He had two
baskets of bread, one in each hand ; but whether he had
suddenly strained himself in lifting them, witness could not
tell. Mr. Stevens was next called, but he did not appear. It
was stated that he was too ill to be able to attend, and that he
was confined to his bed. Mr. Stevens is an edgily and rather
infirm man. The Jury having expressed their desire to know
something more of the old wound, or of the immediate cause
of such extraordinary sudden death, after the deceased had
walked to the apothecary's, it was communicated that the
deceased's brother was at the doctor's. He was sent for and
requested to attend, except he felt that it would be peculiarly
painful to him. Thomas Walker attended, but was evidently
greatly afflicted with the calamity that had so suddenly befal-
len his brother. He stated the origin of the bandage. About
three or four years ago, while living with Mr. Greig, at the
back of the Bank, he strained his leg, as he was aiding in re-
moving some sacks of flour. Nothing was thought of the acci-
dent at the time ; but as the part of the leg which had sus-
tained injury continued to swell, Mr. Greig directed him to
go and have a physician's advice respecting it. The phy-
sician directed hint to have a twelve-yards' bandage folded
round it, and to be careful of the place, because if any
thing happened to it again, the result would be fatal.—
Nothing more was heard of it till last Twelfth-cake Night. .
He was then at witness's house, in Gray's-walk, Lambeth, and
while amusing himself (the deceased was not 2(1 years of age)
with running round the counter, he said " he had hurt his leg,
but not much." From that period he had heard nothing more
of the accident, and lie had not seen his brother since, till he be-
held him in his present sad state.—(The witness, also a young
man, was again greatly affected.)—The Jury said they had no
doubt of the death resulting from the rupture of the old wound ;
but they had to regret that th- Medical Gentlemen had been
unable to attend to explain the manner somewhat more fully
to them, even though the bandage had not been removed.—The
Coroner agreed that such evidence would have been satisfactory,
especially as the man was able to walk to the doctor's, and
died in two minutes afterwards. From what he had heard of
medical men, he thought some relief might have been obtained,
had a bandage been immediately tied round the deceased's
thigh, and thereby checked the flowing of the blood. Verdict—
" hied by the visitation of God, from the bursting of a blood.
vessel."

DREADFUL EFFECTS OF AN EXCESSIVE USE OF
SULPHUR.
Professor Or.usTrn, in a geological excursion in the county
of Wake, North Carolina, met with the following fact which
we present in his own words : —" At Mrs. Thompson's, were I
dined, I saw a fellow-creature, whose sufferings made me thank-
ful even for my own imperfect health : He was a son of Mrs. 'l'.,
and nearly 50 years of age. When I came into the porch, he was
sitting before the entrance in an elbow-chair, surrounded with
willows, with no clothing but a piece of linen, that came half
way down his knees. The ghastly image of death was imprinted
on every part of his emaciated frame. The bones of his arms
and legs were hardly covered with flesh, and the joints of the
knees, and the largest joints of the fingers, were increased to an
enormous size. His knees were drawn together beyond the
power of separation, shortening the left leg so that nothing but
the toes reached the floor. The hands were forcibly and irre-
moveably fixed to the breast, the distorted fingers being bent
backwards, forming an arch over the swollen mound at the joints.
A little motion with the ends of the fingers was all the sufferer
could produce ; and I was much impressed with the insensibility
of limn to his ordinary blessings, when I saw this poor invalid
call several times for a servant to come and brush off a fly that
was biting his leg unmolested. On his back was a large running
sore, which his friends were uncertain whether to ascribe to dis-
ease, or to the effects of lying so long in a horozontal and im-
moveable posture. The daily dressing of his sore, which was
performed, while I was present, gave him so great pain that he
was unable to sit up a moment after it was completed. Three
servants took him up with all possible care, and laid him on the
bed ; while the excruciating misery which this gentle movement
produced filled the mouth of the sufferer with groans and en-
treaties. Ilere he lay, bewailing his lot in a ►rollow, piteous
tone, and crying, " Oh that thou wouldst hide me in the grave,
that thou wouldst keep me secret until thy wrath be past !" On
inquiring the cause of his Ipfferings, I was told that, three years
ago, being afflicted with rTieumansin, he took the advice of a
quack to attempt its cure by enormous doses of sulphur. With
this view he mixed a pound of sulphur with five quarts of water,
and stirring it, took half a pint three times a day, until he had
taken six pounds of sulphur. Soon after commenced the pain
and distortion of his limbs, which had subjected him to increas-
ing and excruciating sufferings ever since.—(American Paper.)