The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-18 00:00:00

THE H

NION.-

ADJOURNED INQUEST.

Yesterday forenoon, at ten o'clock, Mr. Wakley,
Coroner for the western division of Middlesex, and the
jury empanelled on the 24th ult., on the body of James
Lisney, the unfortunate pauper who is alleged to have
died from the effects of imprisonment and low diet in
the workhouse of the Hendon Union, reassembled for
the fourth time, in the board-room of that workhouse
at Edgeware, further to prosecute their investigation.
The evidence adduced was voluminous. At its con-
clusion the Coroner, after some remarks in his summing
up, proceeded to say that he bad been anxious to have
a jury at least partially unconnected with Hendon, be-
cause he did not wish to disguise the fact which he had
heard from more than one quarter, that it was by the
act of Mr. Williams that the man was imprisoned, and
that, in consequence of that imprisonment, he lost his
life ; and it was therefore most desirable to have a jury
whose opinions would be unbiassed ; but any precaution
on that score was rendered unnecessary by its being now
unequivocally proved that the imprisonment was not
the act of Mr. Williams, but of the Board of Guardians,
and that the responsibility of it rested with them, and not
with him individually. He had felt it his duty to go
into the inquiry ; first, as to the legality of the impri-
sonment, because, if it were found that the man had I,
lost his life through an imprisonment that was illegal,
the character of the verdict would of course be materi-
ally influenced lay that fact. But he was bound unhesi-
tatingly to declare, that beating in mind that it had been
inflicted by the Board, and not by an individual, the
imprisonment was legal, as the Poor-law Amendment
Act conferred upon Boards of Guardians the power of
inflicting such punishment for disobedience of orders.
Lisney was proved by some, who could have no un-
friendly feeling towards him, to having said that he had
refused to do as he was ordered, and the power of punish-
ing his disobedience was exercised, and unfortunately the
man was no more. Whether it was discreet or humane
to have exercised that power under the circumstances
the Jury was not now to inquire. Certainly when
he saw that of the guardians who had coma to that
resolve, four were clergymen of the Established Church,
whose duty it was to teach forbearance, humility, for-
giveness, and moderation, he was startled, and thought
they might regret if occasion arose for their being re-
minded of the text which runs thus—" If a person of-
fend me shall I forgive him seven times ?" the answer
to which is, " I say to you not unto seven times, but
unto seventy times seven." If there was a place in the
world in which mildness, forbearance, temper, and hu-
manity, were called for, it was a workhouse, on account
of the misery which drove men into it, and the hope•
lessness of all alleviation of their misery after they had
entered it. When Lisney's repeated applications for
leave to go out were refused, he might have thought—
labouring, as he was, under disease which had been pro-
nounced likely to be fatal—that be was imprisoned for
life, and if he did make a disrespectful reply in the heat
of the moment, he ( Mr. \V.) should have turned away
his head, in order not to hear it repeated ; or, if it was
necessary to notice it, he should have gone and had
some sober conversation with the man about it. The
Coroner also expressed his satisfaction that one of the
first results of this investigation had been to produce a
determination on the Guardians that in future refrac-
' tory paupers should not punished by them, but taken
before a Magistrate and proceeded against in open Court.
The Jury returned into Court at half-past nine
o'clock, when the foreman read the following verdict :
—" We find that the deaths of James Lisney was caused
by imprisonment in the gaol-room of the Hendon union
workhouse on the 4th and sth days of the inclement
month of November, by the sentence of the Board of
L Guardians. The Jury have also to express an opinion

that it was not humane to imprison without fine and
upon low diet the said James Lisncy, he being in au
infirm state of health, in consequence of the disease
called diabetes."
The Rev. Mr. Williams said he was glad that this
investigation had taken place, as he was satisfied that
good would result from it as regarded the impanelling
of juries and otherwise, but he would distinctly tell
the Jury that the verdict would be brought before the
Queen's Bench.
The Court then adjourned at a quarter to ten o'clock