The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-14 00:00:00

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

Yesterday, at three o'clock, an inquest was held at
the Peacock Tavern, High-street, Newington, before Mr.
Carter, the Coroner for Surrey, and a Jury, composed
of the neighbouring tradesmen, on the bodies of Martha
Merry and Elizabeth Porter.
The first witness called was Patrick Daly, a constable
of the P division, who stated that on Monday morning,
about half past three, he was on duty in Kennington-
road, and hearing a policeman's rattle in the direction
of the church of St. Mary, Newington, he hastened thi-
ther, and upon arriving at the house No. 20 (formerly
No. 11), in High-street, he saw a person, whom
he since found to be Mr. Merry, standing before the
door in his night dresS, who said " The house is on fire,
for God's sake help me to get my mother out or she will
be burnt to death." Witness, assisted by this person, broke
open the street door, but perceiving the staircase to be
enveloped in flames, he found it impossible to reach the
upper rooms, where the two deceased persons were. Ile
then took a cab and went to call the Fire Brigade.
By a Juror—When you first entered the Force what
were your instructions as to conduct in cases of fire—did
you get any instructions about going immediately for the
fire-escape ladders?
Witness—l received no such order, neither do I think
have any of my brother constables.
Police' Constable 198 P said, shortly after the alarm
was raised, he saw a female standing at the second-floor
window, screaming violently. A ladder being pro-
cured, it was placed against the wall, but found to be
too short to reach the window, when another was sent
for, but, before it could be properly placed, Mrs. Merry
fell from the window. Her head first struck the flags.
She was taken up in a state of insensibility, and con-
veyed to the surgery of Mr. Mason, close by. Had she
waited for even half a minute longer, he thought her life
would have been saved.

In reply to a Juror, this witness also stated
that there were no general directions issued to
the police respecting where the fire-escape ladders
are kept, nor any order to the effect that their duty
should be to get them in readiness on the first alarm of
fire being given. He believed not one of the men on
duty in the parish knew that there were fire escapes at
the church. If they had known such to be the case, it
was almost a certa►nty that they would have been able
to save the lives of the deceased, as the house which was
burned was almost opposite th• church, and they could
have had the escapes against the window in five minutes,
instead of which a considerable time elapsed before
they got a ladder by chance in the neighbourhood. The
directions issued to them were in the first instance to
go to the turncock, and secondly to the nearest station
of the fire brigade.
Mr. Mason, a surgeon, in High-street, said that Mrs.
Merry expired in about ten minutes after she was
brought to his house. On examination he found her
head, arms, breast, and part of her legs to be severely
scorched. There was also a severe wound on the scalp,
and immediately under a fracture of the parietal bone,
through which a portion of the brain protruded.
John Bradley, one of the beadles of St. Mary's, proved
the identity of Mrs. Merry, and also to finding the remains
of a human being in the ruins on Monday, at five o'clock
in the afternoon, but so dreadfully burnt as to render
proof of identity impossible. From all the facts, how-
ever, he entertained no doubt but they were those of
Elizabeth Porter.

After some discussion among the Jury as to the ne-
cessity of examining Mr. Merry, it was deemed necessary
to call some one who could give an account of the origin
of the fire, when

Frederick Merry was sworn, and deposed, that he was
in the service of his brother, Edward. Merry, who car-
ried on business as a cheesernonger at the house No. 20,
Hifth-street, Newington, which consisted of two rooms
on the first floor, and the same number on the second.
His brother and he usually slept in the back room on
the first floor, while his mother and the servant girl
slept in the top rooms. About three o'clock on Monday
morning he was awakened by a crackling noise, and on
opening the door he perceived the staircase in flames.
He awoke his brother, who slept in the same bed with
him, and called out "fire" as loudly as he could to alarm
his mother and the servant, who immediately commenced
screaming but made no attempt come down stairs. lie
then opened the window and called the police for nearly
ten minutes before any person appeared, when he jumped
from the window into the street. His brother came to a
window at the side of the house and threw a bed out, and
was airnt leaping down into the street, when he (wit-
ness)ffesired him to secure the cash-box, which he did,
after a search of a few minutes, and threw it to him,
after which he leaped down himself. When the first
ladder was brought he saw . plainly that it was long
enough to reach the sill of the window where his mother
was standing, but was prevented from climbing up to the
window by the police, who said it was time enough. He also
complained, that in tke first instance, when he requested
the police to go for a ladder he received a similar an-
swer of "time enough." When he came home on Sun-
day evening there was one gas-light burning in the
shop, and his brother turned off the main from which all
the jets received gas. He was certain that the fire must
have originated accidentally, and he also thought if the
police had not prevented him from mounting the ladder
his mother's and the servant's life might have been saved.

The Jury, after a short consultation, returned the fol-
lowing verdicts :—" That the deceased Martha Merry
was accidently killed by the falling from a window, in
her endeavours to escape from the house while on fire ;
and that the deceased Elizabeth Porter was accidently
burnt to death in a• fire, on the premises of Mr. Merry.
The Jury must also express their regret that the police
are not officially made acquainted with the stations at
which the parish fire-escapes are kept, as, if they were,
it would tend materially to prevent the sacrifice of life."
The inquest lasted four hours and a half, during which
time the room was thronged to excess.