The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-28 00:00:00

JURISDICTION OF CORONERS.

On Monday evening a jury assembled at the Marlbo-
rough head public-house, in Fox's-lane, Shadwell, to
hold an inquest before Mr. Baker, on the body of Ben-
jamin Harbour, a farmer's 'labourer, aged twenty-i'our
years. The deceased was one of the three unfortunate,
persons who lost their lives at Westminster-bridge by-
the capsizing of a boat which came athwart one of the
piers with-seven persons it, three of whom were drowned.
The body of the deceased was picked up at Shadwell
Dock-stairs on Saturday afternoon. That of his wifh.
to whom he was married the day before. the accident,
and who perished with him, was found near Waterloo-
bridge on Saturday morning, and the body of the
third sufferer was recovered on the same morning, on,.
Horsleydown. Is it not a little remarkable that the
bodies were found in the jurisdiction of three different
coroners, and within a few hours of each other? An in-
quest was held upon the body of Bridget Sheehan, found
off Horsleydown, on Saturday evening, before Mr. Payne,
the coroner for London and Southwark, and was adjourned
for further evidence. Mr. Baker, coroner for Middlesex, na
sooner came into the room last evening, where the parties;
were assembled, than he was informed of the above facts,
and said he should decline proceeding with the inquest on
Benjamin Harbour, whose death occurred out of his
jurisdiction. The case was one of considerable impor-
tance, and as the question of a deodand upon the boat,.
which was alleged to- be unsafe, was likely to arise, if he
was to proceed with the inquiry and the Jury were to
return a verdict implicating any party, or levy a deo-
dand upon the boat, the inquisition might be quashed
and all the proceedings rendered nugatory. Under
these circumstances he should direct the beagle to convey
II the body to the district in which the parties died.
The friends of the deceased pressed Mr. Baker to
swear in the Jury and go on with the inquiry, and sa
I they had an objection to the body being conveyed fft:i
I place to place, which was exceedingly distressing to the
relatives.

Mr. BAKER said, in the present state of the law e
could not help it. The case, as far as he was concerned,
was corani non judice.
lie then discharged the gentlemen summoned from
further attendance and retired. The body, which was
in a very decomposed state, was removed to St. John%
Church, Waterloo-road.

DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—The large ship Mer-
sey, from Barbadoes, with a cargo of sugar, cotton, &c.,
was hauled into the London Dock on Sunday afternoon.
When at the Nore on Saturday a dreadful accident hap-
on board the Mersey. A seaman named John Robinson
was desired to go aloft to the fore-yard and furl the top-
sail, and while thus engaged he lost his hold of the ropes,
and fell on the deck of ship, a distance of more than
70 feet. The poor fellow was taken up in a dying state,
but lingeredin the greatest agony until the sei
reachdLondon, on Sunday afternoon. The body IN a.
on Monday removed on board the Mersey to the house of
an undertaker in Shadwell.

ALARMING ACCIDENT.—An occurrence tock
place at a watering place in Miltown Malbay, county Clare,
a few days ago, which would have been attended with
melancholy consequences to one of the gentler sex, but
for the intrepid conduct of a young gentleman, whose
name we cheerfully record. The circumstances were
these ;—A Miss White, of Dublin, a lady of great ,
personal charms and mental acquirements, was bath-
ing in Miltown Malbay, and having gone out of her
depth, • she suddenly disappeared. The female ser-
vant who accompanied her became terribly alarmed,
and screamed most lustily for assistance. Mr.
Michael Cuffe, the young gentleman alluded to, hap-
pened to be passing near the place at the time ; and,
hearing the signal of distress, instantly repaired to the
spot, and without waiting to relieve himself of his
clothes, he leaped into the water, and "buffeting the bil-
lows to her rescue," caught her by the arm and brought
her manfully to shore. The poor creature wasipetrifdeeltliy
insensible ; but on being conveyed
h
their g•• tii i d t
likewise
terms,
pfoarrdeedntshoefr,
tihvee rlejaodiycee
xt op
ri,sa,sys-esdh e recov cored: d I he
Cuffe Cuffe ; and the lady herself, in suitable
preserver.—
acknowledged the heroic conduct of her
Dublin Monitor.
/pus DRIVING.—MOR-
DRATEI FROM vug
btoeildthet;,deraetsliid(iinf
residing in
before Wm. Carter,
djaoyhnthieta3a,dij 03;1;1 Bartlett,
owna
Esq., the coroner
ton. It appeared that Mr. Bartlett and
Surrey, at the Antelope Tavern,
Grove-road, Bristofonr,
Lower-road, inquiry_tresrteer:l
tasLvecci
ed in the latter's chaise-cart on the
Clap-
ham-total, Pr along the Dover-road, 1
f Monday week,
while evening 0
Mr. Rudd, all:so:a:builder, living in Holland-street, Clap-
while e Sessions house • t
an omnibus opposite th ,
hour, driving at the rate of only five or six miles an
Newington came galloping up, and ran against-their
chaise-cart, which was upset. Mr. Bartlett was found
lying under the wheels, and Mr. Rudd was quite insen-
sible from the injuries he had suffered. Mr. EVallS the
surgeon, of Stones'end, applied all proper remedies, bnt
Mr. Bartlett died of inflammation of the brain, the con-
sequence of the injuries, on Friday week last. On Men-
dsy last it was hoped some of the passengers would be
induced to come forivard, but such was not the case.
Last night no additional clue had been obtained either
as t) owner or driver of the omnibus. The Jury returned
a verdict of " Manslaughter, against Some person or per-
sons unknown."
MELANCHOLY AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—
On Monday morning about nine o'clock a fatal accident
happened on the premises of Mr. Read, a builder, resid-
ing in Lower BelgraYe-place, Pimlico. In the wharf at
the back of Mr. Read's residence' are saw-mills fur the
purpose of cutting marble blocks into slabs. On a
truck beneath the engine that works the mills stood
propped, the one against the other, ten large marble
slabs, that had been recently sawn, each about ten
feet by five, and each weighing between four and five
cwt. Mr. Charles Read, son of the proprietor, aged
about nineteen, was, with others at the time of the
accident, engaged in removing the slabs, when the
outer slab, which apparently acted as a fulcrum to keep
the others standing, fell outward:, loosening ail the
others, so that they fell against the wall, their tops rest-
ing against Mr. Read's throat, and pressing him against
the wall, until by their own weight they broke into large
fragments. 'Air. Read was then disengaged, bleeding;
profusely from the throat, mouth, nose, and ears, ait'd
tho Ugh promptly attended j by, the neighbouring, sur-
geons, he expired at his father's residence in about as
hour after the accident.
SPLIT VOTES.—This practice, so much in
vogue at the late election for North Northumberland, re
minds us of the fantastic fashion which prevailed in Scot-
land
one
thatstocking
the
m reda
n
during the thirteenth century, of clothing one-half
of the figure in one colour, and the other half in another,
aohnra ddbl uut,hhe,eerae4dhpietsharaNev alolstcheneorot done,rgrheaehaving
ilOl ofr yellow,
i ug
so
..
stepped into one-half of
his neighbour's breeches or hose. Equally absurd is
the conduct of these politics] Merry d u rews.-10/ao
Chronicle,