The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-06 00:00:00

MISERY AND DESTITUTION.

Yesterday an inquest was held at the Carpenter's Arms,
Brook-street, Lambeth, before Mr. Carter, Coroner for
Surrey, on view of the body of Richard Pratt, aged forty-
five, who, with his sister (now in Lambeth workhouse),
were discovered in a state of the utmost misery and desti-
tutioni at a miserable abode in Trafalgar-court, in the
neighbourhood, and shortly after which rho deceased died
from the effect of such privations. The case was one of
an extraordinary nature, the Coroner having held an in-
quest about two years back on a brother of the deceased,
who perished under precisely similar circumstances, at the
tone being with the same sister, who is now lying in a de-
plorable condition from exhaustion produced by cold and
want. The Jury, on being sworn, viewed the body of the
deceased, which was in a most deplorable state ofemacia-
tion. The house, consisting of four rooms, was in a filthy
state, and, with the exception of two or three old broken
chairs, was entirely destitute of furniture.
Mary Harrison deposed that she was a widow, and oc-
cupied the adjoining house to the deceased and the female
who passed as his sister. They had lived in the house
aLout three months, during which they were scarcely ever
to be seen. None of the neighbours were acquainted
with their means. They, however, appeared to bo
superior sort of persons, but of very eccentric habits.
Witness had nut seen either of them out for a consider-
able length of time, and it was a matter of great sur-
prise how they existed. The shutters at the lower part
of the house were almost always closed. On Friday
intoning, at an early hour, witness could distinguish
groans in tl.e house, and shortly afterwards she ex-
pressed her suspicions to others that something serious was
amiss. Between nine and ten o'clock the same morn-
ing she and Mrs. Thompson knocked at the street door
for a considerable length of time. No answer was re-
turned; but at last the door was opened by the sister,
who was scarcely able to crawl. She was almost speech-
less from apparent want and cold. The deceased was
lying on the floor of a room up stairs. He was alive, but
insensible and groaning. There was no fire in the room,
nor had he any bedclothing to cover him. The sister was
unable to give any account of the lamentable condition they
were both in. Mr. Golightly, a surgeon, shortly attend-
ed, but before his arrival the deceased expired. Informa-
tion of the shocking circumstance was afterwards given to
the parish officers, when the sister was removed to the
workhouse. The only provision in the house was a few po-
tatoes and onions. Some meat bones were in a corner of
one of the rooms.

Isabella Thompson, who accompanied the last witness
into the house, was exam-red, and gave similar testimony.
The Coroner inquired of Hepburn, the beadle, whether
the unfortunate people had ever applied for parochial
relief?

Hepburn replied that they had not. The cister, who
has since been taken into the workhouse, had somewhat
recovered, and stated that her deceased brother possessed
landed property in the country, and had he lived a few
days longer they were going to take possession of it. He
I►ad ascertained that neither of them bad any money, and
there could be no doubt they had experienced the extreme
of misery and privation during the late inclement season.
The jury said it appeared that the unfortunate people
had too much pride, even in the depth of misery, to apply
for parish relief.
In answer to a question from the foreman, the beadle
sa►d that no papers or documents were found in the house
to show whether the poor creatures had any relatives or
friends to appeal to in their distress. The sister up to
the present time was most reserved. She was, however,
likely to recover. The parish intended to bury the de-
ceased.

The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased died
from exhaustion, produced by the want of the common
necessaries of life, and exposure to the cold during the
present inclement season."

TILE THUNDER STORM.-HER MAJESTY'S
SHIP MONARCH SET ADRIFT.—SHEERNESS, JAN. 4--
Much alarm was caused here yesterday morning, about
sev, n o'clock, in consequence of the bells of the dockyard
beginning to ring ; it was feared, as we had had a severe
thunder storm, with some of the most vivid lightning ever
experienced here, that some part of her Majesty's dock.
yard had been struck by the electric fluid, but it proved to
be occasioned by her Majesty's ship Monarch parting from
her moorings during a heavy squall from the south-west,
when she drove athwart hawse the Vengeur, breaking her
jib boom, carrying away her figure-head, and sustaining
other damage. When she got clear of the Vengeur, she
drifted down alongside the dockyard wall, when the dock-
yard men were summoned in to assist in transporting her
back to her moorings, which was not effected until noun.
—Shipping Gazette.
It is said Sir Thomas Stanley, Bart., is about
to give up the Hooton fox-hounds, well known to the
spot tsmcn of Cheshire.