The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-08 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

ALLEGED MIIRDEIt OF A WIFE BY HER Iles-
BAND.-On Saturday, shortly after ten o'clock, Mr.
Baker, the Coroner, and a Jury composed of the most
respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood, assembled
at the Royal Crown public-house, in Ratcliffe-highway,
to inquire into the circumstances attendant upon the
death of Mrs. Mary Hardy, the landlady of the house,
, whose death was alleged to have been occasioned by the
violence of her husband, Mr. Laurence Hardy. Alter
the Jury were sworn, they proceeded to the sitting-
room adjoining the bed-chamber on the first floor, whet
the body was laid out, Lnd on their return to the in-
quest-room the following evidence, as accounting for
the death of the deceased, was adduced :
Bartholomew Collins, on being sworn, deposed that
he was potboy at the Royal Crown, which is kept
by Mr. Laurence Hanly, who is husband to the deceased.
His master and mistress appeared to have lived happy
and comfortable, so far as he could see, until the
night before. On Thursday night his master went
out to supper, and did not return until between the
hours of twelve and one o'clock on that (yesterday)
morning, and during his absence the deceased served at
the bar. On the Friday afternoon the deceased was
rather intoxicated, but not so much so as to be inca-
pable of attending to her business, but appeared much
troubled at the absence of his master. Nothing parti-
cular happened until Mr. Hanly came home, about
half-past twelve. On his master knocking at the door,
he (witness) was about to open it, but his mistress de-
sired him not, and went to open it herself ; and the in-
stant she saw it was her husband, she gave him a vio-
lent blow in the face, without having previously said a
word. He did not see Mr. Hanly do anything previous
to the blow to provoke it, beyond his stopping out.
The deceased then took up a pint pot, and aimed
a blow at his face, but he warded it off. She
called him a blackguard for stopping out, seemed
much excited, and ma le several efforts to strike
him with the pot ; but some persons who were in the
parlour came out, and separated them, and the deceased
walked into the kitchen. His master followed her into
the kitchen, and told the deceased she was drunk. The
deceased again called him a blackguard, and she instantly
fell on the rug, and began to cry out " murder !" He
(witness) could not say whether his master had struck
the deceased so as to cause her to fall on the rug, as
had been stated. Witness entered the kitchen on
hearing the deceased cry " murder" twice, and found
his mistress on the hearth-rug, supporting herself by her
right arm, and her husband standing by a table, about
two yards off. His master was perfectly sober at the time,
and appeared quite calm and cool, and immediately
afterwards took a candle, and went up stairs to bed.
Deceased followed him, and witness afterwards heard
her knocking at the sitting room, through which she
had to pass before she reached the bed-room. She con-
tinued knocking at and shaking the door for about two
minutes, and at the end of that time he (witness) heard
the deceased tumbling down the stairs.
Juror—Did you hear any scuffling between the
knocking and the tumbling down stairs ?—Witness :
No.

Examination continued—There is about three yards
from the sitting room door and the top of the stairs
down which she tuxblcd.

Juror—lf she had been knocking at the door at the
top of the stairs, must you not have seen her ? Wit-
ness—Yes, I must, for I was standing at the bottom of
the stairs r.t the time. She fell down the stairs with
great violence, and pitched upon her head at the bottom.
A pint pot which she had in her hand was under her
head, and her feet were on the stairs. He could not
say whether she had taken the pint up stairs with her,
but on immediately going to her assistance he found she
had hold of it, and her temple rested on it; edge. (The
pint pot was here produced ; it was much brat, and
the edge on one side was deeply stained with bind )
The witness said he found a candlestick under the head
of the deceased, but could not say whether his mistress
had taken it up with her or not.
Juror—Where was your master when the deceased
fell ? Witness—He was upstairs, but cane down im-
mediately. On my lifting up the deceased, she breathed
heavily twice, but did not speak nor move. His mas-
ter, on coming down stairs, seemed much affected, and
desired him (witness) to go for Mr. Hooker, a neigh-
bouring surgeon, who attended immediately. The de-
ceased had a wound on her right temple, and another
on the left ear, which had been occasioned by the fall,
and caused her death.
Juror—How soon after you took up the deceased did
she expire ? Witness—ln about three or four minutes.
Juror—Did your mistress seem much excited in the
course of the day at the absence of her husband ?
Witness—Not much until about the evening.
Juror—Did she expect :him home on the Thursday
night ? Witness—Yes, Sir,
she did.
Peter Riley said--I was present in the bar when
Hanly and saw the deceased throw a
came Loom,
pint of beer at him, but could not say whether she
struck him or not. Tho tiNeased did not open the
door for her husband, but h"could not say who did.
Manly was sober, and did
not appear at all ex-
cited, though he might be annoyea. at having the beer
'
thrown at him. The deceased appeare. 1 much excited,
and he (wit-
and went into the room behind the door
(wit-
ness) then went away. I
Another witness was called, but his evidence
public hats la- len
material. ce
‘..a.
Mr. Hopker (the surgeon) was next examined, and stuffed at

For the ensuing session of the Central Criminal
Court, which commences on the 15th instant, '230 persons
have been already committed for trial, anal previous to its
close that number will probably be increase 4 to 400. The
trials of Courvoisier and Gould are expected to occupy more
than two days, so that the jurors, may xpect to be called on
ruelu sition for at least ten or twel-e days
PURCHASE OF ESTATES BY NEGROES.—
The purchase of another estate by the labouring population is
announced in the Guiana Chronicle of April 6th :—" Fifty
thousand dollars have been subscribed by some negroes working
on the plantations Lusignan and Anandale, east coast of the
river Demerara, fur the purchase of an estate called New
Orange Nassau, the property of J. A. Holmes, Esq. The cash
will be paid in silver dollars within the space of a fortnight;
when the plantation will be turned into sugar cultivation, cot •
ton and plantains being its present produce." . • .
" We look upon this second purchase as an omen of the grow-
ing prosperity of the colony, and as tending to advance mate-
rially the cause of immigration. Here have two estates been
purchased in the space of a year and eight months from the
termination of the apprenticeship, by a few labouring men who
were lately slaves ! Why, when this is heard in America and
the West Indian islands, we defy the stepfage of the stream of
immigration into this province. '
In the course of the week several complaints
have been made to the Lord i%layor of the great danger caused
to the lives of numerous children from the overloading 01
watermen's wherries at London-bridge and other places. It
appears to be a common practice on Smiday for some boatmen
to take in each of their boats IS or 20 children, and to give
them a row for a penny apiece. His Lordship was also in-
formed that many of the boats are unlicensed, ana he wrote to
the Waterman's Company to request that they would take im-
mediate measures to suppress the illegal and dangerous practice.
This is the exact period of the angler's May-d)•
(so called, although its period of appearance is from the cmn-meneement to the middle of June). It is the most
short-
lived, in its perfect state, of any of the insect rare,oul x.sfri,
five hours from the period of its emergence from the
at tThehbeatitloe rosfe
Waterloo,vi iic h t
ahned e
which dicodf
nO3trlaL,go_esin,a t mountede
`,erne age of thirty-eight years and seven Tontb , has bh
been
ilrussels, by order of his Royal ll,gliness, the
-'milted to see it.

EVENING EDITION.