The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-26 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

A case of supposed child murder, under circumstances
of a very extraordinary nature, underwent investigation
at Bow-street Police court on Saturday last. Informa
tion of the circumstances having been forwarded to Mt.
Bedford, the coroner for Westminster, that gentleman
issued his warrant for holding an inquest on the body of
the deceased child, and at twelve o'clock yesterday a
jury of fifteen respectable inhabitants of St. Paul's,
Covent-garden (of whom Mr. Salter, one of the over-
seers, was foreman), assembled at the York Hotel,
Upper Wellington-street, for the purpose of pursuing
the investigation.
Mr. Benjamin Brooking, surgeon, of 7, Bow-street,
was the first witness examined. He deposed to having
been called in to attend a woman named Ann Cleveland,
of No. 9, Upper Wellington-street, in her confinement,
which took place on LWednesday morning last. The
child was perfectly healthy, and immediately after its
birth was placed in charge of a woman named Barber to
dry nurse. Witness saw the child last alive on Friday
morning. It was quite well at that time ; but about six
o'clock on the same afternoon witness was sent for, and
on arriving found the child deed. The case appearing
to be fraught with suspicion, witness gave information
to the police immediately, and in the course of the same
evening called in Mr. Charles Guthrie, surgeon to the
Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospit.l, who, on seeing
the body, at once gave it as his opinion that the child
had been suffocated. By request of witness, Mr. Guthrie
made a post mortem examination of the body at an early
hour on the following morning, the result of vvideh lett
no doubt on the mind of either Mr. Guthrie or himself
that the child died from suffocation.
The CORONER here inquired who was the next wit-
ness, and

Mr. Moseley, vestry-clerk of St. Paul's, Covent-garden,
who attended to watch the case on behalf of the paro-
chial authorities, said a gentleman was present who he
thought had evidence of a very important character to
offer.

The gentleman referred to here stepped forward and
gave his name as Mr. William Lawson, surgeon, of 13,
Cleveland-street, Fitzroy square. He said, about three
weeks since he received a letter signed " Harry Hart
nell," the writer of which described himself to be an old
friend of witness, and—

Mr. Wolff, who attended on behalf of a person at pre-
sent in custody, objected to this evidence but
The CORONER overruled the objection and the witness
proceeded as follows:—
The letter requested witness to call on the mother of
the deceased child, and went on to say that if witoeb
could take a hint and work it out well, it would be 51. in
his pocket. Witness not recollecting the name of " Hart
nell," nor liking the style of the letter, did not call in
Wellington-street, and destroyed the letter. A few
days subsequently, witness received a second I,tter,
.which explained more minutely who the writer was and
was dated from Portland chambers, Great Titchfield-
street. The writer requested that witness wculd attend
Mrs. Cleveland in her confinement, and promised that if
he did so and would call afterwards at Portland cham
hers, the writer would pay all charges. Witness re
ceived this letter last Saturday fortnight, and on the
following Sunday called on Mrs. Cleveland, and conversed
with her. She asked witness whether he thought her
child was dead. From symptoms which she desci ibed,
witness assured her that it was not. Witness called on
Mr. Hartnell, at Portland chambers, on the Monday fol-
lowing, and round that he had known him 17 or 18
years previously, but had not seen him since that time.
The first question he put to witness was, "Don't you
think the child will be still-born ?" Witnes, said,
" No." The next question was, "Could it not be
managed that it should be still born ?" Witneiss fir
' greatly insulted by the remark ; but not 'wishing tr,
knock the man down, affected not to understand the
question, on which Hartnell said, " Oh, you are ver)
~queamish ; they manage these things much better it-.
France. 1 have seen two or three cases of the kind
ire
that country." Witness declined to have anything to do
with the case, and warned Mr. Hartnell of the danger oi
attempting to bring on premature labour. Witnesp heard
nothing more of the case until he saw it mentioned in the
papers of that morning, when he felt it his duty to come
forward.
In reply to the Coroner, Mr. Moseley stated it had
been satisfactorily ascertained that the party in custody
was not Mr. Flannel!.
Mr. Charles Gardiner Guthrie, surgeon, of 19. Saville
' row, was next examined. He deposed to having made a
post mortent examination of the deceased child in the
presence of Mr. Brooking, Mr. Canton, Mr. Echling,
and three other medical gentlemen. On opening the
chest the liver and lungs were found gorged with blood,
and on the left lung there were several spots of ex
travasation. The brain was very vascular, and thi.re was
extravasation on the left side. In all other respells the
body presented a perfectly healthy appearance.
The CORONER—Did you form any opinion aq to the
cause of the child's death? Mr. Guthrie—Yes; its death
arose from suffocation.

The CORONER—Have you'any doubt on the subject?
Mr. Guthrie—Not the slightest. I remarked at the

time of making the post mortem examination, that if I
had met such a body in the dis ecung room, I
should certainly have inquired how the infant had come
by its death. Had the child died fr,.in couvulsiini, the
lungs would have been more vascular, and not gorged
with blood. A very slight pressure is sufficient u' Buffo
caw a child of such tender. age as the deceased, and
unless hard substances were used, the body would not
have presented a different.' appaiirtiticse from thas of the
deceased when I first•sAvz it offthe,Priday nigh
Harriet Swan, servant to Anne Cleveland, was
.. 'next'
examined at great length. Her evidence was qtrongly
corroborative of the suspicion entertained' as to unfair
means having been practised to procure the child's death.
She said she knew Mr. Hartnell, and A few days pre-
vious to her confinement she heard her mistress say
that be would attend her. Witness knew that Mr.
Hartnell cohabited with her mistress, and expressed her
surprise ; on which Mrs. Cleveland. said she lyiew he
was the father of her child, but if she did not surer him
to attend her in her confinement, he would sever
enter her house again. The witness further stated that
a person who wore mustachios, and whom she knew by
the name of " Dolly," lived constantly with ber mistress,
though the fact ,was wholly unknown to Mr. Hartnell,
who was only an occasional visitor. After the death of
the child, when the police were in the house, Mrs. Cleve.
land told witness that she would give her a soy, reign to
go and meet " Dolly" at some place, and tell him there
was a bother about the child's death, and that Ihe had
better not come to the house, as if Mr. Harts. 11 met
him it would be the ruin of her. Witness promised her
mistress that she would do so, but " Dolly" was; in cus-
tody before she saw him. Witness could not positively
say that Mr. Hartnell had called in Wellington-street
before the death of the child on Friday, bet she bad seen
him there ou the Wednesday previous. He was known
to witness as " Mr. Harry," and always addressed by
teat name by her mistress's order. " Dolly" was at
home on Friday afternoon, as witness believed, and since
his apprehension her mistress had more than once asked
whether he was taken, adding that she was prepared for
the worst.

At this stage of the proceedings, tilt re being several
more witnesses to examine, the inquire was adj,,urned.
The person alluded to as " Harry Hartnett" vf as pre
sent during the latter part of the inveAigation.

ALARMING FIRE in MANCHESTER
MANCHESTER, MONDAY.—Great alarm was excited
about ten o'clock on Sunday evening in the neighbour-
hood of Oxford-street, Chorlton- upon-Mvdlock, and
Oxford-road, linline (townships immediately: adjoin-
ing Manchester), by the cries of •' Fire, fire ;"
nor was that alarm decreased when it was as-
aitained that they ,proceeded from . the rata t-
ts
ei
nvelirperce
om4soe:spoinf
elktr
aeswsrht
Bthiroineghnnodw- Cwf);l{ r,g short
time, employ bet Ween 1,400 and 1,500 hands; It ap-
pears that, like, many firms in an extensive way of bu-
siness, Messrs. Birley and Co. not only manufacture
their own gas, but they have also a small fouildry for
making their own castings. Immediately adjoining the
foundry was a long shed, over e hich v, as another s
tor 3•,
used partly as a workshop, and contaieieg a large
quan-
tity of Honduras mahogany, or ba) wood, as it is called.
The leathern pipes or hose, too, kept in case of fire, were
unfortunately in this room. The shed underneath,
which was arched, was used for various purposes, but
the space under the arch at the extreme end was appro.
priated to the reception of the waste cote,n from the
trill, which was the cause of the fire for, it appears,
that owing to its inflammable nature, assisted by the oil
used in the spinning, and the extreme heat of the day,
the waste ignited, and the flames, penetrating the flor-
ing, caught the wood lying upon it before they were dis-
covered by one of the private watchmen (of whom there
are four) employed on the premises. Th., first attempt of
the watchmen was to rescue the pipes from the room above
the shed; but the fire had already obtained too great
mastery to render this practicable. They then procured
two or three main pipes from the factory, and, by means
of these communicating with the force pumps, were en-
abled to play upon the flames. Three of the town en-
gines were also speedily on the spot. In the meantime
the flames, rushing as from a flue through a doorway
opening from the shed into the foundry, and ascending
c
theitsroof, s
first
fipeeeerdiolyi
thir Lhetthe
trhafttheers ;maanhdogbeyw
yt,h ish
stviimoge
been consumed, the roof of that also was in flames,
which rose up continuously the whole length of the
building, about 25 yards. By the exertions of the fire-
men, however, the fire was prevented from extending
itself further; for, though no fears were entertained
after the first alarm for the factory itself; which was
separated from the burning building by the river Med-
lock, it was with some difficulty that a
;looitnoin, were pre
f small tene
'wretched district,
been Visited by
g
smeervnetsdinfrLomittldeelsrtreulacntit,ni.mmTehduiastel ads
inhabited chiefly by Irish, having lately
an inundation, caused by the overflowing of the Medlock
a
(andext
extreme
mt hee inhabitants
destitution
and o f whichitsattendant,
ared n
by fi suffering.re
t Therom
nar-
rowly escaped being partly consumed by
but
flames were eventually subdued by twelve o'clot:k, and it
is hoped that the damage dues not exceed 5001. or 60(11.
The property, we understand, was not insured. Being
Ww
ehe ikt s
forun wr epeakhe
i r,
even
e o millif t wouldhe fire
hhaadv have been eee.ene
occurred. We
thisn,e
learn, however, that she works will not be further re
tarded by the accident.
ig

His Imperial Highness the Archduke Constantine
of Russia honoured Mr. Beard, on Monday last, by sit-
ting for a photographic portrait at his establishment, i
the Royal Polytechnic Institu,tion, Regent-street.