The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-02 00:00:00

THE LATE DEATH BY VIOLENCE

AT KENSINGTON.
On Wednesday Mr. Wakley, M.P., Coroner, and the
jury impannelled on Saturday last, at the Coach and
Horses, High-street, Kensington, resumed the inquiry
into the circumstances attending the death of Edmund
Connell, which was on Saturday adjourned at the re-
quest of the jury, for the purpose of an application being
made to the magistrate of the Hammersmith Police
court, for ;he persons charged with inflicting the vio
lence on the deceased (James Hogan, Ann Hogan. his
wife, and William Barry), to be brought before the in-
quest, for the purpose of identification. The particulars
of the case have already appeared.
Inspector Havill, 'l' division, stated that in accordance
with the direction of the jury, he had on Monday last ex-
pressed their wish that the prisoners should be brought
before them previous to their examination before the
magistrates being gone into; and Mr. T. Paynter, the
sitting magistrate, had returned the following answer:—
`• Give my respects to the jury, and say that I should
readily meet their wishes if it were in my power to do
so, as I should always be disposed to pay great attention
to a request coming from a jury ; but that, in fact, I
have no more power to send a person before a
coroner's jury, than to send him to any other part of
the kingdon-. The power of a magistrate in
this respect, is to order any prisoner brought before
him to be taken to the proper place of confine-
ment, of which the choice does not rest with the ma-
gistrate. In case of a remand, indeed, the magistrate,
instead of making the committal final, may couple with
it a direction to bring up the prisoner again for further
examination; but when he has once finally committed a
prisoner, his power over him certainly ceases. I further
think that, unless the ends of justice imperatively re-
quire it, the prisoner is put to great and endless pain
and annoyance, by subjecting him to a second prelimi-
nary examination. It strikes me that there is a good deal
of misconception as to the proper province of a coroner's
jury, which is simply to inquire into the cause ef death,
without reference to a charge against any individual,
over whom, in fact, neither they nor the coroner have
any power tefore their verdict be given; and then, in-
deed (the sanction of the jury being obtained), the coro-
ner has power to issue his warrant. The inquiry by a
coroner's jury was in its institution chiefly fiscal, the ob-
ject being to ascertain what rights had accrued to the
Crown. If the jury took these views into their consi-
deration, they would, perhaps, not press for the appear-
ance of the prisoners before them, more especially if they
reflect that the verdict of a jury, given upon evidence,
taken in the presence of the prisoner, and with it liberty to
him to cross-examine, would carry with it a weight that,
happily, does not belong to the mere m'nisterial exami-
nation before a magistrate ; and such a verdict so given.
would in fact render any further trial a mere form ; and
even should the prisoner ultimately be acquitted, such
hisAcharacter tdhear
at
bnloet hdi
sge
ol dn r
se
tmr
aonvge
e.
a verdict so given would leave a stain and suspicion on
s were ordered
to withdraw, and after a lapse of nearly an hour, on the
public being re-admitted,
The foreman said the jury had determined on return-
ing the following verdict :--" We find that Edmund
Connell, from the mortal effects of fractures of the
ribsti onby
wbtheosleeftvisoi
ideencoef
shuischfractures chest,
were occasioned then and there died ;
b
there is not sufficient evidence before the jurors to
show, because the persons suspected of having com-
mitted the said violence, have been wilfully withheld
from the inquest by officers acting under the authority
of the magistrates and the Commissioners of Police."

owing to the season, no
STATE OF TItADE.—The appearance of the market
Although,done in goods, the market
improve.nusine business
h asb oen
is firmer, and, in some cases, a slight advance has been ob-
tained. In yarn the improvement is more decided; large
cgorneatitn
aumesoutnotof
purchases have been made at an advance on some current
numbers of a farthing a pound since yesterday fortnight.--
ROCHDALE FLANNEL...MARKET, MONDAY, DEC 29.—At this
time of the year the flannel market is unusually dull, and
there is very little hope of any change for the better before
the first market, which is the first Monday after the 6th of
January. The wool dealers complain of the limited demand
there is for that article. Prices may be quoted the same as
last Monday.—Manchester Guardian.
THE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE IRON DISTRICTS.--
WOLVERHA3IPTON, SATURDAY.—The usual meeting of
the South Staffordshire East Worcestershire, and Shrop-
shire ironmasters, preliminary to the quarterly meetings
which commence at Walsall on the 6th of January, was
held in this town yesterday. The
gentlemen who at-
tended, it is understood (for these meetings are strictly
private), unanimoudy resolved not only .‘ to support ex
iging rates," but the feeling was prevalent amongst the
large capita fists and best informed members of the trade,
that the present demand for iron, combined with future
expectations, would justify a further advance. Whether
this freely-expressed opinion was put out as a mere
feeler, or whether it may ti,t be understcod to be an in-
tended justification of pre eat prices, those who are en-
gaged in the trade can alone judge. It appears pretty
certain, however, that the numerous lines of railway
connected with this important neighb,urhood, for which
Acts have already been obtained, and others projected,
mostly local branches. which in all probability will re.
ceive the sanction of Parliament, have given, and very
justly so, a great stimulus to the staple trade and manu-
factgre 9f ;bi W9reeskr.y/eire chronic/4h