The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-04 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUES T.

This morning, at a quarter to 10 o'clock, Mr. W.
J. Payne, the deputy coroner for London and South-
wark, reassembled for the purpose of further in-
quiring into the circumstances attending the lament-
able deaths of Mrs. Mary Anne Toomey, aged 27
years; Michael Toomey, aged 10 ;. and Elizabeth
Toomey, aged 3 years. It will be remembered that
the three unfortunate persons perished in the fire,
which occurred in the premises tenanted by a Mr.
French, a grocer and general dealer at No. 19,
White-street, Borough, on Monday week.
The inquiry, on the first occasion, created great
interest, but upon the present, the excitement was
considerably greater, the former inquiry having bee❑
adjourned in consequence of the coroner having re-
ceived a letter to the effect that a certain party he
could prove bad wilfully set fire to the building.
The coroner said if that could be proved, the party,
whoever he was, would be guilty of murder, seeing
that three innocent and unfortunate human beings
had perished in consequence of the fire. At his re-
quest several of the firemen of the Metropolitan Bri-
gade, and Mr. Hamlyn, superintendent of the dis-
trict, were in attendance to watch the case on behalf
of the Brigade, Mr. Inspector Havard, and Mr.
Sampson Low attended on behalf of the Royal
Society for the protection of Life from Fire, and
InspectorWisQ was in attendance to watch the case
on behalf of the police authorities.

Several of the parochial officers of St. George's
parish were likewise present to ascertain whether
the conductor of the fire escape had done his duty
upon such a trying emergency, especially as the
escape was stationed within 200 yards of the, scene
of the calamity. That question was soon set at rest,
for upon the conductor hearing cries of " fire,'" he at
once unshackled his escape, when Mr. Toomey came to
him in his shirt only, and told him that the house
he lodged iu was on fire, and for " God's sake, if
not for his, make haste and save his wife and
family." That the conductor could not be blamed in
wasting time will be seen below ; that he immedi-
ately proceeded to the spot, but just in time to see
the poor woman and one of her, children fall upon
the stone flags in front of the house. The premises
then, from the base to the roof, looked like a blazing
furnace. Had there been a dozen persons in the
house they must have perished, as did one of Mr.
Toomey's children—almost burnt to a cinder.
The various rumours about the origin of the fire
caused the neighbours to muster strongly.
The learned coroner having alluded to the reason
of adjourning the inquiry, and the jury having
answered to their names, the following additional
evidence was taken :

Mr. French, the occupier of the premises, stated
that he had made a mistake about the hour, or he
should have been present on the former occasion.
The coroner and jury were of opinion that the
letter which had been sent to the court was of seri-
ous importance, and proposed that they should in
the first instance examine the following witness,
Mr. Toomey, when the Coroner said that Ellen
Toomey had since died, and the same jury could
inquire into her death.
Mr. Toomey said the deceased was aged eight
months, and with the others were burnt in the fire.
When he went out of the house he did not see any
one sitting on a box, but he saw a box thrown out of
the window, and it fell on his child's head, and was
the cause of his infant's death. The box fell on to
the pavement. He did not see the lid fly open.
[le did not see who it was who threw the box out,
but it came from Mr. I rench's room.
Mr. Burrows recalled, said that, when his eldest
son came home, he showed him up to bed himself.
The other part of his family had gone to bed. None
of his children had gone down stairs with a light to
the ::water closet at the back of the house after they
had gone to bed. There was an iron gate at the
side of -the house, which was not locked of a night.
Any one, if he knew the way, could enter, but he
never heard of any one having done so.
Conductor Wheatley recalled.—When.he arrived
he saw some one who was dressed putting a box out
of the window. It was a good sized box, and was
just over the face of the shop, not quite three feet
from the ground. The first floor was then alight.
The first person he saw was a man, and he was
dressed. Ile should not know him again as he was
in a; stooping position. The shutters were all down,
and' a laceman at the back said that he had pulled
them down. Some one came and broke open the
iron, gate. There was a female sitting near the
fire with a shawl on.

By ➢-Ir. Rigby, solicitor.—He arrived at the fire
three or four minutes after he was called, and was
accompanied by Mr. Toomey.
Edward Dening said that he lived in the first
floor back of the house destroyed by fire. His
daughter, eight years of age, slept in the same room
he did. He went home at 11 o'clock at night and
passed through the iron-grating. The gas was then
all out, and he did not smell fire. He was awoke
by a crackling of wood. He got out of bed, but
had the presence of mind not to open his door, as
he could hear the fire burning outside. He made
his escape out of the window with his child, and
escaped upon the shed below. He had lived in the
house about twelve mouths. He rented his room of
Mr. Leach. Mr. Leach, who was on the jury, was
not the one he alluded to ; it was the landlord's son.
I used to collect the rents.

The Coroner said that Mr. Leach ought to have
had better sense than to act as a juryman in the
case; but it was explained that he was not the
landlord, and the matter dropped.
Edward Campbell said that he was an officer of
the London Salvage Corps, and he went on duty
at the time of the fire. lle should say that the fire
began under the staircase. Ile had turned part of
the ruins over, but saw nothing to lead him to be-
lieve that the house had been wilfully set on fire.
It would depend entirely upon circumstances to dis-
cover whether the place had been wilfull3 fired.
The place was so much burnt that all the interior
was destroyed, and it was impossible to learn any-
thing.as to the origin of the fire.
Mr.burrows, recalled, said that there was a large
oven in the back parlour. lie was sitting with him
in that room on the day of the first Reform Demon-
stration, and he then said that he did not make use
of the oven, but he thought that Mr. Leach, when
helkept'the shop, used to make hts'sweetmeafsin it.
Mary Roper, of No. 8, St. George's-square, at the
back of • the premises in which the fire took place—
She paid Mr. French six shillings, but he would not
let her have anything on credit after that. 'There
was very little in the shop at the time except bread,
salt, and wood, but he had no butter or pickles in
the place. She wanted to have a few things on the
Saturday night, but he refused. She saw the shoe-
maker take six children out of the second floor, and
she had enough to do to save her own children.
Campbell, the officer of the salvage corps, re-
called, said that after his arrival he heard an explo-
sion, with a peculiar smell like small fire works.

Mr. Samuel Noble, of Harper-street, Old Kent-
road, said that ho had let the premises to Mr.
Thomas Leach, a confectioner. He paid him rent
for the premises. There was rent due in February
last, but when he sent for it he refused to pay be-
cause some repairs had not been completed to a tank.
He had the ladder in the yard, but as the weather was
wet his men went to another job. He sent notice to Mr.
French to give up possession of the premises, and
that notice would have expired on Monday last, the
day of the fire. IL asked Mr. Leach whether he
knew anything about the fire, and Mrs. Leech said
that their dog would not let them rest, and that she
got out of bed and looked into the yard, but saw
nothing, and got into bed again. The dog, how-
ever, continued to bark more violently, when Mr.
Leach got out of bed, and was putting on his clothes,
when he heard the bar of the shutters wrenched
violently. He got out and found the staircase on
fire like a furnace. The shop was also on fire. He
saw a man running away as if in the direction of
the fire-escape. He then saw Mr. French behind
him, perfectly dressed. Mr. Leach said, " Oh," but
he went away at once. There had been no dispute
between him and Leach about 12s. he owed for rent.

The inquiry was still proceeding when we went
to press.

HER MAJESTY, &c•

WINDSOR CASTLE, March 3.

The Queen, accompanied by her Royal HighneEs
Princess Christian, drove out yesterday afternoon.
Prince Leopold also drove out, attended by Mr.
Sahl.

The Princess of Wales.

MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, March 3, 5 p.m.

The convalescence of her Royal Highness the
Princess of Wales is making favourable progress;
but the recovery from the affection of the knee must
necessarily be slow.
ARTHUR FARRE, M.D.
JAMES PAGET.

W. 'TENSER, M.D.
E. 11. SIEVEKENG, M.D.

Her Majesty held a Couucil at Wiuthor Castle
this afteruoon.

THEATRE ROYAL COVENT- GARDEN. —Their Royal
Highnesses Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Prussia,
attended by Lady Biddulph, Colonel the Hon. C. Lindsay,
and Captain Voustarter, honoured the morning perform-
ance at this theatre with their presence on Saturday.

The marriage of Captain Colvin Stewart, of
Cairnsmore and Newton-Stewart, Kirkcudbrightshire, with
Miss Julia Coape, will be solemnised at Fulham on the 2d
of April.

The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon entertained
a select party at dinner ou Saturday at their house in
Grosvenor-street.

Lady Egerton of Tatton will have her second
reception at the family residence in St. James's-square
this evening.

Lord and Lady Lindsay, and the Hon. Misses
Lindsay have arrived iu Grosvenor-square from Haigh
Hall, Wigan, Lancashire. •

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., enter-
tained at dinner on Saturday, at his residence on Carlton
House-terrace, Lord William Hay, M.P., Lord Henley
M.P., Hon. C. Howard, M.P., Sir John Johnstone, Bart.,
M.P., Sir Thomas Western, M.P., Sir D. Marjoribanks,
M.P., Captain Hayter, M.P., Mr. M'Laron, M.P., Mr. Cole-
ridge, M.P., Mr. Dodson, M.P., Mr. O'Reilly, M.P., Mr. T.
Hughes, ➢I.P., Mr. G. Glyn, M.P., Mr. King,lake, M.P.,
Mr. Finlay, M.P., and Mr. W. H. Gladstone, M.P.
The Earl and Countess of Derby were honoured
by the company of his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge at dinner on Saturday evening, at their resi-
dence in St. James's-square. There were also present, to
meet his Royal Highness, the Duchess of Wellington, the
Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury and Lady Victoria
Ashley, Viscount Hamilton, Viscount Mahon, Viscount
and Viscountess Walden, Lord Stanley, Lord and Lady
Wharncliffe, the Hon. Frederick and Lady Constance
Stanley, and Colonel the lion. James Macdonald, in attend-
ance on the Duke of Camb:idge. Later in the evening the
Countess had an assembly. _ _

The Marquis and Marchioness of Hastings have
been entertaining during the past week, for the Notting-
ham and Derby races, the Earl and Countess of West..
morland, Viscount and Lady Constance Marsham, Vis-
count and Viscountess they do Wilton, Hon. Miss Yel-
verten, Mies Heneage, Duke of Newcastle, Duke of
Hamilton, Earl of Coventry, Lord Alexander Paget, Lord
Berkeley Paget, Mr. Payne, Mr. Savile, Captain Hawkes-
ley, Captain Coventry, Mr. Aubury Coventry, Mr. Thorn-
hill, Captain Brabazon, Mr. Wilkinson, Sir F. Johnstone,
Mr. George Johnstone, Colonel Knox, and Mr. Pere)"
Barker.