The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-27 00:00:00

SUSPICIOUS DEATH.

Yesterday morning a Coroner's Inquest was held before
THOMAS STIRLING, Esq., and a respectable Jury, in the
Board-room of Kensington workhouse, to inquire concern-
ing the death of Mary Wilkins, aged sixty-seven years.
The husband, John Wilkins, stated that about a quarter
before six o'clock, on Sunday morning, the deceased got
out of bed and went through the stable into the garden.
She had not been out of the room many minutes, before he
heard the boards which were placed over a well in the gar-
den removed. He immediately got up and ran to the spot,
when he found the deceased had thrown herself into the
water. He instantly called up his daughter, and by her
assistance got the deceased out of the well, and conveyed
her into the house. Finding her still alive, he, after dry-
ing her, put her into bed, and got in himself, for the pur-
pose of warming her. Some time afterwards, finding she
did not speak, he sent for a surgeon, who pronounced her
dead. She had for some time been in a bad state of health,
and was an out-patient of St. George's Hospital. He
could not account for the mark at the bottom of her neck.
The deceased was in the habit of fastening the top of her
gown with very large pins, which might have caused the
discolouration.

Maria Wilkins, the daughter of the last witness, corro
borated her father's evidence.

The Jury expressing a wish that the body should be
opened, the inquiry was adjourned until the afternoon.
At five o'clock the Jury re-assembled, when Mr. Charles
Robson Laycock, the parish surgeon, deposed that he had, by
desire of the parochial authorities, opened the body, and found
a quantity of dirty water in the trachea and lungs, which, in
his opinion, was the cause of the deceased's death. There was a
bruise just above the sternum. Could find no evidence of that
bruise having produced death. There were other bruises on
the body, but none of any importance. The mark on the throat
might have been caused by a blow, or by pressure of the wind-
pipe, in which case, being momentary, inflammation of the
windpipe might not ensue.
By a Juror.—Might a person, having water in the throat,
live for near three hours, and during that time speak and swal-
low a glass of brandy, which it appeared the deceased had done.
Mr. Laycock replied—lf her head had been raised on a
pillow, it was not at all improbable.
After a lengthened consultation, during which one of the
Jury mentioned circumstances of a most disgusting and horri-
ble nature, totally unfit for publication, which he said he con-
sidered had driven the deceased into such a state of despera-
tion that she had deprived herself of existence, the Jury re-
turned a verdict—" That the decaased died in consequence of
injuries received by imbibing a quantity of water in the lungs,
caused by throwing herself into a well, being at the time in a
state of temporary derangement."

EXTRAORDINARY AND DIABOLICAL CON-
DUCT IN WATERFORD GAOL.—On Wednesday evening a fra-
cas took place among three of the debtors at present confined
in the city gaol, all of whom are rather respectable persons ;
two of them fought desperately with empty wine bottles, and
such other weapons as they could lay hands on. On the
alarm being given, the constables were sent for, who, on their
arrival, immediately succeeded in separating them. Shortly
after, one of them, a man of most ungovernable temper, sus-
pended himself from one of the windows by a cord, but fortu-
nately he was discovered in time to preserve his life. After
being cut down he was placed in bed, and appeared perfectly
quiet, but as soon as the constables had retired, he twisted his
shirt with which he again suspended himself from a large hook
in the wall. Mr. Abernethy, the second constable, previous
to his leaving the gaol for the night, was anxious to see how
the refractory prisoners were ; he therefore again visited them,
and to his utter astonishment and horror he again found the
unfortunate man, whose name, we understand, is O'Callaghan,
hanging by the neck, as before stated, and life nearly extinct.
He was a second time rescued from a horrifying and disgrace-
ful death, and to prevent any further attempt of so diabolical a
nature, a straight-waistcoat was procured from the Lunatic
Asylum, with which, and the aid of some chains, he was se-
cured. The other two were placed in solitary cells, sepa-
rately, where we hope they will be kept for the protection of
their own lives and the safety of the prison. We have been
also informed, they set fire to their beds, forms, &c., at one
period of their mad pranks, and but for the timely discovery of
the act by Mr. Wright, the governor of the gaol, there is little
doubt that the entire building would have been consumed.