The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-13 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS

MORE Loss OF LIFE ON THE LONDON AND BIRMING-
HAM RAlLWAY.—Yesterday evening, at half-past five
o'clock, an inquiry took place in the long room of Chalk
Farm Tavern, near Primrose-hill, Kentish-town, before Mr.
Stirling and a• respectable Jury, to inquire touching the
death of William Odwell, aged 28, which was occasioned
by the earth falling in upon him whilst at work in the shaft
of the London and Birmingham Railroad, now forming near
Primrose-hill.
The investigation excited a very unusual degree of inte-
rest, from the circumstance of so many individuals having
lately perished whilst employed in similar undertakings in
different parts of the country. Mr. Berkenshaw, the acting
engineer, and several other gentlemen connected with the
Company, attended, for the purpose of affording every in-
formation in their power relative to the unfortunate occur-

rence.
Mr. Berkenshaw, the acting engineer, produced an ex-
tensive plan of the works, and pointed out to the Jury the
situation the deceased was in at the time the earth fell in.
Several of the Jury stated that they had visited the shaft
and other parts of the works of the tunnel, that they might
be the better enabled to judge of the cause of the catastrophe.
A long discussion took place respecting the practicability
of carrying on the undertaking without the so frequent loss
of human life ; but which was irrelevant to the death of the
unfortunate deceased, and, the Coroner havinc, summed up
the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict " That the de-
ceased was accidentally suffocated by a quantity of earth
falling upon him."
The deceased has left a widow and three orphans.
SUICIDE IN THE SERPENTINE.—Yesterday an inquisition
was holden before Mr. Higgs, at the Rising Sun, Charles-
street, Grosvenor-square, on -view. of the body of a man un-
known, about 23 years of age, who drowned himself in the
Serpentine river. Verdict—" That the deceased drowned
himself in the Serpentine 'river, but in what state of mind
he was at the time there was no evidence before the Jury."
DEATH OF AN, INFANT.—Last evening an inquiry took
place at the Horse and Groom public-house, Castlestreet,
Leicester-square, before Mr. Higgs, the Coroner for West-
minster, and a highly respectable jury, concerning the death
of a new-born female; which was found at the corner of a
court-yard of St. James's Palace. Several- witnesses were
examined, but no important facts were elisitedfrom their
evidence. Adjourned until further evidence{ be procured.
MELANCHOLY AND FATAL ACCIDENT.--resterday even-
ing an inquest was held iii the Board-room of Middlesex
Hospital, before Mr.Stirlingl,kin view of the body of Bridget
Rourke, aged nine yearsoVhose death was occasioned by
being run over by a covered cart, the property of Messrs.
Guiders and Co., salt-merchants, of the City-road basin.
The Jury returned, a verdict of- " Accidental Death."
Deodand on the horse and cart, 5/. , •
FURIOUS DRlVlNG.—Yesterday afternoon an inquest
was held before Mr. Carter, Coroner for Surrey, at the
George and Dragon, Barrett-street, Lambeth, on ihe body
of Nicholas Kenward, many years a Carrier on the Brixton
ro:_d, who came by his death in the following violent man-
ner :-
- Mr. Humphreys, solicitor, attended on behalf of Mr.
Robert Planner and Mr. James Frisk, tradesmen, who had
undergone an examination at Qneen-square Police Office,
charged with the death of the decased.
John Lee, servant to the deceased, deposed that, at half-
past six o'clock on Friday evening, he was returning from
London to Brixton, his master driving at a slow trot. Just
as they had turned the turnpike on the. Clapham road, a
chaise driven at a rapid rate came in contact with the er-
rand cart, and turned it over upon the footpath. The de-
ceased either attempted to jump out or was thrown out by
the violence of the concussion. There was abundance of
room for both vehicles to have passed. The chaise was
also overturned, and the two persons in it were thrown out,
and received considerable injury.
In answer to questions from Mr. Humphries, the wit-
ness said that the night was very dark. His master was
perfectly sober, and was driving very steadily on his right
side Of the road.
Other evidence was given to the same effect.
After an investigation of upwards of five houi.s, the
Jury returned a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Planner
only.
The deceased, who was a man of family, had been a
carrier on the Brixton road for upwards of twenty, years,
and was greatly respected. ,

Yesterday morning, between nine and ten o'clock,
the following melancholy
,occurrence took place at the
residence of Mrs. Beaumont, Upper Baker-street, Dor-
set-square, to Mrs. Elizabeth Murdock (mother of Mrs.
Beaumont), an old lady upwards of 80 years of age. It
appears that the servant had lighted the bed-room fire,
and had imprudently left the poker in the fire. During
the thine Mrs. Murdock was dressing the poker fell out,
red hot, unobserved by the, unfortunate old lady, who,
from extreme deafness, did:enot hear it fall ; part of her
night-dress caught fire, and before any assistance
,could
be rendered her she was sc; dreadrUlly burnt That no
probable hopes are entertained for her recovery.

OTTERS.—On Thursday, while the sun was shin-
ing brightly on the river, some persons loitering,about the
Old Bridge discerned an otter, under one of the arches,
beating up the stream, as this voracious animal generally
swims against the•current in pursuit of prey. The intelli-
gence soon spread, and a crowd flocked to the banks of the
river, some provided with guns. Three or four otters were
now visible, darting about the arches of the bridge. Seve-
ral shots were spent without success, but at length a lad on
the bridge fired down his piece with effect. The blood
mounted up, and after one or two convulsive tumbles, one
of the otters sailed down the river dead. It was afterwards
taken out and found to be of the usual dimensions, between
two and three feet long. The others escaped unmolested.
Our river is at times much infested with otters. The
villanous vermin," as old Izaak Walton, with the true
spirit of an angler, styles them, generally seize upon trout
and salmon, and having taken a few choice bites from the
most delicate part of the fish, they leave it to float in useless
and lifeless putridity.—lnverness Courier.

Now that the herring- fishing is over, and the har-
vest is nearly all completed, Wick and its neighbourhood
have sunk into a state of dullness and inactivity, pretty
general at this season. The harvest of the sea has been
abundant ; but some of the correspondents of the Edin-
burgh papers exaggerate its extent. The average at Wick
will be about 130 trans each boat. Finer herrings were
never eaught on the coast of Caithness, either as respects
size or flavour. The_ fishings all along the shores from
Orkney to Banff have been good.
_Shetland alone has
proved a failure ; according to the latest information, the
quantity of fish taken there was not equal to the produce
of the smallest station in Caithness. The price of cured
herrings continues very low, and the sales dull, a circum-
stance
.not easily accounted
,for in the present healthy and
flourishing state of the manufacturing and other. districts.
We have often expressed our, regret, that. Wick should be
wholly dependent on the heving fishing. Fortunately, a
beginning has at length been made. Last week a gentle-
man from Greenock brouglkt
_persons from Orkney to in-
struct young girls in the plaiting of Tuscan and Leghorn
straw ; and so promising is.this commencement that already
sixty persons are employed,- , Orkney has -long been cele-
brated for its extensive straw plaiting, and some years it
has been known to bring-Abe sum of 20,0001. into the
country.—lnverness Courier. -
_ _

. -
A SHOOTING PARTY.—On Tuesday last a few
sporting characters were brought before the Magistrates in
this city (Carlisle) on the following charge :—The party, it
appeared, had on the day previous partaken rather freely of
John Barleycorn, and took it into their leads to spend the
remainder of the day in a shooting excursion. They ac-
cordingly quitted their potations, and off they set, half-a-
dozen of them—with one gun among them all ; but then,
they could take it in their turns, and as they had no dogs,
they could field it themselves, and, like cricketers, bawl out
" play !" when they saw the game coming, as plainly as cir-
cumstances would permit. In the first mile or so which
this redoubtable party traversed in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the city, they met with nothing that put their
sportmanship to the proof ; but on going a little farther,
one of the look-outs spied a levy of rare birds—all in a
cluster—and in the ecstacy of his joy he bawled out to the
gunsman, "Go it !—play !" No sooner said than done—
the deathly contents were let slip—and six prime, well-fed
geese, which were quietly dozing each upon one leg,
with their bills thrust under their wings, lay sprawl-
ing upon the ground The marksman was uproariously
applauded as a dead shot ; and as there was just a
bird a piece, they each swung one across his, shoulder,
and trudged off in quest of fresh " adventure,"—never for
a moment questioning their right to all of the feathered
tribe which they could " bring down ;" and it is difficult
to say whose geese might not have shared the same fate,
had not their odd appearance, as the sportsmen reeled into
Botcherby, each with a bleeding goose dangling at his
back, created among those who saw them, first, surprise—
then suspicion—then something more easily understood by
the delinquents, who took the hint, and sought safety in
flight towards home. When they arrived there, it was
found that only one goose had been preserved in the re-
treat ; this was ordered to be cooked, and the sportsmen
began to prepare themselves for the best part of the
" sport." Meantime, the''owner of these geese- apprised
the Police of the affair, and an officer was sent in quest of
the delinquents. He at length obtained a clue' to their
discovery, and entered the house just in time to spoil the
entertainment, which was just goinl, to begin. They were
W.:wined in custody all night. Sonic understanding was
come to with the owner, who became satisfied that the
whole affair was merely a drunken lark, and they were dis-
charged on payment of fines, fees, &c. to the amount of
1/. 19s.—Carlisle Journal.