The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-16 00:00:00

THE LATE FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE
IN WHITECRAP_EL.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. William Baker, the
coroner for East Middlesex, opened an inquest in
the London Hospital, on the bodies of Charlotte
Low, aged 33, and Emily Williams. aged 15, the
two persons who lost their lives in the fire which
occurred in the premises, 57, High-street, White-
chapel, some particulars of which appeared in this
journal ou Monday last.
The coroner and jury having viewed the bodies,
the following evidence was adduced :
Charles Palmer said that he was an assistant to

Mr. Walton. The eldest deceased was his master',

housekeeper ; the youngest was a servant in the
employ of Mr. Walton, who had been a grocer in
the same house for 25 years. He went to bed at
twelve o'clock at night, having previously seen Mr.
Pickney turn the gas off. Mr. Abbott, who was
injured by the fire, bad the management of the
premises. Mr. Walton was away at the time.
His master was insured, ho believed, for £1,200,
but he considered that sum mould not pay the loss.
There were six persons besides the deceased sleep-
ing in the house, who were rescued by the fire
escape. They made for the front window, and three
were taken down the escape from the first floor and
three from the third floor windows. The conductor
of the Royal Society's escape, after ascending his
machine twice, and saving six persons, went athird
time to the back of the house, and reached the trap
door, but then the room was in flames. The de=
ceased persons were the first to give the alarm by
knocking at the third floor, and they must have
returned back again to dress, as they were found
partially clothed. Mr. Abbott tried all he could
to get to the females, but the fire was raging so
fearfully that be was unable to do so, and he in
consequence called out to them to run to the trap
door. He could not form any opinion as to the
origin of the fire.

icir. John Comley, surgeon, of High-street,
Whitechapel, said that he `sip; present when the
bodies were found. Both. _pergons„-_died from the
effects of burns and suffoesifton;' ,

Samuel Wood said thikt" he Was a conductor to
the Royal Society for the protection of Life from
Fire. On Saturday morning laTst a police officer
called out, saying, " Sam, bring your escape, for
here is a fire." He went immediately with his
machine, and rescued six persons. He next tried
to get to the room in which the deceased were, but
the fire was coming out like jets of gas. He tried
to open the door, when it fell upon him, and he
was obliged to crawl on his hands and knees and get
down the ladder of his escape, head foremost, the
upper part of the machine being on fire at the same

The learned coroner summed up at great length,
)ointing out as he proceeded the different points
searing upon the case.

The jury, after consulting, returned a verdict
that the deceased were cacidentally burnt to death
in the fire, but how the fire was occasioned there
was no evidence to prove ; ilnd added, that the
greatest praise was due to Sam el Wood, the Royal
Society's conductor, for his extraordinary exertions
rendered upon the melancholy occasion.
A subscription has been already set on foot by the
inhabitants for-the conductor.

SHOCKING DEATH OF AN AGED AND
DESTITUTE FEMALE.

Yesterday an inquiry, which lasted some consi-
derable time, took place in the Board-room of St.
Luke's Workhouse, King's-road, ChelEea, before
Mr. Wakley, coroner for West Middlesex, touching
the death of Elizabeth M'Carty, aged 67, a destitute
creature, who died from the alleged neglect of the
authorities of the above workhouse.

The evidence was of a very voluminous nature;
but the brief facts of the case are as follows :

From the evidence of Police-constable Murphy,
99 B, it appeared that about two o'clock on Friday
morning, the 28th ult., he found deceased lying
against some rails in Chelsea New Bridge-road, and,
in answer to questions put to her, she stated she
was homeless and destitute. He then took her to
the workhouse, where she was admitted, being in
a very exhausted condition. Deceased was not at
all intoxicated, but evidently suffering from illness.
Joseph Lamb, the night porter, said he received
the deceased, and showed her to a room in which
was a bed, and then left her, and in the morning,
about nine o'clock, on going into the room I saw
she had not been in bed.

By the Coroner—When brought in she was not
intoxicated, but seemed exhausted. She was left
alone in the room.

By the Jury—The deceased had no refresbment
offered her, and there was no fire in the roomwhere
she was left.

The coroner and jury both expressed their great
surprise that no kind of help or nourishment was
offered to the deceased when admitted, as it had
been shown that she was in an exhausted condition.
Mrs. Humphries (the nurse) said she saw de-
ceased in the morning, and offered her the break-
fast allowed to the casual paupers, consisting of
half a pint of gruel and a slice of bread, but deceased
was unable to take it, and at the same time com-
plained of faintness and sickness.

Timothy Wells, the gate porter, stated that the
deceased left the house about half-past 12. o'clock
on Friday, and she said Mr. Tubbs, the relieving
officer, had refused to give her an "order for relief,"
and on a second application to the master he refused
to admit her, in consequence of Mr. Tubbs having
refused to give her an order. _ _ .

David It-ow, an inmate, said deceased waited in
the house from half-past nine until half-past 12
o'clock, having made an application for an order to
Mr. Tubbs.

Mr. Tubbs here explained that he was busy at
the time giving out the " relief bread," and there-
fore could not attend to the deceased, and on
inquiring for her after that duty was over found she
had left.

The jury considered that in the condition the de-
ceased was she ought to have been attended to im-
mediately.
Mr. Dickenson, surgeon to the workhouse, said
deceased was in a dying state when admitted, and
stimulants were given, but she expired. From a
post-mortem examination he had found that death
resulted from laceration of the brain, producing
extravasation, caused perhaps from a fall.
The coroner having summed up, remarking upon
the melancholy nature of the case, the jury after a
long deliberation, returned a verdict in accordance
with the medical testimony, but added that great
neglect had been shown by Mr. Tubbs, the relieving
officer, and they hoped in future more caution would
be used in the case of casual paupers.
The inquiry then terminated.