The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-14 00:00:00

PALLEGED MANSLAUGHTE.R OF A
WIFE AT ISLINGTON.
•
On Saturday night Mr. G. S. Brent, the deputy
coroner for West Middlesex, held an inquiry in the
coffeeroom of the Prince of Wales Tavern, Caledo-
nian-road, on the body of Mary Bowdell, aged 40,
the wife of a labourer, who, it was alleged, died from
the effects of violence inflicted upon her by her
husband.
The first :witness examined was Wm. Brown, a
cabinetmaker, living in the front parlour of No. 7,
Clayton-street, Caledonian-road, who stated that the
deceased, her husband, and four children occupied
the adjoining room. About half-past 10 on Mon-
day morning, the 7th inst., he heard a violent
knocking at the doors separating the two rooms, and
on proceeding there he heard Mrs. Bowdell call
out, " Come in, Brown ; I'm so bad." He entered,
and found her sitting on the side of the bed,dressed,
but with the upper portion of her clothing open.
Finding she was foaming at the mouth, and had
drooped her head, he went for assistance and called
a doctor. When he returned to the house he found,
as he expected, that the woman was dead. He be-
lieved the family had been struggling for the last
eight or nine months, having hardly anything to
eat, and the children were running about half
starved.
Mr. Lamb, surgeon, of 3, Diddington-place, Cale-
donian-foad, said deceased had been a patient of
his since Nov. 12th last. She was suffering from
asthma. The day after Christmas-day he was called
to attend her, and found one of her ribs broken. She
told him she had been drinking the day before with
her sister-in-law, and fell down. He then bound up
the rib, which was the fourth on the left side. He
had since made a post-mortem examination in com-
pany with Mr. Pearse, of Tavistock-square. There
were no other marks externally than a bruise on
the left eye, in opposition to which there was no
extravasation of blood. He believed the immediate
cause of death was from natural causes. •
A little boy was here introduced, seven years of
age, who made the following simple statement,
being unsworn :—He said his name was Frederick
William Grayston, and lived downstairs at No. 7,
Clayton-street. He was in Mr. Bowdell's room on
Christmas-eve, and Mrs. Bowdell was drunk. Mr.
Bowdell kicked her and thumped her. It was about
seven o'clock in the evening. He hit her, and
kicked her in the back. He pitched her off the
chair. She fell on the floor, and knocked her eye
against the table. She did not do anything. She
could not speak or stand after he kicked her.
The husband of deceased said he was a coal-
porter on the Great Northern Railway, but declined
to make any statement on oath, after being cau-
tioned by the deputy coroner.
Other witnesses were then examined, who merely
deposed to deceased having been heard on the
Christmas-eve, but neither of them interfered. A
mother of one of them was sent for on the Christ-
mas morning, and bound up the deceased. De-
ceased told her that her husband had kicked her.
She also said to another person that she told the
doctor she had fallen down while drunk,, and so
caused the injury, but this was not the truth. A
hospital nurse, temporarily staying at the house,
was present at the death, and observed a large
wound in the chest. She knew of no broken rib.
The deputy coroner here questioned the medical
witness, who said that the broken rib penetrating
the lung and pleura would accelerate death.
The jury felt dissatisfied with the evidence before
them, and thought an adjournment would be neces-
sary,
The Deputy Coroner agreed with them, and said
he certainly expected more conclusive evidence to
have been placed before the jury.
The inquiry was then adjourned for a week.

21IE RECENT EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENT
ON TILE SEIIV.E.

The account given of the extraordinary incident
on the Seine the day before yesterday—a mother,
Madame Bertin by name, jumping from a sinking
barge, with two children in her arms, on to a piece
of floating ice—was not quite correct in all its de-
tails. Her husband, who was in the barge next to
the !'sinking one, did not content himself with
throwing ropes to her, as was stated, but put off in
a boat. He was, however, in spite of his efforts,
unable to reach her, owing to the violence of the
current and the quantities of floating ice. It was
stated that the piece of ice on to which the woman
jumped with the children rocked as she alighted,
but she kept her footing, and remained on it until
rescued. The latter part of the statement was not
exact. After floating some distance, she slipped
off into the water, but kept firm hold of the two
children. A bargeman named Rivet, who was on
board a barge called the Solferino, of Rouen, on
seeing the woman and children fall into the river.
jumped into a small boat and rowed to her rescue.
He caught hold of her clothes, and perceiving that
she was still holding the children clasped in her
arms, attempted to lift her into the boat. He found
her, however, too heavy, and whilst supporting her
as well as he could the boat drifted with the cure
rents This placed the mark hiegspit na th.
~.,roan auu cinidren, in imminent danger; but
nevertheless he did all he could to encourage her,
and affirmed that he would not abandon her.
At length three other men, named Masson, Berton,
and Lamy, arrived in a boat, and succeeded in res-
cuing Madame Berton and the children, and also
Rivet. When they were all landed, the commissary
of police of the district of the Champs Elysees, who
had been informed of what had taken place, and
who hurried to the spot, had the woman and child-
ren taken to the Cafe Alma, and there put to bed.
In a little while the children had completely re-
covered, but the poor mother became delirious, and
cried out constantly, " My children, my children."
What added to the danger of her situation was that
being enciente she had in the course of the night a
miscarriage. The next morning, however, she was
calmer, and hopes ar& now entertained that she will
recover. As to the men who saved the woman and
children, the commissary of police complimented
all of them, and especially Rivet, on their courage.
He, moreover, offered the latter a sum of 75f., to
which he was entitled for having saved three per-
sons, but the man refused to accept it, saying that
he had only done his duty.—Gatignani.