The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-24 00:00:00

THE I?UGBY ROMANCE.

RUGBY, MONDAY EVENING.

The prisoner in this extraordinary case (Richard
Guinness Hill) still remains at the lock-up, and
although since Sunday he has been visited by seve-
ral relations and acquaintadces, no bail for his reap-
pearance has yet been offered, nor is it likely there
will be before the next examination. Being only
remanded he is allowed to receive all letters and
communications which are addressed to him at the
prison, and each post since his incarceration has
brought him abundance of newspapers containing
a history of the drama in which he has played so
conspicuous a part. These narratives he has eagerly
perused, and he has remarked that it is fortunate
for the newspapers that his case has turned up
during the Parliamentary vactation, whes. He when they
has
ex-
perience Edivffiecr3un-ltiog in filling
has his day," that " one tale
is good until another is told," and that "he has
been anxiously waiting for the day when the pub-
lic will see the other side of the picture." He spends
three hours a day in exercise in the yard,
and is allowed to have whatever meals he
chooses to order and pay for. He denies the identity
of the child, and says that there are thousands of
women in London who, in order to obtain a reward
of £2O, would produce a child, and swear through
thick and thin, even if a man's life were at stake.
According to the ordinary custom, sufficient evi-
dence had been already adduced to warrant the
magistrates sending the case for trial upon the
specific charge of making false statements to the
registrar concerning the birth and parentage of the
child, but the prosecutors are determined if possible
to bring before the public all the surrounding cir-
cumstances, and a majority of the magis-
trates have decided in' favour of that course
being adopted. ` Under the Act of Parliament
6th and 7th Wm. IV. c. 86, the case can-
not be disposed of at the quarter sessions,
and must be sent to the assizes, which will not be
held until December next. The 41st section is as
follows :—" Every person who shall unlawfully
make, or cause to be made, for the purpose of being
inserted in any register of a birth, death, or mar-
riage, any false statement touching any of the
particulars hereinbefore required to be known and
registered, shall be subjected to the same pains and
penalties as if he were guilty of perjury." These
are imprisonment with hard labour for a period not
exceeding seven years, to be determined by thejudge
before whom the party is convicted.
The Globe Inn, where the first scene:of this re-
markable case is laid, has obtained a notoriety to
which its intrinsic merit as a hostelry for travellers
do not entitle it. This being one of the great cattle-
fair days for which Rugby is celebrated, the town
was crowded with strangers, a great number of
whom dropped in from simple curiosity to have a
look at the house. It has the appearance rather of
a country beer-shop than an ordinary tavern.
It is the first inn going from the railway station to
Rugby, and cannot be more than five minutes' walk
from the best hotel of which the town can boast.
The two apartments on the first floor, occupied by
Mr. and Mrs. Hill, are of the humblest description;
the bedroom being extremely small and ill-fur-
nished, and the sitting-room, which looks upon
some fields, having nothing noticeable in it, except
two gaudily-coloured vases on the mantel-piece,
bearing the inscriptions, 'Peace, love, and har-
mony," and " Friendship, love, and truth," which
came in strange contrast to the incidents which the
room brcaight to mind.

LATE LOSS OF LIFE AT BLACKF.RIA.RS

BRING

Last night Mr. W. J. Payne, the deputy coroner
for the city of London, held an inquest at the Rose
and Ball, Rennet's-hill, Upper Thames-street, on the
body of James Kent, aged 45, a lighterman, who,
with six other persons, were in a boat which was
swamped by the swell of a steamer at Blackfriars-
bridge, on Wednesday evening last, when the
deceased was drowned.
Wm. Bartlett, of the Coal Exchange Tavern, St.
Mary-at-Hill, said at a quarter before six on Wed-
nesday evening
he was in a gig with the deceased,
having started from Lambeth Stairs, with five other
persons. I. ive of the party were rowing, the deceased
amongst the number, who was rowing the stroke
oar. They had just got through one of the arches of
the bridge, near the middle of the river, the tide
running down at the time very strongly. The water
was very rough when they got through the arch.
Witness saw a great swell, when the man who was
steering called out " back her." A Waterman was
steering. We dashed over the first wave, but some
water came into the boat. A second wave came still
stronger, which swamped them and the boat went
down. All were saved except the deceased, When
witness went down he caught hold of the boat, and
succeeded in clinging to it, and at length got on the
keel of the boat, where he remained until extricated
by some persons on board a steamboat. The boat
had not struck anything in passing through the
bridge. They were all rowing properly and carefully
and the whole of the party were quite sober.
Thomas William Myers, of No. 50, Great Tower-
street, said he was in the boat on the day in question.
It was a six-oared cutter, and would carry a dead
weight of 18 or 20 persons. Witness was steering at
the time, the tide running down and near low water.
They came through the fourth arch on the City
side. It is a clear arch. When they got through the
arch there was such an unusual swell that a large
skiff could hardly live in it. The cutter gave two
terrible pitches in the swell. She half-filled at the
first, and then at the second went down. 'Witness
saw the breakers a-head and called out to all to ease
off. Witness and another man swam on shore leaving
those who could not swim to hang on by the boat. A
steamer had just gone up from Blackfriars-bridge,
and there was a heavy cross swell at the time. She
went down after they had got about 20 yards
through the bridge. All who were in the boat, ex-
cept Mr. Bartlett, were watermen and free of the
river. The deceased sank in about 12 feet water.
George Maxwell, of Willow-walk, Bermondsey,
watertnan, said—All the five who were rowing the
boat were watermen. They eased off in passing
through the arch. The man who was steering
called out to " Back her astern," but they were not
able to do so in time, and the swell struck her. A
Citizen boat had just passed through the arch as
they got there. Everything was done by those
rowing to save her from sinking, and he (witness)
remained in the boat until he was up to his middle
in water, when the boat canted and rolled over.
The cause of this was the steamer going so furiously
through the arch of the bridge. Witness did not
see the deceased, but when he got ashore he in-
quired if all were saved. He was told by a gentle-
man that all were, but unfortunately he found that
such was not the case, as the deceased was drowned.

The Coroner summed up the evidence, and said
that it was important matter for consideration that
the whole of those in the boat, with the exception
of Mr. Bartlett, were watermen, and had consider-
able experience on the river.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
The deceased has left a wife and three children
quite unprovided for.

A LUNATIC SCALDED IN A BATH AT

BAN WELL.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. G. S. Brent, deputy
coroner for West Middlesex, held a lengthy inquiry
in llanwell County Lunatic Asylum, on the body
of a patient named William Edwards, aged 36,
lately an egg merchant, of Heathpoo:-street, Pad-
dington, whose death was occasioned by severe
scalds in a bath at the above institution.
The evidence set forth that the deceased was sent
from Marylebone 'Workhouse to the above asylum
in Sept. last, He was demontea and suffering from
paralysis, the latter affection producing dirty habits.
On such occasions le was subjected to a warm
bath, and a like event occurring on the 26th ult., a
bath was about to be prepared for him by Taylor,
an attendant in the epileptic and idiotic ward,
while Paris, another attendant, undressed the pa-
tient in his room. Before the bath was ready,
Paris let the man out in his shirt and boots, Taylor
at the time having turned boiling water first into
the bath instead of cold, contrary to custom. The
patient stepped into the boiling water, and suffered
the most excruciating agony. He w®s then taken
from the boiling water and put upon a seat, when
his boots were taken off; and a consultation was
then held between the two attendants as to what
course should be adopted. They decided on sending
for Dr. Ellis, who attended, and subsequently Dr.
Begley visited. The feet of the deceased were
dressed, and he was put to bed. On the following
day the unfortunate man was removed to the in-
firmary, where he lingered till the morning of
Thursday, the 19th inst., when death terminated
his sufferings.
The jury remained in consultation with closed
doors, when, on the re opening of the court, the fol-
lowing special verdict was returned :
" We (the jury) find that on the 13th of Sept.,
Wm. Edwards did die from the mortal effects of in-
flammation of one of his intestines, called the duo-
denum, caused by his feet having become scalded
accidentally; and that his feet were scalded as afore-
said by his having stepped into the bath containing
hot water only; and the jurors further say that
there was great neglect on the part of the attendant
on Wm. Edwards aforesaid, but that this neglect
was caused by the want of proper rules in the
asylum ; and the jurors further recommend that no
patient in this asylum should be allowed to enter
into the bath room until the bath is properly tem-
perated."