The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-24 00:00:00

211 E HOME OFFICE AND CORONERS.

A dispute has frequently atteri between a coroner and a
bench of magistrates as to the right of the former to have
a prisoner brought before a jury during the progress of the
inquest. It has now been settled by Mr. Gathorne Hardy's
deciding that the coroner has no right to make such a
demand, and that the Home Secretary has no legal power
to grant it. Dr. Lankester, the coroner for Central
Middlesex, has just held an inquest at the Bank of England
Tavern, Cambridge-Place, Paddington, relative to the
death of a child, the illegitimate son of Ann Wickens,
a domestic servant. The jury having been empanelled,
the Coroner said the mother was apprehended by the
police, taken before a police magistrate, and remanded.
Since he had been coroner it had always been customary
in cases of supposed murder or manslaughter to apply
to the Secretary of State to allow such suspected
persons to be present before the jury, in order
that they might hear the evidence against them.
That was the ancient system, and revived in modern
times, after the introduction of stipendiary magis-
trates and justices of the peace. He had accordingly
applied to Mr. Gathorne Hardy, the Home Secretary, to
have Anne Wickens brought before the court on the pre-
sent occasion, but had met with a refusal, although his
application was sent on one of the printed forms which he
possessed. He would read the letter he had received :
" Whitehall, Jan. 20, 1868. Sir, lam directed by Mr.
Secretary Hardy to acquaint you that his attention has
been called to the practice which he understands has pre-
vailed for some years of producing before coroners' juries
persons in custody of the metropolitan police on charges of
murder and manslaughter. It appears that in cases of this
kind the coroner makes an application to the Secretary of
State to authorise the person charged to be brought before
the inquest (which is always fixed for the day on which the
prisoner is to be taken before the police-magistrate for:fur-
ther examination) on his way to or from the police-
court. Seeing, however, that the Secretary of State
has no legal authority to give any such orders, and
that he, therefore, in every such case steps beyond the
law, he is of opinion that the practice in question,
which exists only in the metropolitan police district,
cannot properly be continued. I am directed, therefore,
on general grounds, and without reference to any special
case, to intimate to you that after this date Mr. Hardy
will not feel it to be his duty to give any instructions to
the metropolitan police for the production of prisoners at
coroners' inquests. I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Ja2azs FERGUSSOII.—E. Lankester, Esq., Coroner's Office,
Great Marlborough-street." The Coroner said that it re.
gained now to be seen whether Mr. Hardy was right or
wrong. He felt that there was an intention on the part of
:he present Government of the country to withhold a pri-
soner under the hands of the police from coming before a
coroner's court, which afforded special opportunities both
to the accused and the jury. He was of opinion that the
police and the coroner's courts clashed with each other,
and the sooner a member of Parliament should bring this
case under the consideration of the Legislature the better
as the matter then would be settled. The j try expressed
their extreme dissatisfaction at the letter read.