The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-13 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

DEATH OF A DECAYED MERCHANT.--REPUGNANCE
TO ENTER A WORKHOUSE.—Yesterday forenoon Mr.
Carter, Coroner for Surrey, held an inquest at the Marl-
borough Arms, South-street, Camberwell, on view of the
body of John James Mason, aged seventy years.
Miss Frances Ann Mason, a daughter of deceased,
clad in a workhouse dress, over which she wore a faded
black silk cloak, upon being sworn, burst into a flood of
tears, and appeared deeply to feel her condition. Upon
being questioned, she said she lived in the Camberwell
workhouse ; that the deceased was seventy years of age.
He had formerly been the principal partner in the firm
of Mason and Meyes, lead-merchants and refiners of
antimony, Hill-street, Blackfriar's-road. About two
years ago he had been unfortunate, and ,in consequence
had been reduced to the greatest straits ; and, to sup-
port themselves, they were compelled to part piecemeal
with every article of furniture they had been enabled to
save from the wreck of their former home. When the
whole of the furniture was gone, deceased and herself
were compelled to remove to a furnished lodging in East-
street, Walworth. They subsisted principally at first
from donations of friends who had known them in their
more prosperous days. These at length failed, and
they were compelled to apply for temporary
relief from the parish of St. Mary, Newington, in
which they then resided. A friendly parochial order
was also given to deceased for his removal to the work-
house of Camberwell (in which parish deceased had a
settlement), but deceased refused to make use of it from
repugnance to go into the workhouse. By the assistance
of some kind friends they were, however, enabled to keep
on their lodgings for a time. Their circumstances con-
tinued to get worse, and witness was compelled to pawn
her trinkets and every article of wearing apparel, until
they reither of them had more than they wore. They
were obliged to quit their lodgings for a small back room
in White-street, Borough, for which they paid 4s. a
week. They both slept in the same room. Witness and
deceased had occupied their last lodgings about a month.
They were occasionally without food. About ten days
before his death deceased, unknown to witness, applied
for relief to the parish of St. George's, Southwark. In
the evening the parochial authorities sent them a portion
of a quartern loaf, some tea and sugar, and oatmeal.
Deceased was in a very debilitated state arising from
want of food. He had ulcers on both legs. On Friday
last deceased kept his bed and became quite insensible.
We did not apply for relief to Camberwell parish, be-
cause deceased and myself were afraid of being required
to go into the workhouse. It was most abhorrent to de-
ceased's feelings, but at last we were compelled. On
Thursday last he was accordingly taken in a cab to
Camberwell workhouse, where he died within two hours
after his admission. The landlady paid for the cab.
Mrs. Ann Tupper, 41, White-street, Borough, the
landlady, stated that when deceased took her lodgings
he was in a very weak and debilitated state. They were
very badly off. Witness often gave them food and firing,
as much as she could afford. Deceased had no shirt,
and their whole stock of clothes was what they had on.
The CORONER summed up the evidence, and said that

it was evident that if it had not been for the repugnance
of deceased and his daughter to enter the workhouse,

in all probability he would have been alive at the pre-
sent time.

Verdict of " Natural death from serous apoplexy."
The unfortunate lady subsequently stated that she
should be most thankful if any kind individual could ob-
tain her a situation.
Suspicious DEATH. —An inquest was held yesterday
by Mr. Wakley, M.P., at the Silver Cup, Cromer-
street, Gray's Inn-lane, on the body of Henry Williams,
aged 38, an attorney's clerk, late of 18, Constitution-
row, Gray's Inn-lane. The inquest-room was crowded,
in consequence of a report that deceased met with his
death by foul means.
Mrs. Mary Anne Williams, widow of deceased, de-
posed that deceased was brought home in a cab between
two and three o'clock on Sunday morning, the 3d inst.,
in an insensible state. On Monday he rallied a little,
and recognised Mr. Osborne, proprietor of the Crooked
Billet, Tower-hill, with whom he shook hands, and also
asked him how he was. He told witness that he had
been struck by a person between a man and a boy in size.
He then relapsed into insensibility. About mid-day on
Tuesday he again rallied, and she asked him if he could
tell who struck him ? He replied that he could not, as
the blow was so sudden, and, pointing to his left eye, in-
timated that he was injured there, adding that he would
have fallen had not his companion, Mr. Strickland,
_ _

caught him in his arms as he was struck. Mr. Fogarty,
a surgeon, was sent for, and attended deceased as quickly
as possible after his arrival at home.
Mr. F. W. Fogarty, surgeon, 31, Great Percy-street,
Pentonville, attended deceased between three and four
o'clock on Sunday morning, who was then perfectly in•
sensible and drunk. On the following day the effects of
the drink passed away, but he was delirious, and it was
ascertained that his brain had been injured. He died on
Wednesday. Upon a post mortem examination, it was
found that the orbital plate of the frontal bone over the
left eye had been fractured by a blunt instrument, such as
the end of an umbrella or stick, which penetrated the
brain upwards of two inches, and protruded the eye,
causing death. From the first moment deceased's case
was hopeless. Deceased had an umbrella with him on
the day of the accident.
Mr. Hakes, house surgeon, University College Hos-
pital, confirmed the last witness's evidence, respecting
the result of the post mortem examination.
Mrs. Williams recalled—Her husband and Mr. Strick-
land had been intimate friends, and never, to her know-
ledge, quarrelled with each other.
Mr. Osborne stated, that deceased and Mr. Strickland
left his house at a quarter past twelve o'clock on Sa-
turday night. Although not drunk, neither was sober.
They were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
Mr. Robert Cockling, coach proprietor, was called
about one o'clock on Sunday morning, by two gentlemen
who were standing under the archway of the Blackwell
railway, in the Minories. They engaged his coach. A
policeman was present, but he (the witness) took no par-
ticular notice of them at the time. He drove them to
Redcross-street, where they left him. Deceased and his
friend were the two gentlemen who hired him. When
deceased alighted from his coach, he observed deceased's
face covered with blood, but deceased, who paid him, did
not complain of any wound or injury. He left deceased
and his friend in a passage of a court in that street.
Mr. WAKLEY subjected this witness to a severe cross-
examination, but his answers were so dissatisfactory, and
as the policeman who was present when deceased entered
the coach was not in attendance, he adjourned the in-
quest, having first required the production of the um-
brella which deceased had on the night of the melan-
choly accident. The umbrella is an old-fashioned one,
very strongly built, having a brass ring at its end, which
was of a size that suited the wound in deceased's brain.
The end and the umbrella itself were smeared with
blood. The jury and witnesses having been bound over,
the court adjourned.
SUPPOSED CHILD MURDER.-Mr. Higgs held an in-
quest yesterday at the Feathers, Dean-street, Westmin-
ster, on the body of a newly-born female child, which
was found in the enclosure of St. James's Park, opposite
the Wellington Barracks, on Friday morning last. Tho
body was that of a fine full-grown child, the cloth it