The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-19 00:00:00

THE CORONER'S INQUEST.

Coroner Geer was called to hold an inquest on the
dead bodies of those already taken from the ruins
and conveyed to the Fourth Ward Station House.
The following is the testimony taken. Six of the
bodies have been recognised, and the other three,
making nine dead, have not been identified :
William Dodd, residing at Newark, New Jersey,
being sworn, says—l am foreman of the machine hat-
body establishment, in the building, 5 and 7, Hague-
street ; the building was occupied by A. B. Taylor
and Co., machinists, and H. A. Burr, hat-body manu-
facturer. The engine and boiler was situated in the
basement of the said building. I know nothing of the
occurrence.

Francis McNelly, residing at No. 4, Hague-street,
being sworn, said—That about half-past seven o'clock
this morning he heard the explosion of the boiler at-
tached to the engine in the basement of Nos. 5 and 7,
Hague-street ; I immediately jumped from my bed
and saw the smoke; I saw the house falling and
covered with smoke and fire immediately after; the
boiler went into Nos. 5 and 7, I think it was on Sa-
turday two weeks ago.
Albert Putnam, residing in Brooklyn, being sworn,
says—l am one of the firm of A. B. Taylor and
Co. I think the boiler attached to the engine in the
basement, was brought in about two weeks since; it
was bought of Peese and Murphy ; I think it was a
second-hand boiler, and also, that it had been used on
board a steam-boat, but a few times ;it was found too
small for the purpose, and purchased by Peese and
Murphy, and afterwards bought by A. B. Taylor
and Co.
Alva B. Taylor,'residing in Newark, New Jersey,
being sworn, says—He is one of the firm
got of A. B.
Taylor and Co., and that they the steam
h on
their boiler a week ago to-day; I
of Peese and Murphy ; it Was
bupiultrc
for me
med it
about two years since, and, as I was informed,
was sold for a boat at the South ; it was foundr
to be too small for the engine, and was exchanged
with Peese and Murphy for alarge boiler; I after-
wards purchased it of Peese and Murphy ; Mr. Mur-
phy told me it had only been fired up five times ;
I do not know if it had been inspected by the inspec..
tor of boilers, nor did I know a certificate was neces-
sary at the purchase of said boiler.
Dr. Thomas Holmes being sworn, says—He exa-
mined the bodies now lying dead in the Fourth Ward
Station-house, and find that the deceased, Peter Hyde,
came to his death by cold and exposure to water oc-
casioned by the bursting of a steam-boiler at Nos.
6, and 7, Hague-street. Also the bodies of George
ilyde, Isaiah Marks (a coloured boy), John Rogers,

and Eli Hull. The other four bodies were not iden-
tified by name, but the doctor found that they all
came to their death by injuries received by fire and
otherwise, in consequence of the explosion of the
boiler as above stated.
THE VERDICT.

The jury rendered the following verdict :—" That
the deceased persons came to their death by injuries
received by the bursting of a steam boiler, which
caused the falling and burning of the building, Nos.
5 and 7, Hague-street."

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF EXCHEWiER,Feb.IB.

(Sittings at Nisi Prins, at Guildhall, before the LORD
CHIEF BARON and a London Common Jury.)
HIGGS V. TIIItALE.

Mr. M. Chambers and Mr. Lush for the plaintiff;
Mr. Bramwell for the defendant.

This was an action on a warranty of a bay mare,
which, it was alleged, the defendant had warranted to
be a good hunter, and to have one eye sound. The
plaintiff and defendant are both veterinary surgeons,
the former residing in Thames-street and the latter at
Croydon. The bargain for the mare, according to the
evidence of the plaintiff's daughter, was made at Croy-
don, where the plaintiff tried the animal in August
last, and the defendant stated that she was a good mare
to follow the hounds, and that though she had lost one
eye by a cataract, the other was only temporarily in-
jured by being touched by the halter. The plaintiff
gave for the mare a horse of his own, valued at 191.,
and 6/. in cash, and at the commencement of the
hunting season in October took the mare out with
the hounds, in order to try her capabilities. He
then found that it was impossible to hunt her with
safety, and she began to leap when she saw a shadow,
and before she came to the fence, and even jumped
over the hounds. Mr. Thrale happened to be one of
" the field" when this experiment was made by the
plaintiff, and the plaintiff thereupon accosted him,
and charged him with selling him a mare to hunt
which no one could ride with hounds. The defend-
ant, however, asserted that the plaintiff was a timid
horseman, and offered himself to ride the mare, which
he did, with, it was alleged, indifferent success.
The plaintiff, however, refused to retain the mare
and sent her back; but the defendant, in the mean-
time, disposed of the plaintiff's horse, and the mare
ultimately turned blind from cataract, and was sold
at Tattersall's for 11 guineas.
On the part of the defendant, it was denied that
any warrantry was given as to the state of the mare's
eye at the time of the sale.

The plaintiff's counstil having been heard in reply,
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—
damages, 25/., being the full amount claimed.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

A lad named Knight was brought before the Lord
Mayor, in the custody of John Forrester, the officer,
charged with having presented a forged cheque for
252/. 103. at the Union Bank in Princes-street, of
which Sir Peter Laurie is the chairman.
Mr. Pullinger, cashier in the Union Bank, said the
prisoner presented the cheque at the counter on Sa-
turday, and asked for two 100/. notes, and the rest in
gold. (The cheque purported to be drawn by Thos.
Young and Co., in favour of Mr. Cardwell.) Messrs.
Young and Co. kept an account at the Union Bank.
The signature was a very close imitation of that in
the pass-book, and witness was not quite sure that it
was a forgery. He asked the prisoner from whom he
had received the cheque, to which the lad replied,
" From Mr. Cardwell, who is waiting in Mincing-
lane Chambers for me." 'Witness then accompanied
the prisoner to the house of the customer of the firm
in Mark-lane, and there ascertained that no draft of
the kind had been issued by Mr. Young. Measures
were then adopted to catch the party who had em-
ployed the boy to utter the cheque, but the delin-
quent, who had, no doubt, taken care that the neigh-
bourhood was well watched, was not to be found.
The LORD MAYOR compared the signature to the
cheque with that of Mr. Young in the bank books,
and said the similitude was very great.
The thing which occasioned surprise was that any
body could have doubted for a moment that the writ-
ing was Mr . Young's, upon comparison with that
gentleman's signature in the pass-book. The cheque,
it appeared, had been taken out of the cheque-book
of the firm. It was quite evident that the prisoner
had no knowledge of the danger of his mission to the
banking-house. We understand that he had been
taken in by means of a trick which had been fre-
quently played off by swindlers and other thieves,
who through the medium of newspapers get into their
employment young fellows in want of situations, send
them for change of bank-notes in the first instance,
and then, when they have made an impression as to
their business and respectability, intrust their dupes
with the more serious care of large cheques, and em-
ploy their emissaries to mark the proceedings upon
the offer of the forged instrument. lie had been en-
gaged by the person who called himself Mr. Card-
well, for whom he had got change of a Bank of
England note for 101., after which his new master
had sent him to perform the more important office of
getting the cheque cashed.
The case was adjourned to a future day.
GUILDHALL.

Yesterday, Mr. Edward lienealy, barrister, of
No. 4, South-square, Gray's Inn, was brought up, in
custody, and placed befure Sir Peter Laurie arid Mr.
Alderman Hunter, on the charge of cruelly beating
his natural child,who went under the name of Edward
Hyde.

Elizabeth Summers, the defendant's housekeeper,
was at a former examination detained in custody, it
being thought advisable to hold her to bail to appear,
which bail she could not get
The child was placed on the table before the Alder-
man, and repeated his statement of how he had been
beaten, but said that, although he was hung up, it
was not by the neck, but his hands were tied toge-
ther, and he was then hung up. He was partly
stripped, and the wounds which bad such a shocking
appearance on Wednesday and Friday last were fast
healing.
The child, in answer to questions put to him, said
his hands were tied in front, and that he was then
hung up and flogged.
Sir PETER LAURIE Who beat you ? Child—
That gentleman there (pointing to defendant).
Sir P. LAURIE—With what were you flogged ?
Child—With this cane ; after which I was taken
down and told to go for a walk.
Sir P. LAURIE—When were you beaten ? Child—
At night ; and he said he would give me the eat-o'.
nine-tails before I went to bed.
Sir P. Latraie—Now, Mr. Kenealy, we have got
at the fact of your beating the child. Do you put
any questions to him ?
Mr. Kenealy then put a series of questions to the
child, which were answered with remarkable quickness
and intelligence for a child not six years of age, to
show that he had always treated the child with kind-
ness, but that he was a bad boy.
The child admitted that he had told stories and was
beaten.
Sir P. LAURIE observed that the questions put to
the child had nothing to do with the fact of the cruel
beating he had received. As many children would
do, he had told stories, and the only question for him
to decide was, did defendant thus beat the child.
Mr. Kenealy—l do not deny beating the child—
(Hisses in the court, which were suppressed)—but
not severely—only as a parent.
Sir PETER LAURIE—A parent has a right to cor-
rect his child, but this I consider to be a most cruel
act—to flog a child of such a tender age as five years.
Sir P. LAURIE said it would be necessary to re-
mand the case for the evidence of a surgeon and some
other witnesses, as he thought it was a case for a jury
to decide.

Mr. Kenealy—l certainly did not think you were
going to send the case before another tribunal.
Sir P. LAURIE-With respect to the charge, my-
self and Mr. Alderman Hunter are satisfied that Mr.
Kenealy may have acted kindly towards the child,
and educated him, but in an evil hour he allowed his
temper to get the better of him, and he had flogged
the child to excess. He should remand the case until
Thursday, and would take bail, himself in 801. and
two sureties in 401.
A cabman stepped forward, and said if the Alder-
man would permit him, he would take the child home,
and bring it up with his children.
Sir P. LAURIE said he could not do anything of
the sort. Several persons in court who had heard the
case had made similar applications, and amongst them
was the name of a knight well known in the medical
world. He appreciated the good feeling that prompted
such offers, but he had no power to dispose of the
child in such a way.
Mr. Kenealy was bailed out, and the female Sum-
mers discharged.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Elizabeth Baker was charged with having stolen a
sack, the property of Mr. Kedd, an extensive miller
at Tileworth and Guildford.

The prisoner was watched into a marine store-
dealers' shop, and was about to sell the sack, worth
about 25., for 24d., when she was stopped and given
into custody by a person who had followed her into
the shop.
The case was unimportant otherwise than made so
by the statement of the prosecntor, who declared that
his flosses through sack robberies averaged yearly
from 700/. to 1,0001. The joint losses of a society to
which. he belonged in the article of sacks only,
amounted to 20,0001. a-year.
_ Mr. limuowicK said he was unable to conceive
how a species of theft could be committed to so large
an extent.

The prisoner was sent to prison for two months,
and the marine-store-shopkeeper, a beginner, was
cautioned to conduct the business with more care in
future.

WESTMINSTER.
John Narson, described as a carpenter and builder,

residing at 4, Franklin's-road, Chelsea, was placed at
the bar charged with uttering a forged 51. note.
Mr. Games appeared on behalf of the prisoner.
Mr. Frederick Whelmshurst, of 4, Robert-street,
Commercial. road, Pimlico, stated that on the 26th of
October last the prisoner, who owed him a trifling
sum, called at his shop, and stated that he had sold
some property at Brixton, and had received a Si. note
from the purchaser as a deposit. He then added that
he had just tried to get change for it at Mr. Clarke's
in the neighbourhood, but he was unable to accom-
modate him, upon which he said he could get it for
him ; and prisoner having handed him a Si. note, pur-
porting to be of the Newcastle branch of the Bank of
England, he took it to Mrs. Westers', the Rising
Sun, Commercial-road, and, having obtained change,
handed it to the accused.
Mrs. Welters proved giving the change for the
note to the last witness on the day in question, and
subsequently paying it to the nephew of Mr. Ellis!,
collector for the Chelsea Water Company.
Mr. Elliss's nephew identified the note produced as
the one he received from the last witness, and upon
his paying it into the bank to the company's account
the forgery was discovered.
Mr. Games cross-examined the witness with res-
pect to the identity of the note, but failed in shaking
his testimony, the young man clearly proving that
he never lost sight of the note from the time he
received it until after he had marked it.
Mr. Wm. Cummings, an inspector of the B division,
produced the note, and proved that the prisoner, of
whom he had been in quest for some time,was brought
into the police station on Saturday night in a state of
drunkenness. *Witness asked him as he was being
brought out of the cell that (Monday) morning,
where he found the note, when he replied he did
not find it, it was given him in payment with other
money for work.
Mr. Cummings having asked for a remand, to
which request Mr. Games said he should offer no
opposition,
Mr. BRODER'? inquired whether the accused
wished to say anything ?
Prisoner, by the advice of his solicitor, replied,
" Nothing at present."
The prisoner was then remanded for a week.
CLERKEN WELL.

Yesterday Charles Wilson was placed at the bar
before Mr. Combe, charged with having violently
assaulted John Brown, by which his life was in
danger
It appeared from the evidence of Thomas Travel-
ler, a porter employed at the Refuge for the House-
less Poor, in Whitecross•street, St. Luke's, that the
prisoner and the injured young man had been ad-
mitted into the institution as temporary recipients.
At half-past six o'clock on Sunday evening, Divine
service was being performed in the chapel of the in-
stitution when the inmates were present. Whilst the
service was going forward Brown ran to witness and
informed him that the prisoner had robbed another
man of a shilling. Witness told him to remain quiet
until the service was over. The prisoner, however,
got scent of Brown's having given information of the
robbery ; he followed him, and commenced a brutal
attack upon him by beating him about the head and
body, until he threw him down, on which witness
proceeded to his protection, when the prisoner struck
Brown on the head and body most savagely, and he
lay upon the ground insensible, and apparently dead.
The surgeon of the establishment was immediately
called in, and after affording him assistance, he or-
dered that he should be conveyed to the hospital.
The prisoner was given into custody and locked up.
Mr. George Mathews, housekeeper to the Refuge
for the Houseless Poor, gave confirmatory evidence.
Mr. COMBE asked the prisoner what he had to say
to the charge ? Prisoner (coolly)—I am guilty of
one, but not of the other one.
Mr. COMBE—Which do you mean—the robbery
or the beating and kicking ? Prisoner—l mean the
kicking.
Police-constable 173 G, who took the prisoner
into custody, produced a surgeon's certificate, which
described Brown to be in danger and quite incapable
of leaving his bed. He was in great pain.
Mr. COMBE remanded the prisoner until the fate of
the unfortunate sufferer can be made known.
WORSHIP-STREET.

Daniel Leary, a powerful young fellow, was
charged before Mr. Hammill with the following
wanton and brutal assault upon a married woman,
named Ellen Johnson, in an advanced stage of preg-

nancy.

The complainant, who appeared to have sustained
such severe personal injuries that she could scarcely
support herself in the witness-box, stated, that while
returning home on Saturday evening she observed a
younger brother of the prisoner attacking andill-
using one of her sons, a little boy considerably less
than the other, and who endeavoured to escape from
his assailant, but was prevented by the prisoner, who
tied a handkerchief round his brother's waist, and,
inciting him to further violence, declared that they
should fight it out. The contest, however, was de-
clined by her son, who ran away in the direction cf
his home, but was pursued, overtaken, and knocked
down by the prisoner, who then commenced kicking
him in a brutal manner as he lay upon the ground.
She expostulated with him upon his brutality to the
child, and entreated him to desist, upon which the
prisoner, after assailing her with the grossest abuse,
seized her by the hair of her head, and struck her se-
veral times violently in the face, until she fell heavily
upon the pavement, when he flung himself upon her,
knelt with his whole weight upon her stomach, and
kept her firmly down in that position for a consider-
able time. The psin she endured was so extreme
that her screams at length attracted the notice of her
husband, who endeavoured to rescue her from further
brutality, but the instant he made his appearance he
was set upon by the prisoner, who struck him a
furious blow in the face, and it was only by the united
exertions of several persons who had witnessed the
outrage that the prisoner was secured until the ar-
rival of a constable, when he was at length conveyed
in custody to the station. The complainant added,
that she had suffered excruciating pain throughout
the night, and was still labouring under symptoms of
such a serious nature that she entertained the greatest
apprehensions as to the probable effect of the pri-
soner's ill-usage to a person in her situation.
Richard Johnson, the complainant's husband, cor-
roborated the evidence of his wife in all its material
points, and proved that he was also subjected to severe
personal ill-treatment when he interfered for her pro-
tection.

The prisoner generally denied everything that was
alleged against him, and called a female relative,
named Mary Donovan, to confirm his assertion, but
her evidence was given in such an unsatisfactory
and prevaricating manner that
Mr. HAMMILL said that he could not place the
slightest reliance upon her testimony, and as he con-
sidered that such a brutal and unmanly outrage upon
a helpless woman in the condition of the complainant
was deserving of the severest punishment it was in
his power to inflict, he should order him to pay the
full penalty of 51., or to be committed, in default, for
two months to the House of Correction.
LAMBETH.

Yesterday John Haller, a private belonging to the
9th battalion of Royal Artillery, was charged before
Mr. Elliott with committing a moat violent, gross, and
unmanly assault upon two respectable females.
From the testimony of Mrs. Agnes Watson and her
daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Melville, respectable Scotch-
women, it appeared, that on Saturday night, when
returning from market, they were conversing toge-
ther, and just as they passed through Camberwell-
gate the prisoner accosted them. They begged him
not to interfere with them, but attend to bis own
business ; but he still kept on abusing them, and
having looked about him, and seeing no one near, be
struck Mrs. Watson a violent blow with a stick
across her neck. He next struck her on the head
with the same stick, and the blow not only knocked
her down senseless, but inflicted a serious wound on
her head, which bled profusely. The brutal fellow
repeated his blows at his fallen victim, when the
daughter of the latter rushed towards her parent, and
exclaiming, " You monster, are you about to kill my
mother," placed her arms over her head to protect her,
and the consequence was, that she received a severe
injury on her right hand. The prisoner, having
smashed his stick, took to his heels, but was secured
and locked up on the charge.
The police-constable who took the prisoner pro-
duced the broken fragments of the stick, which he
said he found on the spot where the assault was com-
mitted, with the exception of a short piece, which he
saw the prisoner throw away before he was secured.
Both the complainants were still suffering severely
from the serious injuries they bad received.
The prisoner, who seemed to treat the matter with
apparent indifference, said he was not sober at the
time, and that one of the women spat in bis face.
This both the complainants denied.
Mr. ELLIOTT convicted the prisoner in two separate
penalties of Si. each ; and directed, in default of pay-
ment, that he should be imprisoned twenty days for
each assault.

A sergeant from the regiment said that he bad
been directed by his captain to attend to watch the
case and report the result, and also to inform his
Worship that it was not intended to pay any penalty
that might be inflicted. The prisoner will, therefore,
have to serve his forty days in prison.

RAILWAY SHAKE MARKETS.
BRISTOL, Fin. 18.

STOCK EXCHANGE.—The market still continues inani-
mate, and little business has been transacted. Prices are
nominally as on Friday, but have a tendency to decline, yet
not sufficiently so to call for a specification.
LIVERPOOL, FEB. 18.

S7.'OCIE EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day were as
follow Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths, 714 dis.
Ltradon and North-Western, 110—Ditto, New Quarters,.% p.
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Preference, 7%
Yiidland, Halves. 241A3 dis.—South-Eastern and Dover (No.
4.k), 61A—Great Western, 63%.
MANCHESTER, FEB. 18.

_ f3TOC4 EZCEANGE.-:T/40 transactions to-day
.. were M

follow :—East Lancashire, 10 3-16 n.—Ditto, Preference,
Quarters (min. 6 per cent.), 714 Lancashire and York-
shire,sFifths, dis.—London, Brighton, and South Coast,
Preference (min. 6 per cent.), 136—London and North.
Western, New Quarters, :1,11 p.—Ditto, Manchester and Bir-
mingham, Quarters (C), 13-16 p.—North Staffordshire, 1034
dis.--17,hropshire Union, dis.—South-Eastern and Dover
(No. 4), Scrip, 6 3-16 c.
YORK, FEE. 16.

STOCK ExcHANGE.—The transactions to-day were u
follow : Great Northern, 614—Sheffield, Rotherham, and
Goole (N. Div.), guaranteed 5 per cent., 17a—'York ani
North Midland, 19%.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, and SOUTH

COAST RAILWAY.
A special general meeting of the proprietors of the
London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway was held
yesterday, at the Bridge-house Hotel, for the pur-
pose of considering the question of audit ; Mr. Laing,
chairman of the board of directors in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN said the shareholders had been applied
to for their opinions on the subject of audit, but only 24
had thought fit to reply, and of that number 9 were for
a Government audit, and 15 azainst it. The general re-
sult, however, was that the majority of the shareholders
were willing to leave the matter in the hands of the di-
rectors, or to chance. No audit could be devised better
than that of working with a closed capitil account, but
all railway companies were not like this company, in
that fortunate position, and as railway property was
daily becoming depreciated in value something
must be done by way of an improved audit to satisfy the
public as to the int ,grity of accounts submitted to them
by railway directors. Only two modes had been sug-
gested for accomplishing that object, namely, by esta-
blishing a Government board of control, or by the
shareholders taking the matter into their own hands.
He was was averse to the first on public grounds, but if
the shareholders declared in favour of it, the directors
would interpose no obstacles in the way of accomplishing
it. At the same time he thought it would ultimately turn
out that the shareholders would deal with the question
themselves without reference to the Government. He pro-
posed, therefore, that this meeting should appoint a
committee to co-operate with the committees of other
companies on the general question, and to fix upon some
system of audit for the current half-year.
On the motion of Mr. FLOOD, seconded by Alderman
WILsoN, it was resolved that the matter should be re-
f,rred to a committee of five shareholders, with
power to call fur accounts and documents, and to audit
the accounts in such manner as they should think best
till the question had been finally disposed of.
The committee was then nominated, after which
thanks were voted to the Chairman, and the meeting
terminated.

MEETING OF SPANISH AMERI.