The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-15 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS.

(From the Votes and Proceenengs of the House of Commons.)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14.
HORSE RACING PENALTIES BILL.
Order for second reading read ; Motion made, and Question
proposed, " That the 13111 be now read a second time :"
Amendment proposed, to leave out from the word " That" to
the end of the Question, in order to add ;the words " a Select
Committee be appointed, to inquire into the existing Statutes
against Gamin. of every kind ; and what penalties are enacted
by such Statures ; and whether the same, or any and what
parts of such Statutes have fallen into desuetude, or ought to
be repealed," instead thereof :"—Question put, " That this
words proposed to be left out stand part of the Question:"
The House divided:—

MAJORITY—AYES, 112.
Ackers, James Ferguson, Sir R. Mundy, E. Miller
Alford, Viscount Ferrand, W. B. Murphy' F. S.
Allot, John Peter Flower, Sir James Murray, A.
Antrobus, Edmund Forester, Hon G. Nicholl: J.
Archdall, Captain Forster, Matthew Northland. Lord
Arundil, Lord Fox, S. Lane Oswald, James
Baillie, Colonel Fuller, A. E. Pakington, John S.
Baird, William Gaskell, J. M. Palmerston. Viscouht
Baring, F. I'. Gisborne, Thomas Pigot, R. David
Barnard, E. G. Gladstone, W. E. Pollock, F.
Barrington, Viscount Gore, Montague Power, James
Beresford, Major Gore, W. R. 0. Pringle, Alexander
Berkeley, Hon. C. Gore, Robert Repton, George W.
Berkeley, Grantley Goulburn, Henry Ross, 1). R.
Boldero2 H. George Graham, Sir James Rushbrooke, Colonel
Borthwick, Peter Granger, T. C. Scott, Hon. F.
Bradshaw; Jamei Gregory, W. H. Seymour, Sir H. B.
Bramston, T. W. Hamilton, J. Hans Shelburne, Earl of
Broadley, Henry Herbert
Hon. S. Somerset, Lord G.
J Binges, W. H. L. Hinde, J. 11. Stanton, W. Henry
Buckley, Edmund Hodgson, Richard Stewart, John
Buller, C. Hope, 6, W. Stuart, W. Villiers
Burrell, Sir Thomas liornby. John Stuart, 11.
Butler. Colonel Hu,sey, Ambrose Strickland, Sir G.
Butler, P. S. Hutt, %V. Sutton, Hon. H. M.
Cochrane, A. Irving, John Thesiger, F.
Colborne, N. R. W. Jermyn, Earl Tollemache, John
Collett, W. R. Knatchbull, Sir E. Trench, Sir F.
Coote, Sir C. H. Langston, J. ii. Waddington, Harry S
Cripps, W. Leveson, Lord Walker, R.
Darby, George Lincoln, Earl of Wall, Charles B.
D'lsraeli, Benjamin Lindsay. H. 'Wortley. lion. JohUS
Dodd, George Lockhart, William Yorke, Hon. E. T.
Dundas, F.
Eaton, Richard J. IkAllaaccknealmizaier'a,WW.F. Young, John
Eliot, Lord M.Ncill, Duncan
Etwall, R. Manners, Lcrd J.
Evans, W. Mihres, It. M.
Ferguson, Colonel Morris, David

TELLERS.
Wortley, J. stuart
Pecl, Jotfathan

MINORITY-NOES, 25.

Berkeley, Captain Hindley, Charles Thornely, Thomas
Blcwitt, IL Hume, Joseph Trelawny, J. S.
Brocklehurst„ J. Marsland, Li Turner, E.
Brothel ton, Joseph Mitch ell, T. A. Villiers, Charles P.
Busfield, W. Philips, Mark Wawn, John T.
Childers, J. W. Phillpotts, J.
Clements, Lord Plumtidge, Captain
Duncan, George Scholefield, Joshua
Gill, Thomas Smith, B.
Hawes, B. Stansfield, W. it

TIILLIIIIB
Gibson, T. M.
rechell, Captain

A MAN WORRIED by a LEOPARD.
On Sunday morning last considerable excitement was
caused in Bolton by a report that the keeper at the me-
nagerie and museum of the Star Inn, had been worried
by one of the leopards. It appears, that the unfortunate
man, whose name is Matthew Ferguson, was seen going
up to the menagerie, about half-past seven o'clock on
Sunday morning, by one of the waiters. About half-
past eight another man, who assists in cleaning the
room on a Sunday morning, went into the menagerie,
and was alone for a considerable time. The keeper not
making his appearance he went down stairs with the in-
tention of looking for him, but was informed by the
waiter that lie saw him come in about half-past seven ;
it was now about half-past nine o'clock. The waiter
went into the menagerie to look for Ferguson ; he found
his jacket and hat in the usual place ' • and, his atten-
tion being called to the cages of the leopards, by the
female jumping from a ledge at the top, he observed
the unfortunate man lying dead in the den of the male
leopard, and literally weltering in his blood. He imme-
diately gave an alarm, and Mr. Sharples and other assist-
ance were instantly on the spot. The leopard, which is
one of the finest in England, was driven into the adjoin-
ing cage to the female ; and Mr. Watson, surgeon, was
sent for ; but there were no signs of animation left,
the poor man having evidently been dead for some
time. The body was found to be dreadfully man-
gled about the throat, and the scalp of the head
was nearly torn off. He must have been seized by
the throat, and killed almost instantaneously ; for,
had he given an alarm, he must have been heard by the
waiter in the room below. How he came to go into the den
to the leopard can only be conjectured. The animals
were purchased at the sale of the Manchester Zoological
Gardens, where Ferguson was their keeper; and being
in the habit, for a long time, of caressing the male, it
is thought that he must have gone into the cage with
the intention of teaching the animal some tricks, after
the fashion of Carter and Van Amburgh, as he had a
whip with him, and had carefully fastened the door on
going in. He had been strictly forbidden by Mr. Sharples
to go into the cage when the animals were in, and he
had, therefore, probably taken the opportunity of doing
so clandestinely when no person was near.
THE INQUEST.
At twelve o'clock, on Tuesday, an inquest was
held at the Star Inn, before Mr. Taylor, the borough
Coroner, and a highly respectable jury, when the fol-
lowing evidence wrs given :
John Wardle said—l am employed as a waiter by Mr.
Sharples. The name of the deceased is Matthew Fer-
guson. He is thirty-six years of age, and has been
employed by Mr. Sharples as a keeper for about twelve
months. I never saw him in the leopard's cage when
alive. The door is fastened by a screw at the bottom,
and another at the top, and by a chain and lock. I
saw him go past the bar about 4-half-past seven o'clock
on Sunday morning, and going up to the museum
to his work. He did not appear to me at all the
worse for liquor. I heard no noise afterwards. Sutton,
who was cleaning the museum, came down stairs at
about half-past nine or a quarter to ten, and said that
Matthew had not come. I said he had come in about •
half-past seven, and went up to look for him. I could
not find him, and was coming away again, when I heard
one of the leopards move, and, on turning round, saw the
deceased lying on his back, in the den, with his hoed
towards the top. The leopard was lying at his feet,
with its head to the bars, and its legs crossed, After the
leopards are fed they generally go upon the shelf. The
leopard's neck was marked with blood. There was a great
quantity of blood in the den. I gave an alarm, and Chas.
button went up with me, and we drove the leopard into
the other den. The deceased was quite dead. Mr.
Watson, surgeon, was immediately sent for, and ex-
amined the body. I could see that he was wounded on
both sides of his neck, and the scalp of his head was
much torn. He was removed out of the den. He had
taken the chain off, and put it upon the squirrell's cage,
unloosed the screws, and, when he got in, he had
screwed them up again. I have heard that the previous
keeper had been in to the leopards ; and I remember
Mr. Sharples forbidding bite, and saying, that if he went
in again he would dismiss him. I never heard him say
anything to the deceased. The whip used by the de-
ceased in the room was lying at the bottom of the cage.
Mr. William Wolfenden, agent, said—l knew the de-
ceased as keeper. I heard him say, in the month of lle-
cember, that he had been in the cage. There was a ru-
mour in the town, that Mr.:Carter had been in the cage,
and I asked him if it was true. He said it was not, but
that he had been in himself several times, though Mr.
Sharples did not know it, or he would be very angry
with him.

The CORONER said, it appeared to him quite un.•
neccesary to go further, if the jury believed
the witnesses already examined. There could not be
the slightest blame to Mr. Sharpies, even if he knew
that the deceased was in the habit of going into
the den. The man was in his service as keeper
of the animals; he had experience of such duty, and
ought to be better able to judge of their temper and
disposition than his employer, as he had been a keeper
in the Manchester Zoological Gardens before he came

to Mr. Sharpies. The probability was, that he bad an
idea that it would be a profitable speculation, if he could
train wild beasts to exhibit like Carter and Van Am-
burgh; and, like them, he must take the consequence
in case of failure in such dangerous employment.
It appeared that he had gone into the
cage with a whip, when no one but himself was present;
screwed the door fast after him ; and, if that were so, it
was his own act, and their verdict must be that of ac-
cidental death. If a man even worked in a factory, he
was subjected to accidents by the machinery ; but a man
who foolishly hazarded his life by going into the cage of
a wild beast, and perhaps to force it to do something
foreign to its habits and its nature, did that which was
likely to lead to his death.
The jury unanimously agreed in the opinion of the
Coroner, and immediately returned a verdict of " Ac-
cidental death."