The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-27 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

William Etheridge, landlord of the White Horse Inn, Fann
street, Aldersgate, was placed at the bar charged with steal
ing a wooden frame and some wood letters, the alleged pro
perty of George Jasling, landlord of the Cricketers, it Cam
berwell.

The complainant stated that he took the Cricketers from
the prisoner, whose name in large wooden letters was over
the front of the hpuse. The prisoner had on several occasions
asked for the letters forming his name, which were refused,
and at four o'clock that morning he brought some men with
him, and proceeded to take down his name, when complain-
ant, hearing the noise, went out anti gave him into custody.
Mr. Child, the solicitor, contended that there was not the
slightest pretext for charging the defendant, a highly re-
, spectable man, with felony; that the wooden letters, corn
posing his name, were not included in the inventory of the
goods purchased by the complainant, when he took the
Cricketers from the accused.
Mr. TRAILL expressed his surprise that the accused should
have been subjected to the indignity of being given into cus-
tody.on a charge for which there were not the slightest
grounds. The Magistrate, having strongly deprecated the
conduct of the complainant in making such a charge,' imme-
diately discharged Mr. Etheridge, who expressed his inten-
tion' of adopting proceedings against his accuser for false im-
prisohnient.

CORONER'S INQUESTS.
FATAL ACCIDENTS ON THE RIVER.—THREE LIVES LOST.
—Late last night Mr. Higgs held an' inquest at the Coach
and Horses, Flood-street, Westminster, on the body of John
Thwaites, aged 18, who, with his father and a man named
White, was drowned in the river on Sunday night last.
Alfred M'Evoy, a lad residing in Haydon-court, Saint
James's, said that, on Sunday afternoon last, the deceased,
his father, a youth named While, another named Piston.
whom witness did not know, and witness himself, engaged
a four-oared cutter at Hangerford-market. They all got
into the boat' and rowed with perfect safety to Richmond.
When they were upon their return, and near Vauxhall
bridge, three drunken men in a skiff endeavoured to over-
take .them. Upon -arriving off Chandler's yard, between
Lambeth Palace and Westminster-bridge, it being then half-
past ten o'clock, and quite dark, witness saw a number of
barges moored in the middle of the river, and directly in the
course in which they were rowing. Just as they reached the
barges, and under any circumstances they.could not, owing
to the strength of the tide, have avoided coming in contact
with them, the skiff which contained the three drunken men
struck them at the stern, and the consequence was that the
cutter ran its larboard side against one of the barges. By
the force of the blow, the cutter was broken right across the
middle; but still held together, and witness caught hold of
the barge,,and climbed-into it. He then caught hold of the
arm of the boy,- whose name he did not know, and held him
far aboat.twenty minutes, when assistance arrived. From
the time that :witness got into the barge he did not see the
deceased, his-father, nor White, and he believed that they
were shaken out of the cutter by the force of the collision.
Picton was borne away in the boat, which, notwithstanding
the injury it had sustained,still.kept afloat, and was carried
to Westminsterlbridge, where a Waterman saved him. Wit-
ness afterwards heard that one of the men in the skiff was
drowned, a few minutes afterwards.

eEeMds7Cinw°lthe Serpentine
•' Richard Maryland, a waterman, said that he found the
wbohdeyre, ofth
et deceasedhaeceident hapopne
happened.---Verdict,
Wednesday,verdiet ,nAoteefiadr::firtooamuyl
Mount-street,
Grosvenor-square,
Coombs. aged 23,
OG3fIr.rDoN. :HoTTngl
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Clare-market,
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oßas dfral
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under the following eirctunstances
Charles Griffith, one of the Royal Humane Society's boat-
men, said he was on duty in the Serpentine on the morning
of Wednesday last, when he heard a cry of " boat" raised
from the north side. He rowed to the spot immediately,
and then ascertained that a person had that moment
sunk. With the aid of drags he found deceased com -
pletely imbedded in the mud, and after three-quarters of
an hour's hard woriting he got him out: His eyes and mouth
were filled with mud. The spot were deceased sank was one
of the most dangerous places on the river, there being about
ten feet of water and eight feet of mud. Three out of every
four persons who get In there are lost. Boards are placed
near as a caution, in spite of which people will bathe there.
James Bavfleld said deceased and himself went to bathe
there on Wednesday morning. They had not been in the
water more than ten minutes, when deceased sank. He said
he did not see any caution-boards ; neither was he aware that
the place was dangerous.
Dr. Woolley said something ought to be done to prevent
the public from bathing on the north side. On the opposite
shore the Society's men were in constant readiness in case of
accidents; besides, it was more safe. The whole of the north
side was very dangerous, more especially that part just al-
luded to. That very afternoon, a gentleman on horseback
led his horse to the side of the river, in order to water it, but
the animal having taken a step too far, both man and beast
were precipitated into the water. An extraordinary- pull of
the rider turned the horse round, and they both escaped being
drowned.
Other evidence having been adduced, the jury returned a
verdict of accidental death.