The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-01 00:00:00

A PAINFUL INQUIRY.

Mr. Humphreys, the coroner for Middlesex, held an in-
quiry of a very extraordinary character, yesterday, at No.
1, Stamford-road, South Kensington. The inquest had
been previously opened, but was adjourned in consequence
of the peculiar evidence which was given, and the desira-
bs.eness of more complete information being obtained. The
person respecting whose death the inquiry was made was A
Miss Laura Andrews, a young lady aged only 16 years.
She is described as having been highly accomplished, and
was possessed of great beauty. The bare outline of the
story is that on the 7th January her brother, Lieutenant
Andrews, of the Bengal Army, and who is himself only 19
years of age, called in a surgeon to see his sister. The
surgeon found that the young lady had given birth to a
child, and was then in a most critical condition. He found
it necessary to call in three other doctors, but, in spite of
all that could be done, Miss Laura Andrews died on the
18th of the month.

Mr. Sleigh, instructed by a solicitor, attended to wawa
the case on behalf of the relatives of, the deceased.
Mr. Henry Andrews was the first witness called. He
said he was a brother of the deceased, and resided at
Esher. The last time he had seen his sister Laura alive
was about six weeks before her death. He was not then
aware of there being anything peculiar in her condition.
He identified the body. .
A woman named. Elizabeth Legg stated that she was
engaged to wait upon the deceased, and began on the
14th of January. The young-lady had had a miscarriage, and
there was great hemorrhage. She became very exhausted
and died on the following night, at ten o'clock.
Lucy Lytton said that she was servant to Mrs. Andrews.
The deceased was taken ill on the 4th of January. She
said that she had -a bilious headache. Her brother, Mr.
Alexander Andrews, was with her, and her mother and
sister were at Worthing. She kept her bed. A doctor was
called in on Tuesday, January 7. Witness did not then
know the nature of her illness. No one visited her, and
it was her brother who called the doctor in. He (the doctor
sent for other medical men.
Mr. A. Roberts, M.R.C.S., said that Lieutenant An.
Brews called him in to the deceased on the 7th, and told
him thattaacl. had. a :naiscFrie. The deceased had
then no bad symptoms. The following Friddy hernof-
rhage set in, and witness sent for three doctors. She got
worse, and died on the Saturday: The post-mortem exa-
mination shewed that death bad resulted from hemorrhage.
There were no signs of violence, but he could not say
whether drugs had been used or not.
Mr. Sleigh said that the young gentleman whose name
had been mentioned was present to give any explanation
that might be required.
The Coroner said that he would, before hearing him,
recall the servant, Lucy Lytton.
Lucy Lytton, recalled, deposed that the family con-
sisted of three daughters and five sons. One daughter w s
married to.an officer ; the other was with Mrs. Andrews t
Worthing. They left for that place the morning of the
day on which the deceased became ill. It was after they
left that the deceased got ill. She went upstairs at eight
o'clock in the evening. The reason she did not go to
Worthing was that Mrs. Andrews was ill, and that her
elder sister went with her to take care of her. The
deceased, Mr. Alexander Andrews, and witness were the
only persons left in the house. Miss Laura said that day
that she would- change bedrooms with her brother, and
she did so. Both rooms were on the same floor. She con-
tinued in her brother's room all along, and died there.
The Coroner asked whether the witness waited on the
deceased. _ _

The witness said that she did not. Mr.. Alexander
waited on her - all the time. Witness did not observe
anything suspicious. Miss Laura had returned front
Worthing the day before Christmas Day. She had
been there three months. She bad been there
with her brother. No one else was with her. She went
there for a holiday. Mr. Alexander was 19 years of age.

Witness did not make dcceased's bed while she was ill.
No medical man was called in to her before the 7th
January. Deceased never went out alone. Witness did
not remember whether she had gone out that week with
her brother, nor did witness know whether she had taken
medicines that week. It was after her mother and sister
left that she said she would change rooms and sleep in her
brother's. She became ill that evening, and the next
night she was worse, and her brother sat up with her. As
far as witness know, the young lady had been keeping
company with no one. It was the practice of the family
not to let her go out alone.
Mr. Alexander Andrews deposed that he was a
lieutenant in the Bengal army.' The deceased was his
sister.
The Coroner said that, according to the servant's evi-
dence, the deceased had been with him three months at
Worthing.
'I he witness having counted on his fingers, said that the
time was not three months, but eleven weeks. She went
ally
down on the 4th October. Her first complaint of illness
similar
one,
communi-
cation espe-
before.
Was made on the 4th January. To a certain extent she
told him what she was suffering from. She extracted a
neverpromise from him that he
nwe°vietimade
a tell
edgily a woman. She )lad
The Coroner asked how it happened that the beds were
changed on Saturday, the 4th.— The witness said that
deceased had been sleeping on a bed on the floor in her
own room under a window, and -she ai • d that
she caught
cold. She had an iron bedstead in another
was a large bed vacant, but she objected room. There
He first knew that she had miscarriedto large beds.
at half-past twelve
o'clock on Sunday morning. He was not present at
the time. From
the time she called •
him what had happened he him in and told
fresh air. Her condition never left her room, except for
better. On Tuesday he called • londay and Tuesday was
The Coroner asked in Dr. Roberts. •
dition was better.—=
1.12 why he called in a doctor if her con-
he was utterly e witness replied that he did so be-
cause ignorant of medical matters. He
could not fo
child was. rm any opinion as to who the father of the
The Coroner inquired whether he could tell approxi-
mately the time when the deceased fell into the condition
in question:--The witness said that he thought he could.
It was about three months ago. She complained of being
unwell on the 3rd of October.
The Coroner : The day before she went to Worthing'—
The witness said that was so. The family had lodgings
at Worthing, and his mother and sisters went down by
turns to stop there with him. There was no female nurse
for the deceased. He offered to send for her mother and
sister, but she objected, and would not let him. --
A juror asked whether the mother knew of any young
man that went out with the deceased.
The foreman interposed,. and said that the inquiry was
not for the purpose of going into that question, but to
ascertain if there had been any neglect which conduced to
the deceased's death.
The Coroner said that theie was already evidence upon tne
point. The coroner then proceeded to. sum up he case, and
said that he had gone into the case in order. to ascertain,
d It would
if possible, whether drugs had been us.ehave
been desirable with a view to that point to ascertain who
the father of the child was. It was to be regretted that
the deceased, when she was so communicative to her bro-
ther, did
surprising that the brother himself did not, for his own
1 •
satisfaction, get her to tell him his name.
The jury deliberated in private, and then returned the
following verdict : " That the deceased died on the 18th,
January from hemorrhage from natural causes, and the
jury are of opinion that medical advice and a nurse ought
to have been called in earlier, whereby her life would have
been §avetl."..., - - -

SOP•am
THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE.
Sole Lessee and Managcr, Mr. F. B. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING will he performed the Comedy of TIIE
HYPOCRITE. Mr. Phelps; Messrs. Edmund Phelps, Charles
Warner, J. Rouse, W. C. Temple, F. Moreland; Mrs. Hermann
Vezin, Mrs. B. Vandenhoff, Miss Kate Hartleur.
After which, the Drury Lane annual grand Christmas
Pantomime, written by E. L. Blanchard, Esq., entitled
FA\V FEE FO FUJI ; or, Harlequin Jack the Giant
Morning Performance every Wednesday and Satur-
day until Feb. 15.

TIIEATIE LOYAL, II A Y MAR KE'r.
Sole Lessee, Mr. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, THE BROKEN-HEARTED CLUB. Mr.
Gordon, Mr. Braid, Mrs. Chippendale, &c.
To be followed by A WIFE WELL WON. Messrs. Sothern,
Buckstone, Howe, Kendal, Rogers, Braid, Weathersby, &c., and
Rob nson.
After which, AN UTTER PERVERSION OF THE
BR[GAND. Messrs, Compton, Kendal, Rogers, Clark, Braid,
Weathersby, Johnson, &c.; Mesdames Burke, Wright, Dalton,
&c.

(lIIIEATRE ROYAL, ADELPIII.
Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. WEBSTER.
Directress, Mrs. Alfred Mellon.
.HIS EVENING, UP FOR THE CATTLE SHOW.
After which, at 8, NO THOROUGHFARE. Mr. Fechter (his
.3,1r,1 appearance here), Mr. Billington, Mr. 11. Neville, Mr. R.
Phillips, Mr. G. Belmore, Mr. C. J. Smith, and Mr. Benjamin
W.t`)st Miss Carlotta Leclercq (her 33rd appearance), Mrs.
Alfrud Mellon, Mrs. Killington, Mrs. H. Lewis, &c.
Commence at 7.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEA.TRE.
Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining.
- . .

Last Nights.
THIS EVENING, Grand Combination of the Two Great
Dramas, THE COLLEEN BAWN and THE STREETS OF
LONDON. Mr. and Mrs. Dion Boncicault as Myles ua
Coppaleen and Eily O'Connor, and Mr. Vining as Badger.
Me.:srs. Dominick Murray, J. G. Shore, G. F. Neville, H. For-
res,er. 11. 'Mellon, R. Cathcart; Misses Elsworthy, E. Barnett,
Rv;hel Sanger, and Mrs. Addle.
Doors open at half-past 6, commence at 7.

QUEEN'S THEATRE, Long-acre.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. Alfred Wigan.
THIS EVENING, Feb. 1, HE'S A LUNATIC. Mr. John
Clayton.
After which will be produced (22nd Time in London) Mr. II
J. Byron's New and Original Domestic Dma, in Three Acts,
entitled DEARER THAN LIFE. Michaerla Garner, Mr. J. L.
Toole.
To conclude with (10th Time) the New and Original Operatic
Extravaganza, by Mr. W. S. Gilbert, called LA VIVANDIERE ;
or, TRUE TO THE CORPS. The Scenery by Messrs. W. and
T. Grieve, Johnson, and Assistants. Messrs. J. L. Toole, L.
Brough, and Sanger; Misses P. Markham, F. Addison, Jordan,
Montgomery, Heath, Sylvia, 11. Everard, and 11. Hodson.
Doors open at Half-past Six, commence at Seven. Acting
!tanager, 31. W. H. Liston.
Box-office open daily from Ten till Four.

OYAL STRAND THEATRE.
t, Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanborough.
THIS EVENING, at 7, OLD SALT: Messrs. Emery, James,
and Belford; Mesdames N. Moore and Crwynne.
After which will be produced a Grand Christmas Operatic
Oriental Extravaganza THE CALIPH OF BAGDAD." Messrs.
Thorne, James, Turner, Murray; Mesdames A. Swanborough,
Johnstone, Harland, Holt, I\ ewton, &c.
To conclude with COAL AND COKE. Mr. F. Robson, &c.

OLBORN 'I'ILEATRE ROYAL.
Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Sefton Parry.
THIS EVENING, at Seven, THE FLYING SCUD. Messrs.
Atkins, Price, Garden, Arthur, Westland, Wilmott; Mesdames
Henrade, Goodall, Lennox, and C. Saunders.
After which, the Grand Comic Pantomime of VALENTINE
AND ORSON; or, Harlequin the Big Bear and the Little Fairy.
Mesdames Saunders, Goodall, White; Messrs. Garden, Odell,
Arthur; Mdlle. Montero, Miss Ellis, Lupino, Green, and the
Great Little Rowella.

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
New Management.
Sole Lessee, Mr. B. Webster; Manager, Mr. H. Wigan.
TATS EVENING, HEN AND CHICKENS: Messrs. Ashley,
Stephenson, and G. Vincent; Mesdames L. Moore and Stirling.
After which, USED UP: Messrs. R. Soutar,Vincent, Vaughan,
and C. Mathews ; Miss E. Farren.
To be followed by IF I HAD A THOUSAND A YEAR.
To conclude with BETTY MARTIN : Mr. Geo. Vincent and
Kis: E. Farrell.

Commence at Seven,