The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-07 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

An inquisition was on Tuesday afternoon holden before J. UN-
iviN, Esq., the Coroner of the district, at the Seven Stars public-
house, Bromley, Middlesex, on the remains of Harriet Stokes, a
tine young woman, the circumstances attendant on whose death
are not alone abounding with mystery, but pregnant with melan-
choly interest. The father of the suicidal victim, a Mr. Hag-
pans, of-Norfolk-street, Strand, was present during the proceed-
ings, and accompanied the Jury to view the remains of his child.
They appeared to be those of a young female not above seventeen
veers of age, full formed, and most symmetrically proportioned,
and who, when living, might have boasted of many personal at-
tractions. Death, however, had been basy with her, and though
there still remained some of those lineaments in which living
loveliness might be traced, yet the lower part of her countenance,
from the rapid effect of the active poison, corrosive sublimate,
which she had taken, was considerably tumified, and the hair
over the temple and forehead had fallen off. The parent's feel-
ings may he much better conceived than described. She was the
wife of a medical gentleman who assisted a Mr. Stanton, of the
Strand.

Mr. John Wallace examined.--I am a surgeon residing in
Ilow. I cannot tell when I was first called on to attend the
deceased. I think it may have been a fortnight since. I found
her violently sick, with a great pain in her bowels and stomach.
She admitted to me that she had taken poison, and that it was
corrosive subliinate. I did not continue to attend her until her
death. I visited her for eight or ten days ; she died on Sa-
otifirdtahye
corrosiveevening, annudblaitsnalte.lllo
Ictonivoicaed,pofrisoomn
othre
tvhieolesntrtoeffngeecitt
description.
Juror.—Have you opened the,body as desired by the coroner?
Witness.—l have not (cries of "It is most extraordinary") ;..
the reason of my not doing so was, that the appearance of the
face, and the falling off of the hair, Were sufficiently indicative
of the cause of death ; besides, I thought the task unpleasant, 14
days having elapsed since she took the poison, and I have before
suffered in my health from similar operations.
Juror.—What may have been the cause of your discontinuing
your visits ?
Witness.—Because her husband was with her.
Mrs. Sarah APDonald examined.—l am landlady of this house.
The deceased lodged with me for a week before she took the poi-
son ; she came on a Wednesday, and it took place on the Thurs-
day week following ; on that night she came to my room twice,
and said she was very unwell ; I pressed her to go up stairs ; her
husband also came down ; after she took the poison, Mr. Wallace
attended her ; Mr. Stokes, her husband, went fur him ; I cannot
tell the cause of her taking it.
Mr. John Huggans was next examined—l am father to Har-
riet Stokes, and live at No. 18, Norfolk-street, Strand. I saw
her for the last time about three weeks since. In a few days after
she had taken the poison I heard of it. The witness here went
into a long account of the connexion between Mr. Stokes and
his daughter, of which the following is the outline i—hs the
Septembei of 1825, just a year after the death of her mother, his
daughter finding herself unwell, lie desired her to apply for advice
to their usuol medical attendant. This however, she did not
do, but went to the shop of Mr. Stanton, in the Strand, where
she met with Stokes, his shopman, who bled her, end
administered proper remedies. Stokes subsequently paid her tit-.
tentione, and called at his residence, saying he intended to make
her his wife, and marry her without delay. On that occasion,
he explicitly told him that he could afford to give her no fortune;
but that did not daunt him ; he still declared it his intention to
marry her; fortune was no object to him, and a correspondence
was kept up between them until May. In that month he took
her, without his knowledge, to Epsoin races, and kept her out
the entire night. On her return in the morning, he, naturally
indignant at the transaction, reproached her on the subject; but
understanding that marriage would shortly take place, he was
pacified. Time after time was appointed for the ceremony, but
repeated disappointments were the result ;' the consequence of
which was, that on a Wednesday night previous to the marriage,
the betrothed husband left her in atstate of derangement, and she
was about to commit suicide, when he fortunately snatched the
knife froM her band. After this he went to look for Stokes, who
Came out from Mr. Stanton's, and abused him (witness) in the
grossest manner. The following morning, however, Stokes call-
ed, and ho asked him what he wanted; when, without any he-
sitation, he said it was money to pay for a licence. This he gave
him, and they were married. Subsequent to this they resided
in his house, and during the time lie ltorrowed 20/. which he made
up to answer a hill. Mr. Huggans was still proceeding, when the
Coroner interrupted him, and said that in his opinion it threw no
light on the unhappy occurrence they were then investigating.

Corouer—Cun you, Sir, say, that your son-in-law has been
a all accessory, to this calamity ? Witness-11e was by his
&treatment, and lie brought a parcel of ►medicines into the
house, and described the poisonous nature of some of them to my
daughter.

Juror—Had you at any time, from 'the violence of your son-
in-law, occtision to go to a police-office? Witness--I did not
go there, but whether I had reason or not, you can judge from
those letters. I have now in this room the protection of a police -
officer.

Coroner—Did you, or did you not, turn your daughter out of
doors,,as is. raid by the landlady? Witness—l did, so far as tell-
ing her I_ wished she would leave the house. I have bean robbed
by her, and the property has been found in her trunk. _ _

Juror—Was it, in your opinion, by, the wish of her husband
,hat she took this property ?

Witness--I most firmly believe so; his conduct to her was
most harsh.

A Juror here remarked, that, taking the context of Mrs.
evidence, it would appear that the husband WAS Pm-
sent when the deceased took the poison.

. .
She was . in consequence recalled, and in answer to several
questions from the. Jury, she kaid that he Was present, but when
she drank it did not see her,.as she was at the time at the toilet
tahle, with her head turned from him, dressing her hair.
Mr. IVl'Donnell, the landlord, stated, that the deceesed tolll him
she had been ill-treated by her husband and father, and was de-
termined to make away with herself.
In exoneration of the charge against the father, a person who
described himself as a barge-master, gut up and said, that he him-
self had been witness to the unkind treatment of the husband. On
one occasion he had seenher on her knees imploring of him to
abate his violence, and he then declared he would abandon her,
and leave the country. She was a girl of 'the most affec-
tionate feeling', and he thought it was the ill treatment of the
and not of the father, that had driveinn her to thewh which he
husband,
(.leZiyictabolltshuenifamtedherupand husband, and said
the evidence to explain the extraordinary
Pervadedof
f the melancholy even*,
trous alternative.
;they, the
mystery A . oy, Jury
could only return a verdict of suicide, committe&while labouring
under insanity. The Jury, after a short consultation, returned
verdict to that effect.
commented
thatfr hets t Coroner.
ev habsence' t;
hl:3.r

Last evening a Coroner's Inquisition was held at Bartholomew's
Hospital, upon the body of William Miles, a remarkable fins
aged 18 months, who was burnt to death. The Jury returned a
verdict of " Accidental Death," at the same time strongly oensur-
Mg the cordovan of the mother.