The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-11 00:00:00

done with the bed. The two gentlemen went away, leav-
ing Poison, who. stopped half an hour longer, and then
Went borne for half an hour more and returned, stop-
ping till sight o'clock in the evening, when Mr. Garrett, of
the Lunatic Asylum, came, accompanied by Mr. Eld.---..
They went up to George's room, and removed him away
in a chaise, without asking. leave of any body. She lad
never the least reason for knowing he had had a broken
thigh. He was treated with every indulgence and kindness.
In answer to a question from the Court, she said he
would utter sounds like aye and no, but.fshe had no reason
to think he understood the meaning of any words.
Miss Sarah Smith, .an elderly lady, who, upon being
asked her age, said, more than 40, was the sister of, and
older than, George, the lunatic. When he was half a year
or three-quarters old, he had a fit in his infancy as she
understood. He never understood what was said to him,
nor could be taught to read, or even recognize p-wple..
Her father bad consulted Mr. Hopkins for him in early Mai
but that gentleman said nothing could be done for him,
and he grew worse as he advanced in years. When &boy
he required assistance in walking, his knees were hen‘ ln'
right arm hung down, and one side of his body seemed
always affected. She then described .the manner of his
removal when her father removed, and it was her father
who selected the room, and made the arrangements for
him, desiring at the same time the room to be darkened,
which was done with bricks that could be , re-
moved, so as to admit more or leas light. Her 'mcsiher
first took care of himt and when dying wished
witness to take charge of him in the same manner as
she had herself, and her father when dying left the same
injunction. Indeed, George's treatment was better after-
wards than before, for she had less business to look after at
Mueldestone then .at Willoughlaridge, and consectioitty
. more time to attend toliim. His linen was always:changed
every other day, and his bed-clothes likeviiae, ittd the chaff
' mattress under the feather bed, besides other changes
which his situation required. Every morning he was
washed, but he was very averse to being shaved, and it
became necessary to clip his beard from time to time with
scissors. Darkness mitigated his fits, and when he was
better she always admitted more light. The witness then
confirmed the account respecting the regularity and abund-
ance of his meals, &c., and the comfort of his clothing, in
bed and otherwise, as well as the interruption to their pre-
parations for shifting and cleaning him on the Wednesday
when the Magistrates called, although that attention had
been paid him on the Monday preceding.
Mr. William Perkins, a timber-merchant, had examined
George Smith's bed-room at his brother's ou Tuesday last.
It was from all the appearances a dry, warm' room of pop-
lar wood flooring; it was a little decayed for a few inches
near where the bed was said to have stood ; but it was the
best room in the house, and if dampness was common to
it, the appearances would have been very different from
what they were. The length of the room was 19 feet 10,
the width, 12 feet 10, and the height about nine feet.
Thomas Bernard Badden, surgeon, was called upon last
February to see George Smith in the Lunatic Asylum at
Stafford. He was then in a feverish state, but his body .
had been carefully kept, for it was free from excoriations.
His lower extremities were very much contracted, and
still more so when he saw him again last June. These
contractions, as well as epileptic fits, were common to
idiots ; George Smith was a complete idiot. There was
a great degree of inflammation and enlargement of the
knee between his first and subsequent visit, which he at-
tributed to some attempts to extend the limb, but he
made no inquires about the cause. On the third time he
called he observed excoriations on his shin and contractions
in his fingers, which were before flexible and free, particu-
larly those of the right hand. He was not shaved et first
in the Asylum, but he afterwards had been. Witness bed
examined his thigh, and did not believe that it had ever
been broken, though possibly there might have been a dis-
ease in the hip-joint. Epileptic fits frequently induce
paralysis, which is always attended with contraction.
Dr. Kennedy had seen the idiot on the 1 lth and 17th
of July, and noticed the contractions of his limbs, which
might have resulted from epilepsy or paralysis.
The plaintiff's ease was here closed. It had lasted
from a quarter before nine o'clock in the,morning, until
near ten o'clock on Saturday night.
A long discussion then arose between Counsel and the
Court, about an adjournment. It was on all hands ad»
fitted that the trial could be carried no further at this sit-
ting, and that the jury should remain at large; but the
plaintiff's counsel wished the cause to__ proceed in due
course on Monday morning; but this Mr. Justice Du-
rough would not permit, as an important special jury
cause was already tired for Monday, to which Mr. Scar-
lett and Mr. Sergeant Wilde were to be brought spe-
cial from their respective and distant circuits. It was
pressed upon the Court, that the cause alluded to would
last two days, to which it was answered from the bench
that the present cause must then be adjourned till Wed-
nesday morning, which was done accordingly. There are
upwards of 40 causes on the list unheard, and they are all ,
thrown into confusion, at an immense expence to the re-
spective suitors, by the situation on the list of those long
causes, which will last until Thursday next, according to
the most probable computation.
Counsel for the plaintiff, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Talfourd,
and Mr. Whateley ; for the defendant, Mr. Taunton, Mr. •
Russel, Mr. Phillips, and Mr. Godson.