The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-19 00:00:00

ALLEGED DSATH BY STARVATION.'

(From the Manchester Gazette.)
On Wednesday, this town, and particularly the neigh-
bourhood of the New Cross, was thrown into a painful ex-
citation by a report that a family living in ia cellar in
ThoMpsou-street, had died from want. This report, for
the most part, originated in hand-bills cried about the
streets by the usual halfpenny newsmongers. The follow-
ing is a copy, verbatim et literglim, of one of these :--
" Extraordinary death of William- Hudson, aged 28, and Mary
Hudson, his sister, aged 24, by starvation, in a cellar under 66,
Thompson street, Manchester, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 18261---
" This morning, about nine o'clOck the inhabitants of Thompson-
street were in a state of agitation, on learning that three indivi-
duals named Hudson, was in a very dangerous state, especially
When it was understoisl that they was in a state of starvation, and
absolutely dying for want. Some 'humane persons immediately
brought in souse refreshments, and on presenting some to the
• young woman, she refined partaking of it, saving that she hoped
she would have plenty in the next world, and almost immediately
expired. In the other cellar was her two brotheus, Thomas and
William. William was in bed, and his brother sitting in a chair
by the fire-side. William soon after Wards expired, and at II
o'clock this morning Tho Mas was scarcely alive, and when we
saw bins he presented a meat frightful appearance, and said be
thought that if he could have nourishments be should yet recover.
From what could be collected on the spot, it is supposed by the
neighbours that the above individuals have actually perished for
want of food. The cellar is situated about 50 yards mit. of New-
ton-lane. We are informed that there are at least ten persons in
the same street, in a very dangerous state, most of whom are in e
state bordering on starvation, particularly in a cellar under No.
63. Further particulars will be published, should any material
alteration take ,lace; but the charitable of this town would be
well employed in visiting the afflicted in that neighbourhood."
As soon as this report reached our ears, we lust nu time in re-
pairing to the cellar in question. Thompson-street we found to
be one of thinte unpaved streets which we have so often alluded to
in the. Gazette ;. the cellars under the numerous. houses in it are
let off, and each is inhabited by families, consisting at least of six
or eight persons, and the filth created in these confined Places is
heaped up before the doors, or flung into the deep ruts that mark
the whole line of the street, anti form puddles of the most un-
wholesome nature. On descending the steps of the cellar, the
effluvium that issued from the door was extremely offensive, and
it cost us an effort to enter. On a bed in the front cellar, in
which its inhabitants take their meals, (when they can get theni),
lay the dead bodies of a brother and a sister. In the back cellar
were three beds, one containing a sick old woman, and the other
a young man, also sick. The bed in which lay the young Man,
and the one that was unoccupied, were in close contact with the
outward wall, which, from its appearance, WAS literally saturated
with damp.
It appears that two brothers and a sister-,Edward Hudson,
aged 26, Thomas lludson,24, and Mary Hawn, 22, all natives
of Ireland—went some time ago into Lincolnshire, for the par-,
pose of soliciting employment &tint the farmers to get in their har-
vest ; but, not calculating upon the forward state of the crops,
they were too late, and had to travel back again, sleeping in
barns and' out-houses, and subsisting on the charity of people al-
most us destitute as the»iselvee. Worn out by hunger and the
ague, they sought shelter of their aunt, a poor old woman named
Mary (Vila:melt, who resided in the cellar we have described,
along with her daughter and grand-daughter. Almost .iumut-
diately after their arrival, they were seized with the dysentery, the
malignancy of which, heightened, by the want of cleanliness,
fresh air, proper nourishment, and attendance, the old woman
being unable to do much herself, and the earnings of her daughter
and her grand-daughter not being more than Ga. Stl. per week,
out of which six persons were to subsist, find fuel, arid pay cellar-
rent.. Their misery at length became so extreme, that on Friday,
the Ist instant, Edward, though in a dying state, crawled to the
, overseer's office, and on stating his situation,' Mr. Scott, one of
the overseers, gave him a shilling, and wished him to go into the
wolskhouse ; but he refused to go, preferring to die amongst his
relations. On Saturday Thomas went to the overseer's office, and
being relieved with one shilling, was desired to attend the board
on Monday, And in case he should be unable' to do so, to send his
aunt ; but the fear of being sent to Ireland deterred him front attend-
ing. Edward, however, went in the evening, and received another
shilling,und the overseer told h int that he would visit him. On Mon-
day the overeeer visited the cellar, and gave Edward half-a-crown.
On Thuretley the aunt went again to the overseers' office, and en
stating their distressed situation, and her inability to (1.1 any thing,
the overseer gave her :is. On Friday Thomas went again, but re-
ceived no relief. On Monday, night, however, the aunt went and
implored for more relief, saying that they were dying. The over-
seer gave her half-a-crown. On 'Tuesday night the aunt went
again to the overseers' office, and was told that the surgeon had
gone down. On her return she found the surgeon there, but Ed-
ward and Mary were dying—Edward died at 12 o'clock that night,
and Mary expired at half-past JO (Mock the next morning (Wed-
newlay last). The three unfortunate beitigs Jay in one bed, in the
damp back cellar, and the ill-fated girl had the horror of lying in
close contact with liar brother's corpse until death put a period to,
her sufferings.
The commotion excited amongst the lower Irish, by the hand-
bills we have described, was so great, that the police thought it ne-
cessary
• to take one of the vend-ere of them into eantedy. His name
is Richard Butterworth. He gated in defence, that having lost
his left assn, he was unable to procure etriployment ; , that he had
a wife and a child to support, and had no other means of earning
a livelihood. This is a curious instance of a man saving himself
from starving by publishing an account of thus starvation of his
fellow-ereaturee.
We understand that as soon as these hand-hills nettle their ap-
pearance, the borougbreeve and constables instituted immediate
inquiries as to the truth of the statement they contained, when
they found that the lindsons had died from disease. The report,
however, that they had died from want having spread far and wide,
the coroner (J. Milne, Eitti.) thought it his duty to hold 141 inquest
on view of the bodies, which. was accordingly held on Friday MorSt-
ing, when the following evidence was; adduced :
The Rev. James Crook, a Roman Catholic, priest, deposed to
the 6set of having, from last Smola), se`sinight up to the time of
the death of the deceased, Edward and Mary Hudson, attended
them reguilirlY, anti atheinietered to them spiritual comfiest, and
also bodily r,4,,(4, as fir-as his means would allow. Between five
and six o'clock or, Tuesday morning, he saw Mary dying ; ell Owes
' then delirious, amid ustfit to receive the last rites of her religimi
He saw her again at 11 4'elook, and seeing her more collected, he
administered the last sactitineM.
The Coroner—Did you make no application, Krim the town's-
office respecting these poor people? •
Mr. Crook—l should most willingly have done so, heal sup-
posed myself authorized.
The Coroner—Any person is authorised on the yore of bums-
nity to apply to the overseers on such occasions.
Mr. Crook--4 tan glad to beer it, Sir; for I assure you, itie,
many very melancholy sasses come before me of distress among the
poor Irish.
Mr. Scott, one of the overseers, corning into the room, con-
firtrie.2 the Coroner's statement, as to die right of applying at the
Team's-Sdlice untra such circumstances. " Every attention," said
Mr. Scott, "will be paid to such applications."
Mr. Croolee evidence cautioned---By the bounty of private in-
dividuals, .1 aun.en.sbleti sometimes to administer, in a, trifling de-
gree, to the bodily wash; of the distressed people that I daily visit.
The deceased-were certainly in very great distress, but I do not
think they diesi from want
Mr. John Barnes, the surgeon of the Workhouee, stated that
be visited the deceased on Tuenday evening,- and found them in
the last stage of the epidentieslisease—the dysentery fever. Medi-
cine would have been of no avail,: 'The cellar was such a forme el
filth as he never saw. - They did not need any thing more than
warer-gruel• fresh air, and, cleanliness.
.in a verdict,.-..'First the deceased shed from
The Jury brought
natural disease.

An nglish Journal
announces that Mr. Thomas'
E
Moore, who it is well known had the inconceivable
weakness to allow the Memoirs which Lord Byron
had confided to him for publication to be burnt, is
about to produce a life of that illustrious Poet, to in,
placed at the beginning of a splendid edition of his
works about to be published by
Murray. Let us
hope that, by this work, Mr. Moore will, in some
small degree, repair to the public. the wrongs he has
momihted; that he will indemnify it s cruel a
loss; mut that he will have the boldness, by calling
to hi. 4 succour the recollections which the perusal of
the Memoirs have left, as well us his personal intimacy
with Lord Byron, to brave the anger and prudery of
Lady Byron, of his sister, and of all his family ; 411,(1)
finally, that the author of the Corsair, of childe
Ilaruld. and of Don' Juan, will bestow on him a lof-
tier inspiration than Sheridan ' did.—Journal • des
Pebals rjf licitly.