The Sun.
London, England, 1828-03-13 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday afternoon an inquisition was taken at
the Crown and Sceptre, Brompton-row, Brompton,
before THOMAS STIRLING, Esq., Coroner, and a re-
spectable jury, on view of the body of Miss Rebecca
Price, a young lady, aged only seventeen years, whose
death took place under the following lamentable cir-
cumstances :

Mr. George Glenn, surgeon, of No. 18, Bromp-
ton-row, deposed that the deceased, who resided
with her aunt, Mrs. Law, of No. 4, Rawston-street,
adjacent, he had attended professionally several times
whilst living. On Sunday night last, between 11
and 12 o'clock, Mrs. Law's servant came and re-
quested his immediate attendance on the deceased,
who was taken very ill ; he immediately went, and
found the young lady sitting up in bed ; at
this time she was quite sensible, and on being
questioned as to how she felt, she complained of great
uneasiness at her stomach; there not being the slightest
suspicion at this time that she had taken any thing
of an improper tendency, witness attributed the sen-
sation she felt to indigestion, and prescribed for her
accordingly. After she had taken the medicines
she expressed herself relieved, and being much more
composed, witness came away, leaving her in the
care of her aunt and the maid-servant. About six
o'clock the following morning (Monday) he was
again sent for. On going he found that an altera-
tion considerably for the worse had taken place in
the deceased. ' She was now quite insensible, and
apparently dying. Witness was now of opinion that
the unhappy girl had taken some description of
poison, and upon subsequent search, it was dis-
covered that she had taken a portion of Braithwaite's
Black Drops, which is a strong solution of opium,
one drop being equal in potency to four of laudanum.
She expired about eight o'clock the same morning,
two hours after his arrival the second time. He has
no hesitation in saying that the deceased's death was
occasioned by her taking a certain quantity of the
black drops, or solution of opium.
Juror—At the times you attended her profes-
sionally, did you observe if her intellects were at all
affected ? Witness—On the contrary, I considered
her an extremely intelligent accomplished young lady.

Elizabeth Smith, servant to Mrs. Law, aunt to
the deceased, deposed that the deceased had lately
come home from boarding school at Little Hampton.

Mrs. Rebecca Law, aunt to the deceased, stated
that about six years back the deceased and five
other of her sister's children, were left orphans ; from
that time witness had taken charge of the whole of
them, and attended to their education ; her unfortu-
nate niece, the subject of the present inquiry, had
lately finished her education. She cannot account
for her having taken the drops, as she was a girl who
had received an excellent education, and who was
naturally of a lively volatile disposition ; witness
purchased the drops some years back for the tooth-
ache, to which she was extremely subject, but had
not used them for the last several months.

Juror—Was your niece in the habit of taking
those drops for the tooth-ache ? Witness—Cer-
tainly not, Sir; I never heard her complain of the
malady, nor was I aware that she knew I possessed
them.

;i•. Coroner—Was the deceased addressed by any
gentleman ? Witness—Certainly not, Sir.
Coroner—Can you assign any reason, Madam,
why the deceased took the drops at all? Witness
—I cannot.

The evidence being concluded, the Jury returned
a verdict, " That the deceased died in consequence
of her taking a certain portion of Braithwaite's Black
Drops, or solution of opium, inadvertently."

LENT ASSIZES.

WESTERN CIRCUIT..--SALISBURY, MARcu 11.

It had been expected that a most serious charge
would have been preferred at this Assize against a
magistrate of the county ; but his name did not ap-
pear in the calendar. The gentleman in question,
about whom it is no longer necessary to observe any
delicacy, is a Mr. Seymour. At a former Assize
he was capitally indicted. lie surrendered, and took
his trial in the Crown Court, and was acquitted. He
then, in his turn, presented an indictment against
his prosecutors, (who had been his own servants),
in wbio, rhr.wg,il ihdarti with conspiring, by per-
jury, to procure his conviction for the above-men-
tioned offence. After this latter indictment had
been preferred, the original prosecutors went to work
again, and preferred against Mr. Seymour a second
indictment, charging him with an assault, with-intent
to commit the crime formerly charged against him.
The last indictment, and that for the conspiracy,
having been removed by certiorari into the King's
Bench, came down here as Nisi Prius Records, and
stood together on Mr. Justice Gaselee's paper for
this day.
It is now settled that the Court will proceed at
the sitting to-morrow morning to try the indictment
against Mr. Seymour.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.-LANCASTER, MARCH It.

HAUGIITON V. SCOTT.

Mr. BROUGHAM stated the case. The plaintiff
was an industrious shopkeeper, residing in the town
of Standish, and appeared before them to recover
such compensation in damages as the Jury should
think proper, for one of the severest injuries that
could be inflicted on a parent—the seduction of his
young confiding daughter. When he told them that
the present case was one of an aggravated descrip-
tion, he should have saved the tronble of appealing
to their feelings. His client wishing to prepare the
minds.of his children for pursuing the paths of useful
industry, educated them at a considerable expellee.
His daughter Mary, the subject of the present action,
when 13 years of age, was taken from school, and
became her father's assiduous assistant, in keeping
his books. The Learned Gentleman then proceeded
to detail the facts of the case, as appears by the fol-
lowing evidence :
Mary Naughton—l live at Standish; my father
is a farmer and shopkeeper; I am the youngest of
three daughters; I am 19 years of age; I always
lived at home; while I was at school my father had
a servant maid ; he discharged her about a year after
I came home; I did the business and kept the
books ; I knew the defendant as long as I can recol-
lect; he was very intimate with my father about
two years ago; he paid particular attenliom to me
for five or six months; his attentions were in the
way of courtship; he promised me marriage; he did
so for the last four years; in July, 18'26, I went to
Wigan market; he followed me; he stopped at an
inn, and called me in ; he there promised to marry
me, and I gave my consent; I never consented until
then. In returning home he took me through fields,
a way that I had never been before ; he had offered
me some drink; I only tasted some beer; when he
found me in the fields, he took improper liberties
with me, and accomplished his object; he often vi-
sited my father after I was confined on the .19th of
September last. Thomas Scott is the father of my
child; he promised to marry me at all times, both
before and after my pregnancy ; we have never
spoken since the child was born ; he said that I was
too young, and he was too eld when I last pressed
him; I never told my father of our acquaintance until
after I became pregnant.
Cross-examined by Mr. J. WILLIAMS.—My fa-
ther has a colliery ; Scott was a bankman there ; it
was six o'clock when I left Wigan; it was nine
o'clock when I got home ; Wigan was only four
miles off; there were no people going the way he
took(pent!), went to his house ; it is about fifty yards
from
my father's ; I don't wish to say I courted
other men—(Witness was
me; it was a little out of the road; I fre-
quently
pressed)—l don't choose
to answer ; I know a man named Glover; I saw
him, but I didn't know him before Scott; I knew
him before I became pregnant; I know different
Bradshaws; I know John Bradshaw; I've seen
him; I do not wish to say any more; these men
promised to marry me; I do not think them too
young; I know James Brown; I have played for-
feits with him; I've seen him ; Thomas Harvey—
I've seen him; Peter Yates—l've seen him. .
The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff—Da-
, mages 201.