The Sun.
London, England, 1818-11-28 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.

An Inquisition was yesterday taken, before C.
JEMNIST, Esq. at, Christchurch Workhouse,. upon
the skeleton of an infant, when the following
particulars transpired in evidence :—About a fort-.
night ago, ,the cook of Mr. Moggeridge, of Ben-,s
net-street, Blackfriars, who had been in the ser-
vice of that gentleman fora period of 10 years,
died ; her name was Ann Pace, her age about 50.
Mrs. Muggeridge expecting that her relations
would claim her wearing apparel and the whole
of the property of which she died possessed,- (fe-
te:mined upon taking an inventory of the various
articles ; and accompanied by twofeMale servants
went into the room for that purpose where her
deceased domestic bad slept. Upon opening a
trunk, .she was struck with horror at the sight of
the skull of an infant ; and, being excessively,
terrified, she abandoned the idea of further search,
and communicated the circumstance to Dr. Gays-
ley, the medical attendant of the family, who re-
opened the trunk, and found it to contain the whole
of a human skeleton ,t he head severed from the body.-
On the suggestion of au undertaker who was em-
ployed to provide a coffin and inter it, a consulta-
tion was held between Mr. M. and the parish
officers, and it was determined to bring the affair
under the notice of the Coroner and Jury. It
was stated, that during the time of her service in
Mr. Muggeridge's family, the deceased servant had
never shown any symptoms of pregnancy. Her
conduct was generally correct, her character irre-
proachable. She had always shewn an extraor-
dinary anxiety for the safety of the trunk in
which the skeleton was found. The cause was
not suspected ; it was conjectured that it contain-
ed her best clothes. Dr. Gaysley stated, that
when he discovered, the skeleton, it was so flatly
squeezed that he with difficulty separated the
breast from the back the separation of the
head was caused by decay. He considered that
it must have been in the trunk during a period of
15 or 20 years. The principal bones being en-
tire, no circumstance existed to guide his judge-
ment in forming an idea respecting the cause of
tie infant's death. The Jury consulted for a con-
siderable time,- and returned a verdict of—Found
dead, and very much decayed, in a box belonging lo
Ann .Pace.

EXTRAORDINARY SIJICIDR.—An Inquisition was
taken last night before T. STIRLING, Esq. Coro-
ner, at the Board Room, Middlesex Hospital, on
the body of John Turner, the circumstances of,
whose death were correctly stated in our. Paper of
yesterday. The principal witness was Mr; T.
.Of Wells-street, Oxford street, wlio
stated that the deceased had been incapable of at-
tending his business..for two days from indispo-
sition,. al)d that he had taken too great a quantity
of a poWerful medicine, which he had no doubt.
had disordered his " The
death of the deceased was produced 'by his Own.
act, while in a state of mental derangement.'.'

FRACAS AT THE CORN-MARKET.—The Corn
Market was thrown into great contusion yester-
day, by two Gentlemen advancing,np Maik-lane,
And proceeding into
.the Corn Exchange, breath-
ing fury and ievengeovith large horsewhips in their
hands, proceeding to the stall of an eminent corn-
merchant. The horsewhip was' severely applied
to the shoulders of a man well-known in the
market ; the latter being assisted by a friend, a
general engagement took place, and for five mi-
nutes the Excbangewas a scenrof confusion. The
person who committed the assault was severely
beaten, and when retiring from the conflict, the
claret,was flowing profusely. The cause of the
attack originated in a dispute as to money matters.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, Nov. 27.

LEGGE V. ASGILL.

-This case arose Irons a clause in the *ill of
Miss Harriet Asgill. Sir L'hatles Asgill, on his
marriage, settled 10,0001. upon his Lady dining
her life, which sum, after her death, was to be
divided, share and share alike, among their 661,-
dren. After his death, and during the lifetime of
Lady Asgill, Miss Harriet Asgill died, and by
her last will, written by herself, to avoid, as it
expressed, any litigation, she arranged her pro-
perty, ‘vhichl.she bequeathed to her brother, mother,
and sisters, without specifying the share to which
she was entitled by virtue of the settlement. In
a codicil annexed to the will she observed, '' if
any motley remains unemployed, -I leave it for-
charity." A doubt, therefore, occurred, whether
the suns of 2,5001. to which she was entitled,
after the death of her mother; was intended for
this purpose.
Mr. BELL, for the plaintiff, stated the parties
in this suit, being perfectly amicable, wished only
for a decision. The context_ of the will proved
that she supposed, at the time of writing the will,
that all her property had been bequeathed, adul
that in the codicil she only considered any small
sum which might remain.
Mr. HART, for the defendant, argued, that this
codicil could not bind the executors to expend
25001. in charity, for it was evident that the tes-
tatrixhad no such object in view.
The VIC-CHANCELLOR observed, that the ques-
tion rested upon the clause of the will, wherein
the testatrix declared, that whatever money was
unemployed, should be given for charity. By
the use of the word money in the will, the mean-
ing of the word in the codicil could be ascertain-
ed. In her will she bequeathed her property, and
spoke of it under the name of money ; the will,
therefore, should be obeyed, and this sum the
Solicitot-General, who was entitled to an account
of it, would take care to apply, to the destined
purpose. The costs of the present application
were to be taken from the residuary estate.