The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-01 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held at the
sign of the Woolpack, in Gravel-lane, Southwark,
on the body of Elizabeth Brockbridge, who died on
Monday, in consequence of taking a quantity of
the solution of oxalic acid.

Owing to the strong sensation excited in the
neighbourhood where the deceased resided, in con-
sequence of the melancholy circumstances attending
her death, the jury room, as well as the thorough-
fares in front of the Woolpack, were crowded to
excess du rip°. the investigation.
The beadle intimated to Mr. CARTTAR, the Co-
roner, that a young man, named Bryan, who had
been taken before the Magistrates of Union-hall by
the father of the deceased, on the day his daughter
expired, was then in attendance, and willing to an-
swer any questions that might be put to him relative
to all he knew of the melancholy occurrence.
The Jury having viewed the body of the de-
ceased, the following evidence was adduced for
their consideration :

Mary Ann Brockbridge deposed, that the de-
ceased (her sister) and she resided with their father,
in Gravel-lane. About five or six weeks ago the
deceased complained of being very unwell, and,
upon inquiring into the cause, she told me that she
had been violated by a young man named Arthur
Bryan, who had been paying his addresses to her.
This was three days after the alleged violence had
been committed that she disclosed the nature of it
to me. I advised her to get the advice of a medical
man; and, at my desire, she went to Mr. Odling's,
in Union-street, who prescribed for her, and, after
having taken the ►medicines, she became better in
health, and afterwards relapsed into a state of me-
lancholy.
By the CORONER—Did you not, upon being ap-
prised of Bryan's ill usage towards your sister, ad-
vise her to complain to a Magistrate ?—The witness
answered in the negative, and said that she had not
even mentioned it to her father at her sister's re-
quest until after her death.
The witness continued—My sister still continued
in a very low and desponding state from the time
she complained of Bryan's ill-treatment, and on
Monday morning, after having had a restless night,
she got up and complained of want of sleep. She
said that she would go out and procure some lau-
danum, and took a small phial with her for that pur-
pose. In about five minutes afterwards she returned
with the same phial empty, and placing it on the
mantle-shelf, said that she could not get any. She
then expressed a desire to lie down, and went up
stairs, but descended again in a few moments, ex-
cessively agitated and crying bitterly. I requested
her to be composed, anti tried to alleviate the suffer-
ings of her mind, but she still manifested great un-
easiness, and again ascended to her bed-room. Hav-
ing remained there for a short time, and not hearing
her, I called out her name, and she came down,
when I remarked an alteration in her features, and
asked her the cause. The moment I spoke the
words she clasped her hands together, and at the
same time throwing herself back in a ;chair, ex-
claimed, " Oh, Mary, I have taken poison !" Im-
mediately afterwards she was attacked with a vio-
lent retching, and continued to labour under great
pain and sickness until the surgeon arrived, and died
in about half an hour afterwards.

By a Juror—Witness and her sister and her fa-
ther uniformly lived in the most perfect state of
happiness, and the deceased was always of a lively
and animated disposition until the night she de-
scribed she had been ruined by the young man
tel Bryan.

The witnes,:, in reply to the CORONER, said that
her si-,ter told her where she procured the poison,
but that she had since forgotten the name of the
chemist, but recollected that he lived in Blackfriars-
road.

By the Juror—After her sister complained of the
violence used towards her by Bryan, their father no-
ticed her illness, and on inquiring as to the probable
cause of it, the deceased said that she had over-
reached herself, not wishing to make her father un-
happy by relating what had happened to her.
The witness continued.—My sister told me
that on the night Bryan prevailed on her to get into
the coach with him, when she resisted the attack he
made upon her, he struck her a blow on the side,
from which she felt great pain, in addition to tin
other violence he committed upon her person. Alto
the night in question my sister refused to see Bryan
again, and shuddered even at the mention of his
name. The witness added; that she was Convinced

PRICE 7D.

her sister had destroyed herself in consequence of
the treatment she had experienced from the person
alluded to. In conclusion she said, Cult since her
sister's death she had asceitained that Bryan was a
married man, having united himself to a young
woman about a month ago. Her sister, she said,
was not apprized of this latter fact.

Mr. Sedden, surgeon, of Great Surrey-street, de-
posed, that on Monday morning last, between 11
awl 12 o'clock,_ he was sent for to attend the de-
ceased, whom he found labouring under the effects
of poison. She was retching violently at the time;
and on being asked what she had taken, she replied
oxalic acid; but when further questioned as to
where she procured it, she answered, that she pur-
chased it at Mr. Pollard's shop, in Blackfriars-road.
Witness proceeded to use the stomach-pump, and
drew off a portion of liquid from her stomach, which
was strongly impregnated with the solution of oxalic
acid. Afterward he injected water into the cavity
of her stomach, but she continued to grow worse,
and died in the space of half an hour from the time
of his arrival. In a room up stairs the witness found
a cup, which contained a small quantity of the solu-
tion of the above poison, and had no doubt, from a
Pest mortem examination of the body, that the de-
ceased's death was solely produced from the effects
of the oxalic acid. Mr. Sedden begged to acquaint
the Coroner and jury, that subsequently to the de-
ceased's dissolution be called at Mr. Pollard's shop,
awl having intimated to him what the deceased had
stated relative to her having purchased the oxalic
acid at his shop, that gentleman contradicted the
assertion, declaring that he did not sell any thing of
the kind.

It being the decided wish of the Jury to have the
young man Bryan brought before them, he was ac-
cordingly called up into the room.
A Juror asked him whether he was acquainted
with the deceased ?—lle replied in the affirmative,
saying that theirs was but a slight acquaintance.
Juror—Do you recollect having prevailed upon
her to get into a coach with you about six weeks
ago? Bryan (with astonishment)—Me I declare
most solemnly I was never in a coach with her in
my life.
Juror—Did you ever pay your addresses to her?
Bryan—Never. I have walked mi:h her upon one
or two occasions in the neighbourhood of her father's
house, but never ;vent over any of the bridges with
her. In fact, I first became acquainted with her
about ten weeks ago, when. I was in the habit of
passing the house to go to my work.
Juror Then you deny all that the deceased has
stated to her sister in her dying moments, with re-
gard to ill-treatment she experienced at your hands ?
Bryan—l do most solemnly and conscientiously say,
that I never took an improper liberty with her or
any modest young woman in my life.
The CORONER observed, that it was perfectly
useless to put any more questions to Bryan on the
sukject, as nothing had transpired in the course of
the evidence to criminate him. It was to be la-
mented, that the unfortunate girl had not at the
time the alleged violence was committed, com-
plained as early as possible to a Magistrate, and
then her violator would have come within the reach
of the law. She did not, however, do this, and
therefore Bryan was at liberty to withdraw ; the
Coroner adding, that it would have been a most ex-
traordinary thing that the deceased in her dying
moments should have asserted that which was sworn
to by hei—siker, relative to Bryan having effected
her ruin, if it was not true.
The Jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased
destroyed herself while labouring under a temporary
tit of insanity."

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE

FRENCH PAPERS.

(From the Mes.sager des Chumbres of Sept. 28.)

VIENNA, SEPT. 28.—At the beginning of the ex-
change Bank Shares were at 1,193; towards the
close they suddenly fell to 1,190. This decline is
attributed to the news of serious disturbances at
Constantinople, and of a definitive advance of the
Russian force towards that capital.

PROM TILE SECOND EDITION.-BY EXPRESS.

CONSTANTINOPLE, SEPT. s.—The negotiations
for peace are opened at the Russian headquarters,
and couriers are constantly going backwards and
forwards between Adrianople and the capital. The
Porte alone is informed of the conditions on which
the Russian General insists. It seems to make a
mystery of them to the Foreign Ambassadors. In
general it has constantly showed itself distrustful
latterly of the European Powers, and it seems more
particularly disposed to lean towards Russia.
The Russians, say the Turks, have handled us
roughly, but at least there is frankness in them;
whereas most of the other Powers conceal evil in-
tentions under the mask of kindness.

The Prussian General Muffling is said to be the
only person who is perfectly acquainted with the
conditidns of Russia; but his active part in the pro-
gress of the negotiations is probably going to cease,
since he is on the point of embarking for Genoa.
It seems that the negotiations are founded on the
manifesto published by Count Nesseliode at the
commencement of the var, and that the Sultan is
disposed to make immediately the payment of the
indemnity claimed by Russia for the expenses of tho
war, as well as all the necessary guarantees for the
performance of the treaty.
The conclusion of peace offers at present very few
difficulties. We may be convinced of this by the
despondency of the Turkish Ministers and the
pompons terms in which they express their esteem
and regard for the Emperor of Russia.
It is affirmed that hostilities are entirely su=pended
till the ratification of peace. Meantime the works
for the fortification of Ejub are prosecuted with
great dligence, under the inspection of an English
officer of engineers. The well-disposed inhabitants
of Constantinople are strongly urged not to lay
down their arms, either to keep in check the ill.
disposed part of the population, or to defend the
capital is case of extremity. All these circumstances,
and the appearance of the enemy's troops at Kara-
burna, near the Black Sea, and near Tchiarli, on the
road from Adrianople,—the one 10, the other 20
leagues from the capital,—seem, however, to prove
that General Diebitsch intends to continue his oper-
ations till the final conclusion of peace.
(From the Augsburg Gazette of the 24th of Sept.)

PARIS, SEPT. 2g.—lt is still said that letters
from Vienna, more recent than the Austrian Ob-
server of the 19. h, have been received at Paris, and
announce that the negotiations at the Russian head-
quarters had failed, the Turkish commissioners
having declared that they were not authorised to ac-
cede to the bases laid down by the comm'ssioners
of tha Ru-sidn General. In consequcice, the
military operations have been resumed with the
same activity as before. It must be observed, how-
ever, that the German Papers received this morn-
ing.are still tilled with details of the negotiations
that have been commenced.

FRENCH FuNns.—PAnis, SEPT. 2S.—Fire per Cents.,
107 f. 30r. 25e. ; Three per GmtP., 81f. 20c. SOc. ; Bank
Stock, 1,850 f. ; Naplts Stock 871. 25e. ; Royal Spanish
Loan, 73; Rentes Perpetuelles d'Espagne, 501.—Ex-
change on London—One month, 25f. 63c. ; threr months,
25f. 43c .•—Coors Authentique.

So cold have the nights already become, that
the thermomn;ter, in a s';eitere 1 • itu ct:or, fell ou Ma-
tta j to 38,