The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-15 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday evening an inquest was held in the Board-room of
St. George's Workhouse, on view of the body of Elizabeth Neal,
a young woman, 19 years of age, who destroyed herself with poi-
son, under the following afflicting circumstances :—The deceased
was lying at the residence of the parents, in George-street, Kent-
street.

Elizabeth South, a witness, on entering the house on Tuesday
morning, heard the screams of the deceased proceeding from the
back-room, on the ground-floor. Her mother was so terribly
alarmed that she could not enter; when witness went into the
room, and saw the deceased sitting on a chair. She appeared to
be in the most excessive pain, and when asked what was the mat-
ter, she replied, " Oh, Betsey, I awl a dead woman." Witness
hurried off for medical assistance, and on her return she found the
deceased much worse. She expired about a quarter after eleven
o'clock.

Mary Keppe liras next door to the parents of the cleceased-=
hearing the screams, she went to render her assistance. She was
then sitting in a chair, in great agony. Witness said, "For
God'. sake, what have you taken ?" The 'deceased replied, " I
have taken poixon, but I don't know the name of it; it is what
they poison rats with." Witness then said, "Why did you take
it ?" She replied, " Oh, I have taken it for a butcher of Nor-
tonfal-gate" (Moss). Witness then remonstrated with her on the
folly of her conduct, in answer to which she said, " I shall die
for love of him—pray for my soul, for lam going fast."—ln an-
swer to the Coroner, the witness said, the deceased received a let-
ter from the butcher, which preyed upon her mind.
Elisabeth Hanney, on questioning the deceased as to where she
procured the prison, the latter replied, "I don't know the name
of it, but I purchased it of Mr. Odlin, opposite the church in
the Borough." The deceased then repeated to her that she had
taken the poison in consequence of having been deceived by a
butcher in Norton-falgate.
Mr. Odlin, the surgeon, of High-street—About nine o'clock
on Tuesday morning a man having the appearance of a mechanic,
between 520 and 30 years of age, called at hia shop, and present-
ing a piece of paper with our vomica written upon it, asked for
six pennyworth of it. An ounce of it was then made up for him,
and " poison" written on the outside, upon which the man
went away. About two hours afterwards witness was sent for
to the residence of the deceased, and found her labouring under
convulsions, evidently the effects of poison. On questioning her
upon the subject during the intermission of a paroxysm, she ad-
mitted having taken sixpennyworth of poison, and said, that she
had purchased a part at his (witness's) shop, and a part also at
the Golder Key, in High-street. She subsequently said, that
;he had sent a man into the shops for the poison. Witness added
that he immediately applied the stomach-pump, but that during
the operation she died in a convulsive fit. Subsequent to her I
dissolution, he opened the body, and ascertained that the whole of
the poisonous matter had been extracted.
One of the Jury here observed, that the lower classes of people
imagine that ?tux vomica will not produce death to those that
take it unless they are born blind. So strongly was he possessed
of that opinion, that he should have had no hesitation in taking
a quantity of it before he had heard, on the, present occasion, of
its baneful effects on the human constitution.- lie (the Juror)
observed, that the fatal effects attending the nor vomica, which
is vulgarly called " ratsbane," should be generally promulgated.
The brother of the deceased deposed, that she was in the habit
of continuallyspeaking of a butcher in Norton.falgate ; and when
she was dying, she frequently exclaimed, " He has been my
ruin ; go and tell him, when I am dead, that I have died for
him." Witness added, that his sister received a letter from the
person about whom she was in such despair, on the morning of
her death.

Henry Neal continued—My sister told me that young Moss
had seduced her, and caused her ruin, and that she had made up
her mind to die; and that, when dead, her spirit should haunt
him night and day.
One of the Jury here inquired, whether the letter to which the
brother had alluded could be produced?

The beadle here produced the letter, addressed to Mr. Neal,
No. 5, George-street, Southwark :
" Will you and your wife step down to my house this evening,
as I wish to have some tallc with you both concerning your daugh-
tsr. I shall be at home from six until nine in the evening.
(Signed) " EDWARD MOSS, Norton-falgate.
" Monday evening."
A Juror here inquired, if a piece of paper had not been found
written by the deceased in answer to the above letter ; and was
told, that her father had a sheet of paper on which the deceased
had written a few lines. It was also produced, and read by the
beadle. It began " Mr. —, I have sent these few lines to you,
to tell you that I have"—
One of the Jury here remarked, that the above only tended to
show the agitation of the unfortunate girl's mind.
The deceased's father deposed that on Monday night she was
extremely low spirited, and could not partake of supper. She
was dreadfully agitated, and seemed as if something was preying
upon her spirits. His daughter had been at home three weeks,
prior to which she was in service as bar-maid at Mrs. Hughes',
in Smithfield, where she became acquainted with Mr. Moss.
Mr. Edward Moss, the person who wrote the above letter, was
in the room and requested to be heard. He said that he and his
brother knew the deceased, who, when living, came to their
house uninvited. She had been there on several occasions, and
he (witness) was convinced that she was perfectly chaste. She
had taken it into her head latterly that one or other of them would
marry. her, and although repeatedly told of the impossibility of
such an event, she would continue her importunities ma the sub-
ject. They had advised her, whenever she came to their house,
so get into a situation, but she said that she should he happy if
the were permitted to live in their house as a servant, without
wages, rather than live away from them. Witness added, that
shethed deceasedfor
another. always
Theexpressed
witness th e
father whether he had not a few days previous to her death, re-
commended
him (the father) to place his daughter in a situation,
rpepgeaarldedfo tor o lee brother
deceased's
for it was impossible that any alliance between the deceased and
any member of witness's family could ever take place ?
The father replied in the affirmative, and said that he had exert-
ed himself to convince his daughter of the folly of indulging in
such a hope.
The Coroner here remarked, that the question before the Jury
was, how the deceased had come by her death ; there was no evi-
dence whatever to criminate the person to whom the brother of
the deceased alluded to so often in the course of his examination ;
if that person had misconducted himself towards the unfortunate
girl, it was best known to himself; and the compunctions of con-
science that must be felt would operate in no very pleasing man.
ner if such had been the case.
The Jury immediately returned a verdict that the deceased bad
died in consequence of taking Nux Vomica.

The advices from Spain through the Lisbon packet
state, that the jealousy and fear of the Spanish Government, as
indicated by its conduct on the frontiers, are extreme. In the
province of Estremadura, a decree was circulated, denouncing the
punishment of presidia (hard labour) against any person re-
ceiving letters from Portugal, of whatever nature, without trans-
mitting them to the police. The transmission of Bills and other
effects to Portugal Will also forbidden. The vigilance of the po-
lice was so extreme, that women going from Elvas to Badajos were
searched to the very skin, lest they should carry papers or letters.
—The opinion, however, entertained, was, that the Spanish
Government was disposed to maintain peace. The letters from
Lisbon say, that the rebels in 'I ras-os-Montes were in a wretched
condition, but the imbecility of the Government, and their con-
fidence in the support of the Priests in Spain, make their entire
suppression, apparently as far distant as evar....hfQT7t, ChTO7l.