The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-21 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

Yesterday a Coroner's Inquest was held at the
Feathers at Merstham before Mr. CARTER, Coroner
for the county of Surrey, upon the body of Thomas
Alexander Morris, Esq., coal and corn-merchant at
Merstham, who met his death near the turnpike-gate
at Wray-common, near Reygate, as he was return-
ing home.
William White, gate-keeper at Wray-common,
said that about a quarter before seven a young man
called him, and said there was a man lying in the
road. He went directly, and found the deceased
lying on his face on the road. He was quite dead.
They removed him in doors. He was lying in the
road, close to a heap of stones, his legs by the side
of them. The stones were by the side of the road,
placed there to repair the road ; the stones had been
there half a year or more, but he could not say par-
ticularly how long; there was some blood about his
face, and a mark of blood upon the road where his
head lay; he did not appear to have struggled at all,
he saw the horse and cart pass through the gate but
a few minutes before he saw the body; no other
cart passed the gate; it was very dark indeed, and
he did not see whether the cart had any body in it.
Upon being asked when he had seen the surveyor of
the roads, he said he had not seen him for twelve
months. It appeared to him that the wheel had
passed over the heap of stones ; that the deceased
fell from the back part of the cart ; he saw the track
of the wheel the next morning, and the wheel had
gone over it. There was another heap of stones on
the other side of the road ; it has remained there as
long as the other heap. The space between the two
heaps was twelve feet.

Thomas Mai tin. Esq. surgeon, saw the body in
the toll-house of Wray-common ; he was quite dead ;
made no particular examination then. There was a
little blood about the face, and a slight wound upon
the nose. Yesterday he opened the head. There
were three slight wounds upon the head; the blood
had flowed from them. Examined the brain through-
out; found nothing therein to account for his death,
but in opening the chest, and having made an in-
cision into the pericardium and membrane that sur-
rounded the heart, he found it full of blood. In
pursuing his examination, he ascertained that the
artery which springs from the left ventricle had given
way, and produced the immediate extinction of life.
No doubt the vessel was weak, and if he fell out of
the cart the concussion might have occasioned it—
any violent concussion might account for it, and it
was his opinion that it was the cause of his death ;
he had seen the blood on the road where he fell, and
the track of the wheel had gone over the heap of
stones. He Was of opinion that he bad fallen out
of the cart by a jerk of the vehicle in passing over
the stones.

Alderman Waithman stated, that a little before
seven o'clock on Friday evening, his filthily were
alarmed by Mr. White, the gate-keeper's wife, who
had run to inform them of the accident. He went
with others into the road with a light and saw a
mark of blood where the body lay; that it was close
to a heap of stones, over which a wheel had recently
passed, and he believed that the deceased must have
been thrown from the back part by a jerk from the
stones. Early in the next morning he looked accu-
rately at the place. It appeared that the wheel had
gone for more than 50 yards in a straight line, that it
had touched the edge of some heaps of road sand,
and bad gone over the heap of stones, he had no
doubt but that he had by that means been thrown
from the cart and fallen upon his head. On the
other side of the road there was another heap of
stones; they were most improperly placed, each
heap being only six feet from the centre of the road,
and there being only a space of twelve feet for car-
riages to pass; the road was in a very bad state, and
there were other heaps placed in like manner, over
which the tracks of wheels were to be seen. He
came into the country in June last; the heaps of
stones were then there, and had remained there ever
since.

Mr. Morris's servant stated that the horse and
cart cume safely home, and up to the door in the
'mll manner. There were no reins to the horse;
and that his master was a very cautious driver.

The CORONER said there could be no doubt that
this unfortunate gentleman had come to his death by
accident. The wheel had been traced to have passed
over the stones, and probably occasioned the acci-
dent. There was no doubt but that they were
placed there in an improper manner, but he did not
know how far that could come under their consi-
deration.

One of the Jury inquired whether they could in-
flict a fine.

Tile CORONER said that could not be done; there
was only the value of the stones, and to whom did
they belong ?
One of the Jury said there was no proof of the
deceased having been in the cart.
The CORONER said, that was very true ; they had
only circumstantial evidence, and in many cases that
was the strongest evidence they could have in cri-
minal cases.

After some consideration the Jury returned the
following verdict—" That the deceased was found
dead on the road, that it appeared his death was
sudden, and occasioned by the great artery giving
way, but whether that was caused by his being
thrown out of the cart, or that he was in the cart,
or by what other means, no evidence appears for the
Jurors."

Yesterday an inquest was held at the Hercules,
Leadenball-street, to inquire touching the death of
Miss Ann Jacques, aged 42, who committed suicide
by taking " bug poison," as stated in The Sun of
Monday.—Verdict, " The decelsed poisoned her-
self while under the influence of temporary insanity."

A Correspondent from Holyhead states, that
the Marchioness Wellesley, steam-boat, which left Dublin
on Wednesday morning, with a freight of black cattle and
pigs, was observed yesterday, about 20 miles distant, with
a signal of distress hoisted, by the Commander of the
Mersey, belonging to the City of Dublin Steam-packet
Company. By the account from the Commander, it ap,
pears that the vessel either sprung a leak, or some pi tie en-
gine pipes having given way, she wa4 fast filling with
water at the time the ilfecsty came pp = the cattle were
nearly covered with water, and the crew and passingere.
much exhausted with endeavouring to keep the vessel it float,
the pumps being unserviceab!e. The AffrAcy immediately
took her in tow, and in the course of the evening succeeded
in bringing her into Holyhead. As the water continued
to gain fast op them, their escape was provident:al, those
on hoard being aware, but for the timely assistance afforded
by the Mersey the vessel must have gone down. We can-
nut avoid giving great praise to Captain BFAsLEY and ttie
crew of the Mersey, for their promptitude in laving tie
vesFel,—.Pnbliq Eveniv Packet,