The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-21 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterdai evening an inquest *u holden et the
Prince of Wales public-house, • Banner-street. "V.;
Luke's, before Mr..Witiater:Ustwire„ Coroner, am'
a respectable Jury, td inquire into Ihe.circumetsoqe
attendant on the death of Mr. William .Archer,
silk-manufacturer, lately 'resident in Banner-square,
in that neighbourhood. ,
Mr. William Lindsley examined—l live in Cheri&
street, Hackney-road, and am father-in-law 10 the,
deceased. On last Sunday week hi. complained:
illness, and he died on last Saturday evening- tie
never told me that he was: under the care of
quack-doctor. I had heard that he was, and called
upon Mr. Van Butchell, near Golden-square,
Sunday last, and told him that my visit was °e,ee.
sioned by the result of an operation which I tole:,
stood he had performed ou a gentleman. on„tbst °57
week. In reply, he asked me if the gentleceao'wes
not in the silk trade, and I told him thet he
was. He next asked the it' he resided in
Luke's parish ; and I replied in the affirmative'
I then asked him whether the deceased had sof,
symptoms of fistula, and he said not, and inquires
how the patient war, am! I, without informing' i. 17,
that he was dead, said that he was extremely
";
He observed that that was what he expected, h 0"
that with proper care he would recover, and a°
when his cure was effected, he hoped that he (the
deceased) would call upon him. After this confer:
sation passed I requested Mr. Van Butchell, to Per;
mit u friend who accompanied me to be Pres°
while hiked him some further questions. ThishePer
mit'ed, and my friend Mr. Taverner, who was 0,1,4.
ing outside, was called in, and in his presence v.'
Butchell admitted that he had introduced an inetrai
ment into the body of the deceased to the depth a
eight inches, for the purpose of performing an oge,'.
ration. On his making this admission, I told hir
that the patient had expired,and that it was strong!
suspected that the cause of his death was to te,„
found in the unskilfulness of his treatment.
witness here produced a piece of paper bearing Ow
address of Van Butchell, which was found in the
Docket of the deceased, and which it appears wits i°
his hand-writing.
Mr. Joseph Taverner lived in Golden-lane, in the
pariah of St. Luke, and had known the deceased for
the last twelve years. On Sunday last he went
with the last witness to the residence of Edwin
Martin Van Butchell. He went there at the re'
quest of the deceased's friends, who were ender the
impression that his death was to be attributed to the
unskilful mode in which Van Butchell had operated.
On Thursday he called ow the deceased, who jo'
formed him that while Van Butchell was opetating
he was in iutense agony, and cried out, compiailf
of the torture he had been put to. " The vvrete
on my doing so," (giving the deceased's owl'
words), " said that I should not complain in COl ‘
quence of a little pain." In the conversation velll
had taken place on Sunday, he (witness) asked ;
Van Butchell if he recollected the deceased lam%
cried out during the operation ? He replied 10
he did not, but that the circumstance during
operation was not at all unusual. He M ,it
Butchell) then drew out a card, and sketched on t
with a pencil the seat of the disease, poiniing
the mode of its removal. He also showed him
th
instrument he made use if, and admitted that he h
ad
introduced it to its extreme length. The instrunleao
appeared to him to be eight inches long, and eg
his mentioning it to Van Butchell he allowed the
it was.
Dtti

Mr. Lloyd, surgeon, of Frederick-place, , t
Jury, visited the deceased on the evening of is'ok
Sunday week, and found him labouring under
considerable debility, and complaining of great P.
in the lower part of the abdomen. He that,
pressed an opinion that he could not recover. 11,
nese then asked him what was the cause of hi ,e 0
ness, and the deceased, in reply, said, "1 44"
you the truth. I went to Van Butchell this tour'
ing, and he told me that I had a striettire in t
rectum, and that he must make use of an ms
to reduce it. He did so, but the instrument tnet
with considerable obstruction. I felt the, strictureo.
give way, and at the time experienced isonsifierauw
pain ; but he passed the instrument beyond the
of the disease, and this was accomplished with writ
ease. When the instrument was withdraws,I I.'"
extremely weak, and it was by the greatest exertill
I reached home. On arriving there I went to b 49"
and was immediately seized with an extreme:sliver
ing." Witness, in continuation, said, thit the dr_
ceased had also told him he was convinced that rig.
intestines had been injured by the instrument, and

considered his life in imminent danger.
To the Jury—His opinion was that the intestines
were injured ; but he knew of patients who, nag
withstanding such injuries, had subsequently rr
covered.
To the Coroner—He professionally attended
deceased, and prescribed what he conceived the g
cessary:remedies for his case, and continued to 11
him up to the time of his death. Since that ,Ltlo.
place he examined the corpse, and found the "hos
men much distended. He opened it, and found tb",
the distension was occasioned by the intestine°, e.
ing filled with air. The coats of the abdereeeeturie
sented symptoms of inflammation, and the re- 00
and a portion of the intestines were adhering. 04
separated them, and on doing so discovered a "no
in the rectum, at a distance of four inches frog
i„
exterior, which was evidently produced by t-enbs
lent passing of the instrument.. The liver 01:01,
deceased was slightly diseased, but net to glen_ bs
extent as to produce death. "Witness bad no dyno
that the infliction of the wound in the rectal
the souse of death.
To a Juror—He thought the operation vra! ;be
properly performed. A straight instrument or `,O
length described (eight inches) it was impossible:4,
introduce into the rectum without doing sen7e EI
jury. The instrument in itself was improper;
its use in unskilful hands was most dangerous.. 'I.
examination of the body was not of so minutia'
nature as to enable him to say whether %le Ant tit;
deceased laboured under the complOnt of fint„llist
He believed Mc Van ButchcU was not a ;elf
surge m.
M S

altirtz#l

_..r. ,mith, another medical gentleman, co) •
the testimony of the last witness.
The Jury deliberated for about dye minute,'
then returned a verdict of ‘, Manslaughter se-
Edwia Martin Van BlItChell."
.400
The CukONEA, on this finding, issued his walls/
for the apprehension of the accused, Vibitortlf
placed in the hands of Hall, the beadle, who '—
afterwards lodged the pristmer In Newgatel....

BIRTHS.
(in the 17th inst., at Edinburgh, the lady 0-
f Wllli
Herries her, E4q., of a daughter.

On the 19th inst., in Canthridge..place, Mrs•
shoat., of a daughter. lat*
On the lfith inst., Mrs. Bishop, Brunsetic."4
Ball's-pond-road, of a daughter.