The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-04 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

EXTRAORDINARY DEATH BY PoisoN.—Yesterday Mr.
G. J. Mills, Deputy Coroner for the western district of
Middlesex, held an inquest, at the Kenilworth Castle,
King-street, New North-road, Islington, on the body of
Joseph Haggett, aged 21, late a workman in Messrs. Le
Paige and Co.'s composite candle manufactory, Great
Suffolk-street, Borough.
Edmund Phillips, of 5, King-street, deposed that de-
ceased was his lodger. On last Christmas-day he re-
turned ho:ne and complained of his hand being poisoned
by the arsenic used in the manufacture of composite
candles, in the manufactory of Messrs. Le Paige, where
he worked. Deceased was unable to attend to his work.
and became so ill on Saturday that witness called in a
surgeon, and he died on the following Monday morning.
about seven o'clock. He had been three months in that
employ, was frequently sick during that period, and
showed how his hands were contracted by the arsenic
Re attributed his ailments to standing over the steam of
the ingredients used in making the candles, which he
said affected his health.

Joseph Lee, gardener—l lodged with deceased, who
was ill during the three months that he was engaged a,
Messrs. Le Paige's, and could not eat. When he came
home at night, he showed hew his hands were contracted
by the poison contained in the matter of which the
candles wore made. Oa Christmas morning his hand
got inflamed, from, as he said, the poison having entered
under the broken skin. His hands were stripped fre-
quently by the poison.
Mr. Edward Roe, surgeon—Attended deceased on
Saturday morning. He found him with the left hand
and fore arm swollen. The glands under the arms were
also swelled. There was likewise an abrasion of the
skin on the back of the hand. The angry appearance of
the limb satisfied him that it had been poisoned, and he
told deceased so, who with some reluctance said " Yes,"
and that he imbibed the arsenic from the composition of
which wax stearine candles were made. Saline draughts,
fomentations, and poultices, were instantly administered.
He rallied a little on Sunday, but in the evening got
worse, and died on Monday morning. Purple patches
gradually covered his arm and side, showing the putres-
cent state of his blood.

By the CORONER—The poison was more tardy in its
effects in consequence of its having been absorbed in the
skin, than it would have been had he swallowed it, and
it acted more insidiously as it was a mineral poisou.
There was no doubt of his death having ensued from the
influence of the poison used in his trade.
M. Le Paige having requested to be examined upon
oath, was, after due caution by the Coroner, sworn. He
stated that he was a native of Belgium, and that for the
last twelve months he manufactured wax, sperm, stearine,
and composite candles in Great Suffolk-street, Borough.
He had twelve men in his employ, and deceased was
engaged by him as candle-maker about three months
ago in the manufacture of stearine and wax composite
candles. Eight ounces of arsenic were generally mixed
with the melted stuff in all manufactories, but in his only
two ounces, as he was desirous to do away with arsenic
as much as possible. The arsenic made the candles have
more the appearance of wax, and gave a brighter and
more transparent light.
By the CORONER—Candles made without arsenic
were less dangerous and more pleasant to burn, while
those impregnated with that poison sent forth a dis-
agreeable smell like garlick. In France and Belgium
they were not allowed to use arsenic in the composition
of candles under a severe penalty. Deceased never
touched the arsenic, which was put in the melted stuff
by the superintendent. The duty of deceased was to
take that stuff in ladles from the boilers, and pour into
moulds. Deceased, who was a sober steady man, never
complained of illness until after Christmas-day, and then
he merely said that he had injured his hand. Witness
never heaard of any other man in his employ being
similarly affected.
The superintendent, a Frenchman, stated that he inva-
riably mixed the arsenic with the melted stuff as a pre-
caution against danger, but he admitted that the stearine
acid was of a poisonous character. and required to be
used with great caution, as it was likely to cause morti
fication if it entered the skin.
Mr. Roe re-examined—He was convinced that the
death of the deceased had ensued from the admission of
the poison into the wound, and from its having pervaded
his whole system during his work.
Verdict—" That the deceased died from the mortal
effects of his exposure to the poison of arsenic while at
work in a candle manufactory."
The CORONER (addressing M. Le Paige) said that he
left the Court without the slightest censure ; but at the
same time he (the Coroner) hoped that in future, should
Any of his men complain of illness, he would instantly
obtain for them medical relief. M. Le Paige promised
te would do so.

CHILD FOUND IN THE REGINT'S PARK.—Yesterday
afternoon, at three o'clock, an inquest was held by Mr.
Wakley, M.P., at the Elephant and Castle, Camden-
town, on the body of a new-born female child found iu
'he Regent's Park.
Alfred Stevens, the son of a greengrocer, residing at.
IL Albany-street, said that on Wednesday morning last,
about a quarter past ten o'clock, he, together with some
other boys, was playing in the Regent's Park, and on
passing the garden facing Chester-terrace, a boy, named
Combe, said there was a parcel lying on the pathway.
Witness and another boy cot over the palings, and they
found that the parcel contained the body of a child.
They instantly informed a policeman, who brought the
body to the workhouse.
Samuel Combes, another boy, corroborated this state-
ment.

Mr. T. H. Cooper, surgeon to St. Pancras workhouse,
deposed to having examined the body, which was that
of a newly-born female child. On subjecting the heart
and lungs to the hydraulic test, they floated, and were
full of air, denoting, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that
the deceased had been born alive. He could not state
the precise cause of death, but it might have been from
bleeding.
The jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against
some person or persons unknown."
CHOLERA PRODUCED BY DISEASED PORlL—Yester-
day afternoon Mr. Baker held an inquest at the Leigh
Hoy, Church-street, Mile-end New-town, on the body
of Mr. Charles Marshall, horse hair manufacturer, aged
twenty-seven, who died, on Tuesday aftoarnoon, of the
English cholera.

Mr. Thomas Llewellyn, surgeon, Mount-place, White-
chapel, said that, on being called in, he found deceased
suffering from a severe attack of the English cholera.
His face was sunk, and he was suffering from violent
cramps of the stomach and legs. His screams were so
loud, that they could be heard at some distance. Wit
ness was told that the deceased had pork on Sunday,
and that he waa soon after taken ill. It was nearly thu
same as the Asiatic cholera, without its blueness.
By a juror—I believe the pork was the proximate
cause of the attack.

Mr. Mills said that the deceased's wife and a young
woman partook of the pork, and that almost name-
diately after they were attacked with spasms, but they
had recovered.

The CORONER observed that he never heard of a
stronger case of the English cholera. Verdict—" Natu-
ral death."

SUICIDE AND DESTITUTION —Yesterday afternoon an
iuqmst was taken by Mr. Baker, at the Queen's Head.
Fleet-street, Spitalfields, on the body of Richard Wil-
'isms, aged nineteen, a horse-hair spinner. Deceased
was living with his mother, a hswker of fish, at No. 4.
Little George-street. He was of reserved habits, and
had twice attempted self-destruction. Oa Wednesday
last, in the afternoon, he was discovered suspended by a
piece of cord, and life was extinct. Sergeant Barker,
11 11, was then called in, who found the family in a
state of wretchedness and destitution. The following
morning he, after having given the deceased's mother a
shilling, laid the case before Mr. Bingham, of the Wor-
ship-street Police-court, who instantly gave her ss.
from the poor-box, and from the same source ordered a
supply of bread and coals, which were thankfully re-
ceived. The sergeant also raised a subscription in the
neighbourhood for her present wants. Verdict—" Tem-
porary insanity."

RECENT AMERICAN PATENTS.
(From the Journal of the Franklin Institute.)
BREAKING COAL.—J. Battin, Philadelphia.—We
make the following extract from the specification of this
patent—viz., improvement in the manner of combining
and arranging the toothed rollers used in the machine
for breaking coal, which rollers, as combined and ar-
ranged by me, are described, as follows, in the specifica-
tion attached to letters patent for a machine for the
effecting simultaneously the breaking and screening of
coal, granted to me under date of the 6th day of Octo-
ber, 1343. The breaking part of my machine consists
of two rollers of cast-iron, the peripheries of which are
provided with teeth, so placed as that in the revolution
of the rollers the teeth of each of them shall stand oppo-
site to the spaces formed by two contiguous teeth on the
opposite roller. These rollers are geared together, in
order to cause them to preserve the same relative posi-
tions. In the abovenamed letters patent, this manner
of arranging and combining the toothed rollers was not
made the subject of a claim, the said patent having been
obtained for the combining of a roller breaking machine
with a screen, for separating the coal into different sizes
required; but as the breaking rollers, so formed,
arranged, and combined, are applicable to the ordinary
cylinder breaking machine, when not used in combina-
tion with a screen—and, as I have found, by
continued experiment, that such rollers consti-
tute a real improvement in any breaking ma-
chine, I have determined to secure to myself the benefit
of such improvement in a distinct and separate
patent. Rollers fur the breaking of stone, of ores,
of coal, of elm, and of other substances, have been fre-
quently constructed, and are well known ; some of these
have been fluted, and others have been furnished with
projecting teeth in their surfaces, but they have never,
as I very believe, been mile to Operate in the manner
in which my improved rollers operate. Claim—" What
I claim as new, and desire to secure by letters patent, is,
the so forming and gearing of such rollers as that the
teeth of one of them shall always be opposite to a space
between the teeth in the other, whenever they are oper-
ating upon the article to be broken, the same being
effected substantially in the manner set forth."
CONICAL BALANCE VALVES FOR STEAM ENGINES.—T.
M'Donough, Middletown.—Thn following is the descrip
Lion of this improvement, given in the sperification—viz.,
the nature of my invention consists in connecting th*-
conical valve with the well-known balance piston, by
means of a hollow stem, so that the steam can pass
through the hollow stem to act below the balance piston.
and thus always have an equal pressure on the upper side
of the valve and lower side of the piston, and on the
lower side of the valve and upper side of the piston ;