Star.
London, England, 1830-10-13 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

Yesterday afternoon an inqukition was taken at the sign of the
Minster public-house, in Willow.walk. Pimlico, before Mr. limos,
on view of the body of an elderly female, name unknown.
It appeared from the evidence of a man named John Mason, em-
ployed by the Chelsea Water.works, that be was proceeding up Willow.
walk to Ms work shoat six o'clock yesterday morning, when MI atten.
don was directed to the ditch near the temporary bridge, when he
discovered the deceased lying on her face. Witness was alarmed at the
sight, and obtained the assistance of another man, who helped him
to take her out of the ditch. He examined the body, and foiled
that no violence had been committed, nor any document about her
person to lewd to a discovery who the poor creature was. She was re.
e dressed, but no money was found in her pockets. Witness
supposed she had fallen acddentally into the dike, and was suffocated
by mud. He caused her to be conveyed to the above public-house.
In the belief of witness he thought she bad been in the ditch several
hours. One of the Jury said, this was the third person who bad been
found deed in the same ditch, which was very dengerouwben dark ; he
trusted, after this melancholy event had been made known, a railing
would be put up, to prevent future accidents.
The Coroner said them was no evidence to *hew by what Mmeens the
demand came to her death, but expressed a hops that due are would
be observed hereafter to prevent the lives of his Majesty's subjects be-
ing setsificed by such negligence. Verdkto-Accidental death.
The ditch runs by the side of the path.

Yesterday afternoons Corona's Inquest was held at the Prince Re-
cztivapeol-road, Islington, before:l4r. &m use, on the body of
th Whltleld.

Is appeared from the evidence that the deceased had formerly been in
very respectable circumstances, but from unforeseen misfortunes had
been eseled to seek an asylum in Islington workhouse. This re.
versed tubas preyed upon her mind, and she became very low.spirtted,
frequeady iisdeslft that sbe was tired of life, and wished she was in
Heaven. OE ety morning she was found hanging in one of the
rooms attbe weebbeese. She was immediately cut *lowa, and medical
sasistaase mat he, but it was found that life was quite extinct.—Ver.
diet, " Iseslty."

EXECUTION OF CATHERINE DAVIDSON.

(Abridged from the Aberdars Chroxiale of Sorusday.)

To the appalling hareem of crime, and the unhsemil.of thandties
which have distinguished this beyond any former plied, we leanest to
add the sad, and in this plate unpenedmted, example exhibised hors
yesterday, In the revolting spectacle of a woman enening an %per
minions death for the murder of her husband. Catherine Davidson, or
Humphrey, who has thus subjected herself to the het peaky el the
law, was, it is said, been in the perish of Kahl-ball, butt wine yet a
child was, along with her father's family, rimmed to Abedisse. At an
early age she married James Humphrey, the enhasapetner of her
woes, then a private in the Windsor Forest ha. arreby, eta.
boned at that time In this place, accompanying Iths the regiment ;
as also in the Abenkonshire Militia, into width he afterwards enlisted,
and in which he served for live or six yams, or until they was
disbanded. In the course of her following the army with ha husband,
through the United Kingdom, for a period of 16 years, she lived in a
state of connubial happiness with him, but from suspicions of his fide-
lity their domestic peace was destroyed during the mouthing 17 years
they were together, and they led an unhappy life. Her unfortunate bus.
band, at the conclusion of the late war, when discharged from the milt.
ties, settled in this place as a butcher, to which it is probable he had mi.
Finally bean bred ja his native country—England This occupation,
joined to that of a publican, exposed both parties to the temptation of
drinking, which, it would appear. neither of them bad been able wholly to
resist. For many years the woman was addicted to a baneful propendty
for liquor ; and the husband, yielding latterly to the vicious practice, al-
though it Is generally allowed he was of a mild inoffensive disposition, no
good agreement subsisted between the parties. Frequent quarrels took
place, attended with such exasperation as to produce ea strengthen
those malignant passions against her husband which miens& M pelmets
her mind, and to fix the desperate resolution at tispeldng him el Ns
With this deadly enmity treasured in her bossily she was ala pa-
pered to carry into Ala the dire resolution she bed ftemed. Retest
at last, and throwing down every morali=zei reatmline, the
wretched woman proceeds, after to the sesame.
wades of her guilt, and some sulphuric (*del) which bad,
hat diaire, been purchased about six weeks reviews, ihr the al
mess of taking off a wart, offers the ready means of carrying it into
'Hat. As her uaconsdous victim lay buried in sleep, with open
atestk, on that bed which she bad shared with him for 3$ yeah she
i softly mar the 'midnight hour, with the instrument eldmri
!n her ad, add to the foelings of pity, or remorse, administers
the fatal deseshe
_shish was to burn up the source of life. The Nosy
whisk immelleldp miteseded aroused the unfortunate man foss Ms
shop ; be eseinime, that he is in tenure, and burning within ; gni sAse
enduring the seem excruciating torment, which no medical aid,
prom tly ad skilfully afforded, could relieve, death put an eadtit
wielip attest 48 hours afterwards !
Oa be Walt the proof of guilt was brought home to the prisoner by
each a smog &min of circumstantial evidence as carried candela' to
the minds el an intelligent jury, who returned an unanimous verdict
against the unhappy woman accordingly. This result seamed to be
fully anticipated, as the only one at which, from the evidence, they
mull arrive, by a crowded court, great interest being excited by the
trial of a case so aggravated and extraordinary. The prisoner heard
the verdict which Axed her doom with that composure which appeared
in her demeanour during the proceedings, but, as she declared after-
wards, suffered such mental agony on reaiviag the awful sentence, that
she did not attend to the day fixed for the execution, and inquired, on
being carried beck to prison, when it was to take place ? After reedy.
ing sentence, she generally evinced wonderful composure and resigns,
doe, and while she showed deplorable ignorance, she at the same time
manifested a &dee to receive instruction, and expressed thankfulness to
those by wham it was communicated.

The dying weans listened with groat interest to the admonitions of
the minlinsm of the Gospel. On Wednesday she took anaffoeting leave of
bee Mod& Daring Thursday night she slept but little-..n0 MOM than
10 ninsses g as the same time preserved an astonishing degree of coin.
puma s no did the sound of the workmen's hammer, dimwit distinctly
Immiln the call, when employed in erecting the apparatus of death,
sewn to shake her firmness. Yesterday, at banquet 2 o'clock, the Lord
Prime and Magistrates took their scats on the bench in the Old Court-
house t soon after which the criminal was supported into the court by
the palm To a question from the Lord Provost, she answered that
ohs jai boas well attended to, and addressing the magistrate in a clear
Orin velse,capisZens dames, you who have it in your power should look
to those in the quarter where I lived, for many of them
are in a alas,, and have much need to be looked after ; expressing a
desire that **world would take warning by her cam

The Rev. Mr. M'Combie offered up a very impressive prayer, and
'the melancholy procession then moved forward, and the unhappy ai.
minal, supportedby the Rev. Dr. Ridd and Mr. Murray, was conducted
directly to the drop. Scott, assistant to the Edinburgh executioner,
then proceeded to do his duty ; when the unfortunate woman, addressing
a few words to the Rev. Dr. Kidd, and taking leave of him and Charles
Dawson, the town.aerjeant,—the last words she uttered being," O I my
God !"—dropped her handkerchief, and, at five minutes before three
o'clock, was launched into eternity. Some convulsive struggles were
observed, and her bands were raised, which occasioned some- aisappro.
bation among the crowd, but life seemed soon extinct. The body, after
hanging about forty minutes, was cut down, and conveyed to the anato-
mical clam in Marischal College ; but we understand the dissection will
not take place until Dr. Pirtle commences his lectures on anatomy.

The prisoner was genteel y dressed in black, and was about 111 years
of age, a Sint woman, and seemed to have been rather good.looking,
with nothing In her countenance or appearance to indicate that cruel,.
sanguinary disposition as could lead to the perpetration of such dr
heinous crime as brought her to so ignominious an exit.

Saturday night, the house of Alexander Cohen, Esq. 27,
&Won-place. was robbed of plate and jewellery to a large amount.
The thieves effected an entrance by getting into an uninhabited house
next door, from whence they got through the garret.window to the pa-
-1 raper, and obtained access to Mr. C.'s house through the front attic win.
dow. There was property, consisting of plate and jewellery, amounting in
value to between 3,0001. and 4,0001. deposited in four large chests in
the back attic. They opened a chest, and took from it various articles
of jewellery and plate. The thieves were unexpectedly surprised, and
in their hurry to escape they dropped upwards of 501. worth of the
plunder at the back door.

Wednesday last, u a train of waggons was proceeding
on the railway at a brisk rate, from Liverpool to RainhiU, for materials,
being propelled forward by the Dart engine, a wheel of one of the
waggons broke, and the concussion was so violent that the tender, and
we believe the engine also, were thrown off the rail. Several perons
who were on the engine were precipitated to the ground with consider.
able violence by the shock, and one of them, a boy, named Turner, had
both his legs broken, bu: whether by the wheels of the engine going
over him, or otherwise, we do not know. Another person had his arm
broken, but the rest escaped with slight injuries. We believe no blame
attaches to any of the persons connected with the train or the railway._
Manchester .-Nteertiser.

EFFECTS OF INTEMPESANCE.—•An instance of mann;
eholy death from indulgence in the use of anlent sp* ' occurred at
blusselburgh on Monday evening. Charles Al4Ewen, weaver, after
drinking with two or three others, in the house of one Peat, a shoe. I
maker, no less than three bottles of whiskey was found about eight
o'clock lying at the bottom of the outside stair leading to Peat's house,
with his skull feactured and quite insensible. He was carried home,
and medical salaam obtained, out lie died nett morning at titre
o'clock, without having spoken. Pest's son and M•Ewen had been
previously quarrelling, and the magistrates are taking a precognition as
to the cause of his death.—/Idenburyh Observer.