Star.
London, England, 1829-09-01 00:00:00

COCKNEY SPORTSMEN.

Non stomper &del quodcLugur mir.bitur. ar;ui.

- .
HUILA?.
City. 12 o'clock, September f at.
In spite of a circular sent round by the civil power, column's
the heads of families to keep in thee young children, pigs, &op,
and cats, for ten miles round the metropolis, great alautflater was
committed up to the above hoer, and the returned of killed and
wounded was quite frightful. As early as 6, A.AL the cockisey
sportsmen were in crowds in all the roads in the vicinity of the
city ; a great number of fowling pieces of all descriptions were put -
chased, and such was the demand for powder and shot, it was feared
that the article would be raised in price. Dogs of all descriptions
were bought, hired, and stolen ; so that not a dog, except poppies,
was to be seen from Temple Bar to Shoreditch ; nor were the
cockney sportsmen nice to a shade as to other arms, or canine fol
lowers ; and where a Joe Mantis) could not be got, a ship musket
or blunderbuss was substituted in its place. When also a pointer or
spaniel was not oomeatable, a bull-dog, or turaspit, answered the
same end; and as many of the gents did not expect to shoot any-
thing, and only went out for show sake, any dog or any gun would
produce the desired effect. The return of killed and wounded was
as follows : 40 brace of dogs, killed by mistake by their masters ;
twenty brace of tame red cats, shot under the idea of their being
hares ; a great number of hens and chickens, bagged for partridges ,
and a favourite parrot, knocked down in a two pair of stairs win.
dow ; the sportsmen having aimed at a covey of partridges, many
yards distant, a black pig, tame black rabbit, and a brace of rooks,
mistaken fur black game; also a strong monkey and moor fowl. A
certain alderman shot at a pigeon and killed a crow; a portly publican
went out for a lark, and brought home a 'sparrow and a poor
woman's child, desperately wounded, a spruce apprentice upon
Car:shill winged a mill near Hounslow, and a dashing haberdasher
riddled the sign at a public-house in ks•ea, having let By at a duck
in a pond; nevertheless, an enormous quantity of game will he
brought home by ynuths who had only flashed in the pan, or veld
their powder on the empty air, they having purchaaed bins of
every description in abundaoce ; and strange to tell, many of 'hew
have i.o marks of violence on them. If, however, the execut:ti
of these beats= de Loluires has not been very great un the tea
thered train, the appearance of the sportsmen was such as to
interest the fair sex when they tried, and maids hurried up trona
the aiery to see young master, IT our cashie►, turn out in prime
bang-up style, with shooting jacket, gaiters, bag, flask, armed ac-
coutrements, brandy bottle, &c. to show the spirit of The
times ; and if they do not chance to find game they may be made
game of themselves ; but this will be in a great measure prevented
by the purchased presents which they will send to their friends.
and the balky appearance of their pockets ; and, lastly, by
the finish of a lighted cigar in their mouths, in order to smoke their
vulgar acquaintance, as does net go hoot a shooting on the first day
of sport. We forgot to say that many a rat has been despatched
for a rabbit, and that an old woman had a miraculous escape;—the
sportsman's piece having missed Bre, who levelled at her whey
standing near a goose that was banging at the door of a corner
house. " All's well that ends well :" but great /Jam prevails in all
the environs of the City. +ll

OXFORD, August 31.

.

INQUEST BEFORE MR. CECIL.

On Friday the ri..Bth ult. an inquest was commenced at Cowley,
near Oxford. be!ore Mr. Cecil, coroner, on view of the body vi
Henry Hodgkins, aged 27 years.
C. Hodgkins, of Cowley, labourer, deposed—l am brattier of the
deceased ; he was a single man, and worked ass labourer for Mr.
Hudson, builder, of ()Ward ; my brother bad not been well in his in-
side for three on four years ; he was an out-patient of the Oxtord
County Infirmary about three months ago, and continued an out-
patient until about a fortnight ago; he theu went to the County
Gaol to a Mr. Twycross, a prisoner in that gaol for debt, and con-
sulted him, and Mr. Twycross prescribed fur him twice; the first
time he prescribed was about Saturday fortnight, and the second time
on Monday last, but I do not know who made it up ; my brother
went out yesterday morning to Oxford to work at Mr. Hudson'. as
a stone sawyer, and remained working there fruit six o'clock in the
morning until seven at night ; he then returned home with my bro-
ther David ; I was then at home ; be did not complain of being Id
when he came home; after he had been at home about twenty
minutes he ate a very hearty supper, and a little atter nine o'clock
be took some medicine, about a tea-cup full, which had been pre,
scribed by Mr. Twyeross,and went to bed directly afterwards with
me in the same bed ; about twenty minutes before three o'clock
this morning I was awoke by my mother, and she asked me what
was the matter with my brother ; I immediately laid bold of him
and shook bine, and he gave a groan ' • I let hint lie in my arms a
minute or two and then shook him and he gave another groan ,
my mother then brought a light and I shook him again, and I
found be was dead almost instantly after I shook him the third
time. I did not go after any doctor, as I thought it was too late.
William Hodgkins, of Cowley, Niggler, deposed—My son Henry
has been ill the last three or four years ; he complained of a cont.
pulsion of the heart ; he was an out-patient of the Oxford County
Infirmary about three months ago, and continued uptil about a
fortnight ago, when I went with him to the Oxford County Gaol,
to consult Mr. Twycross, a debtor; my son saw Mr. Twycrom,
but I was not present ; my sun told me he had a paper from Mr.
Twyetoss to go to Mr. Tburland's to have it mixed up; I fetched
a bottle of medicine from Mr. Thurland's the next day, and my son
took it twice a it. y. morning and night; my sun went again about
a week afterwards to Mr.Twyerom, who again wrote for him, and
I went again to Mr. Thurland's, and brought away three bottles
of medicine, and my son took a part of it :very morning and night
until he died; my son Henry came home last night better than
have known him for this month ; be bad been to work the whole
day ' • be went away in the morning in good spirits, and came home
in good spirits ; about 20 minutes before three o'clock this morning
I went into his bed-room, and found hint dying in his brother
Charles's arms; I do not know what the medicine consisted of .
directions on the three last bottles were put how it was to be taken
there was above half of the medicine left in each bottle when my
son died; my daughter Mary took the three bottles with the re-
mainder of the medicine in them to Mr. Thurland's, and left them
there; she told Mr. Tburlaod she had been informed that there
was something not right that he ought not to have mixed I:I
it ; Mr. Thurland said he was not afraid of any one seeing it, ails*
that he could drink it all in the coutse of a day and not hurt hint ;
my daughter then left the bottles with Mr. Thurland, and we both
came away.
The Inquest was adjourned until the neat day, when the 1(1-
lowing additional evidence was given :
Charles Webb, Req. of Oxford, deposed—l am a surgeon and
apothecary ; I have this afternoon opened and examined the head
and body or Henry Hodgkins; I found the bead in a perfectly
healthy state, the heart was very mach enlarged, and the lung. iu
a diseased state, the stomach and bowels healthy—no other appear.
ance of disease ; I cannot speak as to the cause or his death ; I die,
not find in the stomach or any other part poison or any appeararice
of it; the stomach was not inflamed; there was no appearance of
food in the stomach, and the digestion seemed to have beet) COW-
plete ; I luare compared and analysed three bottles tom produced,
and the contents were compounded correctly seem ding to the pre-
scriptions—the largest bottle contained a prepare t.ou of bark, the
half-pint bottle contained a medicine carted fox glove, and the
smaller one diluted nitric acid; the half-pint bi,ttle and the smiler
one contained poisonous drugs ; it is net usual to prescribe meui-
eine to be taken from three distinct bottles ; It i. usual to give
written directions in what way the meditate is to be taken.
The halt-pint bottle and the smaller one cont..in very power-
ful medicines ; I would nut prescribe them utiles, I were to
see my patient each hour after taking a dose of it ; I con •
Oder them dangerous medicines ; I would not exceed giving
a patient in the commencement tin drops out of the half-pint bot-
tle and ten tut of the smaller 51111—a tarps qaantity would be
dangerous, and might be fatal; if a person took too large a quan-
tity out of the halt-pint tinttle it would kill him.
Frederick Thomas Windt, of the Radcliffe Asylum, in the
county of Oxford, resident apothecary, deposed—l assisted in ex-
amining the body of Hem y Hodgkins and bore heard Mi. Webb's
depositions, and I concur in it in every point; dosing the eight
years I was an assistant at the Radcliffe Infirmary I never re-
member so large a dose of the tux glove to have been prescribed
by any physician of the establishment to an out-patient.
Mary, the wife of Jonathan Ives, of Cowley, labourer, deposed—
I am iota to the deceased ; yesterday mtrmug I took three Mottles,
containing medicine, to Mr. Thurland, Lod left them there; they
are the same as now produced ; my uncle, Mr. Humphries, wiabed
me to take them, and I took then' off the cupboard in my father's
house, and carried them to Mr. Tnorland's ; I ;eve the triter
bottles to Mr. Tburland, and told hint my be utber was gone, and
that I bad brought them to hint to see whether they were right;
my mother said to me. I think the medicine was made up • too
strong for him (meaning my brotbet), and that was the reason I
took the bottles to Mr. Thurland; my brother mixed the medicine
prescribed by Mt. Mmes.. and I do not know the quantity.
The Jory Aligned a NeraliCt " pled It y the vioitatioo of Goo::