The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-04 00:00:00

DREADFUL REVERSE OF FORTUNE.

On Tuesday, a lengthened investigation took place before
Mr. Payne, in the Fleet Prison, touching the death of Zacha-
riah Edwards, aged 35, formerly an officer in the 12th Royal
Lancers, and once a favourite godson of his late majesty
William IV. .

Mr. George Cooper, surgeon to the prison, examined—l
was not called tto deceased until three days previous to his
death, which took place on Saturday last. I found him la-
bouring under typhus fever, in its worst form, and was told
that he had been ill for the last five or six preceding days,
and had been attended most by a friendly medical gentleman.
I did all I could to save him ; and, besides the proper medi-
cines, he had all the nourishment his state required ; but,
nothwithstanding, he expired on Sunday evening of typhus
fever, no doubt produced by great mental anxiety.
Mr. Victor Hugh Chemerley, an inmate of the prison, de-
posed—Deceased was my chum, and we were acquainted
since 1825, when we met in France, he then being on leave of
absence from his regiment. He was a man of most gentle-
manlike manners and amiable disposition. I afterwards lost
sight of him, and when we met again 1 found he had sold out
of his regiment, and had became partner in some patent
bleaching concern. which subsequently failed. Deceased
had been in this prison eight months and ten days before his
death, was seized with illness,:complaining then of a severely
racking pain in the chest, and having a bad cough. He was
suffering under great mental anxiety, caused by knowing that
affluent persons' once in his prosperity, his professed friends,
were acquainted with his situation, and would not free him
from it, but actually allowed him to languish, and at length
die through want of the common necessaries of life. He made
mention in particular of his guardian, who, he said, had re-
fused to do anything for him, and had even closed his doors
against him, though once he had given him thousands. I once
saw this gentleman give him a check for £7OOO, at a dash.
Deceased used to remark, " What pretty treatment, to have
placed me in my youth in a dashing and extravagant regi-
ment, whereby I must necessarily have been inoculated with
extravagant habits, even by following the example of others!"
On the night previous to his death he called me to his bed-
side, and disclosed to me more than ever his family transac-
tions, but, from a delicacy I feel in consequence of Mr.
not being here, I forbear stating what those heart-rend-
ing transactions were. During the time deceased was here,
he had no funds, and was literaily starving, because, having
been refused aid by his guardians, he would not apply to his
fellow-prisoners. I have known, but not until afterwards,
that a few potatoes were his sole food for the space of forty-
eight hours. Lately he had drank freely to drown his cares.
In prison when a friend comes to see you he will treat you
with wine, ignorant, at the time that you are in want of food,
and fearing often if be does not hurt your feelings by offer-
ing you any. A. fortnight ago he explained his condition to
the Rev. Mr. Booth, then a prisoner, but since enlarged,
and the rev. gentleman applied to his guardian on behalf of
deceased, and he said that whilst he was in prison lie would
do nothing for him, but, when he got out, his doors would
be once more opened to him. Deceased's debts, contracted
by having been made the tool and dupe of others, amounted
to between £7OOO and £BOOO, and his friends were in such
good circumstances that they might have made a compro
mise for him, and saved him from prison. Even deceased's.
mother, an affluent lady, and his brother, a major'in the,
army, had been applied to by deceased, and they likewise
refused to assist him.

Mr. Richard Oastler, also a prisoner, said that deceased
had told him that he was a godson of William the Fourth,
and had often when a boy dined at the royal table. He used
to contrast complainingly his former position with his present,
and lament the cruelty, as he said, of those quondam friends
who could and ought to relieve him from a prisoK. He (Mr.
Oastler) begged to assure the jury that the governor of the
prison could not know the situation of those prisoners who
were too proud to lay open their wants to him, and that as
soon as he knew them he promptly supplied the necessary
relief.

The coroner, in addressing the jury, said that he had,
perhaps, allowed matters irrelevant to the inquiry to be in-
troduced, but he had done so through a motive of humanity,
seeing that the inquest was on the body of a prisoners, and
that by giving a greater latitude than ordinary to the evidence,
it might be the means of alleviating the position of persons
imprisoned and circumstanced has deceased had been.
The jury then returned the following verdict :—" Died of
typhus fever, brought on by extreme anxiety of mind."

Mr. Oastler then said that unless some different measures
were speedily introduced into that prison, the coroner would
ere long have to hold many inquests in it, for it was a fact
that many persons were dying of broken hearts and from
want of sufficient necessaries of life, and concealing, through
false pride, their positions.
The coroner said he would be very happy to have Mr.
Oastler's suggestions as to the measures wanted.
Mr. Oastler—Let the creditors forego their claims on such
parties, though I am very certain they will not forego mine.
—London paper.

COACH ACCIDENT.—On Monday morning last, as the
mail from the North was entering Lancaster, having crossed
the bridge at Skerton, either by reason of taking the turn
too sharply, or some other cause at present unexplained, it
suddenly capsized, and all the outside passengers were thrown
to the ground. Several of them received severe injuries, but
none, we understand, of a nature likely to prove fatal. The
unfortunate coachman, Martin, was taken in an insensible
state to the Ball, in a returned chaise. When he recovered
from his stupor, from having fallen upon his head, he was
quite delirious, in which unhappy state he still continues,
with but slight intermission, and unfortunately the worst re-
sults are anticipated.
THE REV. G. C. COOKMAN.—This gentleman, who, as
our readers are aware, was one of the passengers who left
New York in the President steamer, being a leading minister
amongst the American Episcopal Methodists, and having
been re-elected chaplain to the senate of the United States,
was deputed to represent the American Bible Society at the
approaching anniversary of the British and Foreign Bible
Society. He is the only son of George Cookman, Esq., one
of the most active magistrates and twice mayor of this bo-
rough. His principal object in visiting his native land (ob-
serves a contemporary) was to greet once more bis father and
relatives in Yorkshire ; he left behind him in America a be-
loved wife and six childen.

MORE TRICKERY.—Scarcely a week now elapses in which
the press does not contain some account of a robbery being
committed in the manner which we are about to state. Last
evening, a working man, named Edward Hatcher, who was
journeying from Wells to Swallowcliff, near Salisbury, to see
his friends, staid at the Duke of York public-house, in
Bath, to take some refreshment. Whilst seated there, two
fellows came and placed themselves one on each side of him.
They soon got into conversation, when one of them, who was
" quite a gentleman," introduced several notes, which the
subsequently unfortunate Hatcher thought were real ones,
and the conversation then turned upon the best mode of
safely depositing them on his person. His "friend" offered
to place them safely in his pocket, and was of course per-
mitted to do so. The " gentleman" having found out that
the countryman had some sovereigns in his purse, kindly of-
fered to wrap them up for him and put them safely into his
fob. The unwary dupe consented, and he thought his purse
was safe. Shortly afterwards the two sharpers left the
house, and on the flat feeling. for his purse to pay for some
beer, he found that it was gone. It contained £4 : 18s. 6d.
£5 were all the poor fellow had, and the ls. 6d. he had spent
in beer. With rueful visage he sought a policeman, and com-
municated the tale of woe, but it is needless to state that
neither his purse nor its contents have been found. It is
truly astonishing that after so many robberies of this de-
scription, people will be so short-sighted as to let others
pretend to safely deposit their money on their persons.—
Bath Chronicle.