The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-09 00:00:00

been read a third time in the House of Lords, and that it
now only required the royal sanction.

The reports of the Garden, Church Establishment, and
Water Committees were confirmed.

The proceedings of the Library and Museum Committee
contained a recommendation to purchase, from Mr.
Augustus Harding, the Model of Ancient Liverpool, for
the sum of £100; but as the committee at which this re-
commendation was formed had been called for another,
and a special purpose, the proposition was declared by the
Town-clerk, in reply to Mr. Bigham, to be irregular, and
was withdrawn by Mr. Picton.—The coroner's account,
amounting to £l9 12s. 6d., was confirmed.—The Mayor's.
communications comprised applications from the master
of and the men employed at the north landing-stage, for
increased salary and wages. Referred to the Finance
Committee.—A statement of accounts for the maintenance
of the prisoners in the borough gaol, amounting to £B7l
is. Bd., was passed, and the Mayor authorized to forward
it to the treasurer.—The concluding business on the paper
was the following notice of motion, by Mr. Banner :
"That the building and premises in Gill-street, now used:
as a market, be appropriated for salt-water baths, under
the direction of the Baths Committee."—On this being
called on, the majority of the members rose and left the
room en masse.—The Council broke up at four o'clock,
having sat five hours.

31YSTERIOUS DEATH OF A SUIT-
POSED RO2IIISH PRIEST.

AN inquest was held on Wednesday, before Mr. Curry,
the borough coroner, and a jury, on the body of a man
who died in the workhouse under singular circumstances.
From his dress and other circumstances, it is conjectured
he was a Romish priest. In his pockets were found a rosary
and a small figure of St. Peter, together with a memoran-
dum book, containing copies of letters apparently written
by the deceased to a friend, and entries of various sums
of money received at different places, as if he had been
collecting for some special purpose. The letters com-
menced, " Dear Stephen," and requested that the writer's;
ritual, scarf, stole, and other vestments usually worn by
priests at the altar, might be sent to him. One of the
letters contained a request that, whenever the friend ad-
dressed might appproach the altar dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, he would offer up three " Hail Mary's," for the
salvation of the soul of the writer. The deceased had
been removed from a brothel in the Workhouse van,
which was sent for him, at the request of the surgeon
called in to see the deceased, by inspector Horne. The
deceased represented himself to the surgeon as " Hugh
Haggerty," a different name from those which he gave to
other parties. The publication of the following note may
help (hereafter) to the discovery of the deceased's identity.
There is no date, and we give it verbatim :
Dear Sir,—Yaar trunks is addressed to Mr. P. Mahon,
Hotel, William-street, Liverpool.

Inspector Horne, of the police force, deposed that on
Thursday morning, about two o'clock, while be was on
duty in Hotham-street, officer 58 came up to him, and in-
formed him that a Mrs. Byrnes, who keeps a brothel at
17, Albion•street, wished to see him. On going there
Mrs. Byrnes informed him that there was a man within
who appeared to be very ill, and who had been stopping
there since two o'clock on the previous Monday morning_
She added that he had been brought to the house by two
of the girls, Betsy Thompson and Eliza Scott. He had
been drinking rum and wine, but she could not get him.
to take any food. He had only three fourpenny pieces
when brought to the house, but they pawned his waist-
coat for 9d., and bought wine with the money, of which
he had a glass. She stated that on Tuesday he gave her
a pawnticket, and requested her to go to Mr. Sheppard's
and get £1 more lent on his gold watch, giving her also a
note to the pattibroker, who advanced the money. She
brought the £1 to him, but he refused to take it, and she
' gave a portion of it to the girl, keeping the remainder her-
self. The inspector went into the bed-room, and saw the
man in bed. He complained of a pain in his stomach_
On being asked if had any friends in this town, the man
replied that he had not, and subsequently stated that his
name was Coslett, and that he was a physician. A sur-
geon was sent for, and, after he had left, witness again
asked the man what he was, having some doubts about
him. The man then replied that he was "Anthony Cos-
lett," an attorney, from near Dublin. Witness told hint
that, as he had no friends, he must be sent to the work-
house ; but the man wished to be left where he was, stating
that he would go to an hotel in the morning. On being
reminded that he had no money, he replied that he would
get a remittance from his brother Charles, who also lived.
near Dublin. The witness did not see Mm again alive.
The pawnticket for the watch was then produced, but
the first ticket was not forthcoming. From the note of
the deceased, which was signed "Alexander Clifford," it
would appear that the watch was first pledged by him in
that name, for £2.

Mary Byrne, said: I keep a lodging-house. It is at
brothel in Albion-street. Early on Monday morning-
Eliza Scott came to my bedroom, and told me there was a
man up stairs in her room, and that he had no money-
I said, "Do the best you can, but get him out of the house,
as you brought him here," She wanted to pledge his coat,
but I would not let her. She then took it away, and
returned again shortly afterwards, saying, " He has given
it to me himself." She got 6s. upon it, and then got drunk-
I went up stairs to him about nine o'clock, and asked him
if he was married. He replied that he was not. He slept
so hard that yon could scarcely wake him. I found the
purse and beads (produced), and he said they were his;
His hat was much bruised.

Eliza Scott, one of the inmates of the house, deposed:---
I met the deceased in Clayton-square, on Monday morning,
between twelve and one o'clock ; I was going home, and he
staggered against me. He was sober, and he asked me to
take him home, and wash his head. He said he had had an
awful fall. He had the appearance of a gentleman. I
took him home, and as he was undressing himself, I ob-
served that his head had a cut on the back of it. He did
not then say how he got it. I lay on the side of the bed..
He asked me for a glass of wine in the morning. He gave
me three fourpenny bits, and I got him the wine. I then
asked him if lie would have a cup of tea, and he said he
wanted nothing to eat. I went to Mrs. Byrne about
twelve o'clock, and said the man appeared to be in the
horrors from drink. He said he would get up after he had
had a little sleep, and told me to pawn his waistcoat and
get him something to drink. I did so. The fourpenny
bits were in the steel purse, and also the beads. I also..
found the book (memorandum book produced) and two
letters. I asked him what he was, but he would tell me
nothing, not even his name. He was taken to the Work-
house on Thursday, the 27th ult.
Francis Ayrton, M.D., being sworn, said :—I am one of
the resident medical officers of the Workhouse. The de-
ceased was brought to the Workhouse on Thursday, the'
27th of April, about three o'clock in the afternoon. He
was insensible. and appeared to be suffering from compres-
sion of the brain. He died about two o' clock on Saturday
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his death. He had three false teeth, set in gold, fitting in
his upper jaw.

Mr.-Geo. Carr, governor of the Workhouse, deposed to%
the circumstances of the deceased being received into the.
Workhouse, and described the dress which he wore at the
time, as follows :—A black coat, single-breasted, and with
a 'stand-up collar, having the appearance of a clerical coat,
black cloth trousers, Guernsey singlet, pair of drawers-,
marked "A.C.," black satin stock, dark Oxford gray
woollen socks, a pair of patent leather dress shoes, a red
and white silk handkerchief, marked " A.C.," and a plait
black beaver hat, with a label inside, " Greig Brothers;
Trongate, Glasgow?' The deceased appeared to be about
forty years of age, was 5 feet 8 inches in height, had a
sallow complexion, with little trace of whiskers, anti
black hair tinged with grey.
The police inspector, in reply to the jury, said defendant
did not complain to him of the treatment he got in the
house in Albion-street, but, on the contrary, he said the
people were very kind to him.
The jury then consulted for a short time, when twelve
returned a verdict of " Died from natural causes."