The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-01 00:00:00

ANOTHER DEATH FROM VIOLENCE

Yesterday an inquest was hed before P. F. Curry, Esq.,
coroner, touching the death of Lawrence Work.
Richard Williams said the deceased lodged with him in
Drury-lane. He was about 38 years of age. About nine
o'clock on Friday night last the deceased was brought home
by two young men who lodged in the house. He was not
able to walk. He was taken up stairs directly to bed, and
complained of a wound on his head. On Saturday morning
a doctor came to see the deceased, who attended him up to
the time of his death this morning.
Thomas Charleston said:—l am a sailor, and lodge at
Mr. 'Williams's. The deceased lodged in the same house.
On Friday night last, a little after eight o'clock, the deceased
and I and a shipmate were coming across from the north
to the south part of Drury-lane. The deceased had a girl
with him. We had all had a glass of beer together. I was
quite sober, but the deceased had had a glass too much, yet
was quite able to walk and to take care of himself. When
we were passing along Drury-lane we met some foreigners,
some of whom turned round after-they passed and laughed
at the deceased. The deceased turned round, asked them
what they meant by laughing at him, and called them foreign
b—s. Some of them ran down the street, and the
deceased ran after them. My shipmate got hold of de-
ceased by the arm and wanted him to come away, and
whilst he had hold of deceased's arm, I saw one of the
foreigners heave a stone over my shipmate's shoulder which
struck him on the head, and the man who hove the stone
immediately ran away. The deceased fell directly with the
force of the blow. The man who threw the stone was only
about a yard from the deceased at the time. I pursued and
tried to take him, but I could not. I then returned to the
deceased. My shipmate and the girl were supporting him.
He was taken to a druggist's shop close by ; and the druggist
said his wound was so bad that he was ordered to be taken
to a surgeon. The man who threw the stone wore mustachios.
Erasmus Johnstone said he was a sailor. He lodged at the
same house as the last witness, and was along with them as
before stated. Witness corroborated the last witness in
material points. He had hold of the deceased, endeavouring
to get him away, when a man's arm came over my shoulder,
and a stone like that now produced was thrown at the head
of the deceased, who fell immediately. We pursued the man
but he escaped. Witness and the girl first picked the de-
ceased up.

Mr. John Dick, surgeon, said—The deceased was brought
to the surgery about a quarter-past 8 o'clock that night. There
was a wound on the forehead over the left eyebrow. I
found a fracture of the frontal bone just over the left frontal
sinews, the interior wall of which was fractured. I cleansed
the wound and extracted two pieces of bone, and having
dressed the part, sent him home. I attended him afterwards'
until his death, which was caused by inflammation of the
dura mater, brought on in consequence of the fracture. The
wound appeared to have been produced by some blunt instru-
ment.

The coroner thought it advisable to adjourn the case, in
the hope that the man who threw the stone might in the
meantime be found and identified.
The jury concurred, and the inquest was accordingly ad-
journed for further evidence until Wednesday at 12 o'clock.
The deceased was a native of the Shetland Islands, and has
left, we learn, a wife and five children.