Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1828-12-15

netely Snoring poles in the adjoining street. be-
ing used by the cxcavaors who were making the sev,
A police constable named Stevens, of Bow-street,
was the first who ventured to the back Of the ruins
and he discovered poor old woman nearly covered
with the rubbish, but the greater part OF
her body was extended beam. One Of her arms
which was smashed by beam having fallen upon
ut, protruded through the rubbish. Stevens en-
clamed MY God here il one of the bodes."--
by this time several persons had cut tho harness from
the horse, ndby removing of the rubbish extri-
Gated the horse. On removing more of the rubbish
by the side of the cart they found the body of man.
whose SOUL was beaten to pieces, und whose body 9TH
crwise presented most shocking spectacle. The
iahourers carried the body to the White Hatt public
honse, corner oi Exeter street, aud Mr.. Stanton,
surgeon, examined it. The body was warm but
from the nature and extent Of the injuries death must
inevitably have been instantaneous. The unfortunate
man has left wife and two children. Our attention
was called from this shocking spectacle in the ruins
where Stevens, the constable, Mr. Thurston. md
Icdbltter, the inspector ofpoce and others ware en-
gagged with the laborers in digging out the old woman
and by half past three o'clock. she WINS taken out of
the RUNS aod carried TO the Bell public house adoin
ing On coming into the air, che was soon able 10
exercise her tongue, and she said, ooh my God am
smothered; my arm il broken-oh! my head." She
received every possible attention. her eyes and face
were spongcd and she drank some water. On looking
ut her arm, which was broken nj the wrist she said
"oh my God, my arm is smashed to pieces" She
was conveyed as soon as she was in degree re-
covered to the Middlesex hospital While She WAS
at the public house she said her name was Elizabeth
iedgley and that she seventy EIGHT wears of aoe
she mad resided IN the garnet of the house because j.
was almost rem free in consequence of the property
being so ruinous, and it having been in clancerv fr
great many years. Mr.. Kcnney a mariner III NJ
Stanton s. surgeon in the strand, and Mr. Brooks the
parlshsurgeon, attended the poor woman and Mcssr;
urher ana Croos the ChurchwardeEs of the parish
directed Mr. Brooks 10 be the spot and To render
every assistance in his power TO the sufferers The
laoorers got on but slowly in removing the rubbisb
Till number oi baskets were procured, and the men
nod 4 MO ttsr,, -
laden with rubbish from TO another II would bo
almost invdlous to particuarze the excrtons of INV
"herc all were so active at the risk ftheir own lives
IN attempting to those of their fellow creatures
nc most eNtravagant stories got into circulation nm
TO the extent OF loss of lives; aud of the peish
bors dd not hesitate TO say that ut least twenty mr.
sons were buried under the rubbish.
IL was aSCertaned from a man named Arda-so,,
who lives in Denmark court, who visited Mr. Stoko.;
family at one O'Clock, that at that time he saw Mns
Stokes who had her infant in her arms and ber t,y
g'rls ana boy who were engaged in domestic en-
ployment on the first floor Mrs. Stokes informeJ
nm that Mr. Stokes gone To the west end of the
town on some business, and to return at tbrer,
o clock to attend the funeral of his brother He
was, therefore, of opinion that Mr.. Stokes had esca
ped The house to the east of the ruins was occup;
cd by man named Collins who Observation-Disclosures
repeated cautions Of the danger of entering tho
ses continued to 70 into the house till he had carried
on all his property. His family thought an earth
quake had taken place. till they ascertaned tho rcaI
cause or the noise and shaking, by finding that one
END OF the room IN which they sitting had fallen
with the two adjoining houses Their alarm and
the narrow escape MIR. Wrench, the comedian Ind o4
his lle He was passing along Exeter street by the
PACK OF the English Opera house, which is almost on
postc the spot where the accident happened and had
not cleared the front of the public house above tbreo
or four seconds, when he heard cracking in the
ouiiolng which induced him 10 from the impending
danger, and to call to others to avoid H. S;everpI
had halT-breadth escapes from destruction
At half past four o'clock the luborers had been abe
10 so low as to get to cavity formed under
TWO large beams which was sufficiently wide 10 admit
man creeping on his hands and knees. One of the
aborcrs said that lie heard voices beneath the rnbhsb
ut the end of the cavity. More rubbish was carried
away and voices were distinctly heard and DARING
fellow named Burke, and two Others eouaIv corrn
geons, named Whitman and Boldly, went down tb.
cavity INTO the ruins and made their way To the sno,
from whence the cries proceeded and they soon rot
out girl Selma Stokes, nine years of agcl from the
rubbish, who appeared almost inscneiblc FROM Lou,
and suiiocation. She was able TO sneak os saon ne
Shc was III the alr, and she was carried 10 Tho
house of Mr.. Callahan in the same street. md wes
attended Immediately by the two abovcnomcd sur
gcons
The infant boy Of AIr. Stokes was taken oil, Tho
rubbish, near the Same spot Immediately afterUardy
lie was fine handsome little fellow; and tboupb tho
nooy was quite warm yet pulsaiion had ceased some
uinc. the surgeons, after using means (which pro
we'd luctcctua to restore the infant said TINT tho
child had died by su'iocaon, there being not mari
OF eHtcrrni violence pcrceptibe. Selma Stokes who
was taken ont just before was brought into the Sam,
room whcrc the infant was lying dead ON the eofa
As soon as her eyes cleaned from the limo and
dirt which filled them, and which caused her yrcal
pain. she was asked how she felt. She replied, SOli
ny mother and sister and b.other-thcy arc killed"
She drank some water, and afterwards shivernc q.
came on, when the medical gentlemen ettendcdhg
with great promptitude She soon recovered eufIi-
GENTLY to say, "My mother was ironing and was
reading book at the time when the houee fell down,
and stood at the back Of my mother who Is dcnd
She here caught glimpse of her dead brother. and
screamed ooh my God! my poor little baby's dead
OH, my poor, little Frank" II was found that her
head was cut andtbe lower part Of her legs acerated
between and o'clock another voice was benyd unIc
INC ruins, and from the indstinct sound il was cyi
dent the person was nearly exhausted.
Mr. Poto, the builder, who, we believe il the con-
tractor Tor building the sewer in the adjoining street.
and who readily lent tho services of his yorknen 10
assist on the OCCASION, directed the rubbish 10 DC re-
moved from The top Of the ruins the part where
the voice had been heard. In n few minutes, howe