Litchfield enquirer., 1842-09-29
Erorn the Mildlein,rn Constitution.

man presiding. Only two cases of much inc tercSt occurred.
 State vs. HalSey Coon-Thc defendant was charged with murder in burning his wife to death at East Iaddam.
 On Sunday night l7th, April last, between 9 and 10 o'clock, the defendants npighbors were reused by his calling for help, &c., They went to defendants house and found his wife lying on the floor, her clothes near ly burned off. She fingered till next mor- ming when she died. To questions put with intent 10 discover the means by which she was burned, she sometimes said she had q fit, at other times, (after ascertaining that Coon was ahscnt) she said 'he did it-he did it-crnss-ugly,' also that she did not fall in- to the fire, but he threw cOalS on her. When the neighbors arrived at CoOn's house they found tho foo: had been swept up. Next day they found coals and burnt particles of Mrs. Copns dress in the cellar under the room where she lay, which might have dropped through the floor, as ii was old and had large cracks in it. There was also evil dence that Coon and his wife were intem- perate and hnd drank quart of rum be- tween them on Sunday night, and several wit nesses thought she was partially intoxicated when they found her, and continued so some time afterwards. Coon lay in d room adjoin- ing the one where his wife was found, and says she got drunk aud caught fire from her candle while he was asleep. But it proved he had given somewhat contradictory &C., counts about the matter, had said she was not so good as bag of straw, had used equivocai threats &Zc. Many other facts and circumstances, (too numerous to detaiD were proved, tending some of them 10 show that Coon and his wife had a quarrel. On the whole case the jury were at first 6 to Al of the opinion that the defendant was guilty of manslauEhter and that at any rate there was not testimony equivalent to two positive wit nesses (which the law in such cases requires) of malice aforethOugh or murder. So on d ii. Eal ballot the jury brought in gully ef man. slaughter. Sentence 20 years State Prison, and $500 fine. Bulkley and Tyler for State, M'Curdy and Wiley for defendant.
 We understand the prisoner is suspected of having killed his first wife who was burnt to death some IA months before so it seems to be necessary for one man to burn t,Oo 'neR before he is guilty of manslaughter.]
 CoRoNER's OFFIcE- BRUTAL OUTRAGE DEATH.-The Coroner held an inquest at the Almshouse, on the body of Thomas Me- Coy, native of Ireland, aged 20 years, of No. IA, Dover st., who was killed in prize fight at Hastings, Westchester county, by 1T O Tuesday. A post mortem examination was made on the body at the late residence of the deceased, by Drs. McCombs and Ho- sack, who testified that in their opinion, the death was produced by suffocation, caused by the utilization of blood into the cells of the lungs, being the result of violence. The head and face were dreadfully bruised, the nose flattened on the face, and the bone on the left side of the nose was broken, and the cartridges separated fromthe bones, the lips cut by the teeth, as if by blow, the vessels on the surface much engorged by blood, and a quantity of blood formed in the air vessels of the lungs.
 From the evidence of the two brothers of the deceased, Enoch E. Camp and others, it appeared that John Austin and James Sand ford had made a bet of $lOO 0 side on the fight, which they proposed should come off between Lilly and Mccoy, near the village of Hastings, up tho North River, 20 miles from the city, in Westchester county that the seconds of Lilly were John, alias Coun- try McClusky and William Ford, and the seconds of Mccoy. James Sandford and Henry Shanfroid-the bottle holders, Yan- kee Sullivan and Richard Taccar. There were many packers and bctters on the re- suit. Tho parties and spectators left the city on Tuesday morning in the steamboats
 
 getting on board the boat at Hoboken-and all proceeded to the fighting ground. which they reached between eleven and twelve o'clock.
 Justice Golding, of Dobbs' Ferry, Vest chester county, hearing of the intended fight, and seeing some persons. and among them Sullivan, rallied the inhabitants ill and about Hastings, and repairing to the ground endeavored to prevent it, but was unable to do so. He saw somo 2,OOO persons on the ground, some armed with clubs, and was compelled to desist, and the fight went on up to the ll9th round, when Mccoy, who was dreadfully cut and bruised, was unable to continue the terrible encounter, and lay insensible on the ground in the ring. He was carried off and laid under some bushes near the shore, where certain Dr. Lansing attended him, and where he ceased to breathe, and his pulse ceased to heat soon after. He was then carried on a board to a small boat. aad thence on board the steam. boat Saratoga. and conveyed to Forty cond st., in this city, whence the body was conveyed to the residence of his mother and brothers, No. IA, Dover st" corner of Water, where the post mortem examination was made and the inquest soon after as- sembled in the Aims House.
 After the fatal termination of tho fight, Lilly, the murderer of Mccoy, fled up the hill near the fighting ground. and thence proceeded up the Hudson on the steamboat Indiana, and escaped. The Coroner caused to be arrested the pilot and the engineer of the steamboat Saratoga, Elias Kingston and Cornelius Dodge, and they were committed 10 prison. Other arrests are also expected to be made. The jury found verdict that Mccoy came to his death by blows and inju- ries received in fight with Christopher '