The New York herald., 1878-11-13
URIAH HEP ALIVE.
m AFYEAEs As sILvERpLArER m HANwAx
STREET, LONDON.
From the London Daily Telegraph

STREET, LONDON.
From the London Daily Telegrsph.l
Readers Of David Copperneld" have often been
tempted 10 doubt whether there could have ex-
listed human being unutterably base as the Uriah
Heep of that famous novel. The report Of inquest
held in this city yesterday might recall. by similar
tty of names, the memory Of the infamous character
sreated by Dickens, and to some extent provoke .
comparison between the villains Of fact and fiction.
The Heap of real life is clectroplater carrying
business at No. as Hanwsy street. Oxford street; and
how he came into . coroncrs court was In this wsc
He had hired . counter servant or clerk pretty
young girl. seventeen years Of age. named Annie
Conway, touching whose untimely end an inquiry
had be held for she had committed suicide In cir
cumstances which led the authorities to suspect that
her master had some share In driving her to self
destruction. Mr.. Heap accordingly called TO give
an account OF his connection with the girl and tho
tale no was forced to tell must have sickened those
whose painful business it to listen to the story.
Annie Conway. he said. had entered his employment
u On assistant six shillinas week. 'f she suited
him she to receive ten shillings week." and
apparently he lost little time in finding ont
very arst night shc was in his employment,
when she left OF work. he met her in Regent
street, and. having spoken to her, he took her
away with him for walk He treated her to glass
Of wine. and let her go homo sbout eleven clock.
Next night, which that Of Tuesday. the 18th. he
another stroll with her. On tho Thursday night he
took her to oyster shop, treated her once more,
and having dazzled her with proposal and promise
of marriage. indnccd her to accompany him to some
morning he left her betrayed and ruined. shame
rosh her ~ori next day when she
went home and bore patiently ell the importunato
inquiries Of her mother. to whom. however. she
fused to account for her absence on the previous
evening.
''oNLY A JOKE"
-
that Annie Conway 'suitcd" him, and he graciously
permitted her to go with her work. unsolaccd by
hope from tho lying lips that had lured her 10 her
tail. But, by the saturday after he had grated his
base M on he had a
bncd with sorrow he determined 70 be rid OF IL.
He told her she longer suitable for his 'busi
ness" With sudden outburst of Puritanical peni-
tencc he said To her that she wns unit person to
be In his service, and he discharged her." Next day
she could no nr,h her ,s
her guilt and told tho story of tho heartless bru
tality with which her bctrayer had flung her out
the streets after no had tempted her to her
ruin. On Monday she went back to her work In
spite Of her dismissal, hoping possibly, that some
merciful twnge OF consoncc might cause her master
to relent. That night he met her again and went for
walk with her. but by this time she had learned tho
true nature Of her terrible situation She found that
her scduccr could not marry her II he would because
he was married man already fact Of which she had
bccn ignorant as he had led her TO believe that he
was single. Next day her mother came TO tho shop,
saw Heap. aud taxed him with running her daugh-
ter According to Mrs. Conways evidence 'he
treated tho whole affair ms Joke" However, IL Is
but fair TO statc-though have nothing better than
his own word for it--that toward evening, he
70 have felt he had gone far enough with his FUN He
told tho jury that when Miss Conway leaving the
shop no warmed "hcr not 10 come 70 tho business
10 her."
INTO TINE GATES or DEATH.
His victim, however, WAS not much consoled by
this delicate consideration. and came back 10 work
sadly next day and the next again. whom shc relieved
Mr.. Heap OF her dsagrecablc society by drinking of
xtneglnssful OF tho elcctropiAters silver sointon
into tho composition of which deadly poison cya-
sdc Of potassium. enters largely. Annie CONWAY was
soon inscnsblc after swallowing tho fatal drn,,al,t
aud when taken into tho hospital she speedily died
Tho jstry returned ths usual verdctcnth from sui-
eide, committed when In an "unsound state OF mind