Coroners' Inquests.
The Times, 1824-12-21T00:00:00

A jury assembled yesterday at the Brieklavers' Armma, Xet_ road, before TODMAS SHELTOIN, Esq.. to irigwAre concernrig the deA't of AIr. William Baughan, late a clerk w. the Bank. Mr. Martin, an undertaker in the Old JXcrnt,road, deposed, that on Friday evening last he heard from hij bhop the furious gallop- ping of a horse on the foot pavewnPunt. and going ort to disco. ver the occasion, perceived the deceased lying dmd before him. With his shosnman's assistances, he conveyed the body to theadjoin. ing heuse of Dr. Gowar. Air. Robert Richardp, of the King's Heed, Kensington-laneS, went to Elthan on the dxay of deceased's death, accorpanied by his wife, in a single.horse chaise, for the purpose of hringing his daughb. ter from school, and there met Air. John No-ris, of the Three Compasses, Wandsworth, on a precisely similsr errand, with uhom he aRreed to return to town in coapanv. VWhlen near the Cr6. at Deptfo:d, he observed to hits wife that AIrs. Morris vm spitt. ting up her utnbrella, and that they appeared to be driving tn. commonly fast: in an instant they were out of sght, and hle tavw no more of them until his arrival at the turnpike, vthere, in the toll. house, he foundl ilr. and itra. bMorris -nid their daughter, who had been thrown from their chaise by the horse taking fright ai the mEs- ing the umbrella, and the bre,king the dashing-iron by Ar. Morris, In his attempt to stop him, and which fell uipon the horse's back; the shafts of the chaise were broken, and the horse continued his fu- rious course. 'Ur. Morris remains dangerualyv iIll 'Ir. Gowrar, su rgeon, said the deceased died firomn en ffusion of' blood upon the brain, eccasioned, in his opinien, by his head being dashed against a pte. Verdict._." Accidental deatbh, and a dec. dane of 1.. upon the hoese." AIELANtCHOLY EFFECTS OF SEDUCTvON-Y.esterday an inquest was held befere THoitAs STIRLrW3, Eaq., and a re- spectable jury, at the house of Mr. Alorgan, the i the keethers, Great W;ild.street, Lincoln's-.inn-fields. on the body of an in teresting femnale, 20 years of age, named Elizabeth Bates, who swallowedl a quantity of arsenic and I uda1ouno, eundermost adffecing eircumstances. Air. Charles Starkey, house-surg"on of the infirmary of St. lea's workhouse, stated, that on Thursdav last he was sent for to Utepd a person at the house of MEr. Lewis, I)rury-Iae. He instantl went, andl found, in the up-stairs back-room of the house, No. 144,76rury. lane, the deceased young female, who appeared eonvulsed, but w,as insensible. She was stretched on the bed, and was not undseeed. HIe returned to the Infirmary for the usual reneeie bdng in- formed by BMrs. Lewis that the deceased girl had swallowed pewi- son. On comiing back, in less titan three ruinute3, he fotscdthe poor creature had just breathed her last. Be then, in the pre- sence of Alr. L,ewis, searched her pockets, and found a biscuit, a paper containing half an ounce of arsenic, and a laudanum phial, nearly one-third full, or in 1eight about four drans.r He did not know the ieceased, neither did he open thc b43;. Whn he first saw her shewas dying, end, as far as he cenild jde, ahe had not the symptoms of' having allowed asenic, and ideed, such are the effect. of laudanum, that at all times an opinios ean_ not beformed as to whether the partyhadsswallowed itor not. Was informed she had been very sick, and had compiap5ed of pains. Had he been sent for sooner, in all probabiLity he mnighthave saved her life. When he w:s called it was after five o'clock. Airs. lewis infonned him an cmufortunate attachment had cauced the rash acb T he w itness produced the arsenic, &e. COaOweEtt..Would the arsenic have caused rickness of e stomlach ? AMr. Starkey.-Certainly; I should think so. This arsenic, which was found in ber pocket, is verv much adulterated. I dson't think swallowing laudanum after arsenic would produce insensibility to its dreadful werkings on the bedy. Juror.-Pray, Sir, did vou hear where she purchascd thoce1*oihsns MtXr. Starkey..I. was told at Leicester. Airs. Lewis, widow, residing at Air. Seeell's, 144, Drury.leaie, being: sworn, said she hag kInown the deceased for sorae timne; he held a respectable situation in a fainily near Covent-garden, aod po.ssessed considerable personal as wel as mertal attrations. About six weeks since she came to witness's ledgings, and seemed rather low-spirited. Site asked permission tp sleep with witness which was granted. Witness discovered she Vas uCeei7tee, and h;a beea so a considerable time. The dceased never opened her mind, but seemed depressed. After remaining about a forrright, part of which time shc had been confined, in consequence of meeting with an accident in Jarmcs-street, Covent-garden. she mentioned her in- ttntion of going to Leicester to see her friends, but, in reality, as the witness had fourd out, to seea young man who had invited her down to be married to himl. She left the witness's house for that purpose on tbe Sunday mornitg after, and was accompanied by her brother, who lives m a house of business in Drutn-lane. As she quitted the house, she observed to witness, " I have dreadful foreboditmgs." On Thursday morning Ilst witness was surpried at seeing her again; ske looked will, and seemed very haggard in ap_ pearance. Sthe went into witness's bed-room, and her brother being sent for, she said " I have good news-atrt and unicie are w ., and will send you something at C(hristmas; your sweetheart is also well, and sends her love; but my - " Here, sai the witness, she stopped, and said, " I have bad news for you teo." Her bro- ther asked her what it was, and starnping her foot to the ground, slac hysteric0lly exclaimed, '- Wrhy, my cruel faithless Willianm is mnar. ried !" and then fainted. On being aroused, sbe became very sick, ar.d continueA sayiDg, "1 Oh! Airs. liewis, what rmust I have felt, on getting off the coach. to ineet him and his wife? I pitr. her, anti Got forgive him. I sh I had died before I knew it; but it will soon be all over with me. Was it not cruel of bzst to send for me ?" The witness endeavoured to reason with and eon- sole her, but she becante very ill, and, by her desire, was plased on the bed. The witness thought the sickness might have been prs-_ duced by travelling and agitation of mind; therefore sbe left her for a short time, and, on returning again into stte room in the mid. dle of the day, the deeeased seemd scarcely able to speak frout ex- cessive crying; and, calling witness to the bedside, said she would not have gone down to Leicester at all, only the young man bad written, saying thow fond adtl true to her he was, and desired her ta come doxvn when she lost her situation, and he would mnarrv her, saying he kniew her statc, and would be honourable. In consr- quence of this, she had thrown up her situation, as she was gettings tunieasy; and, on seeing Ihim at Leicester, he laughed and passed. 'not pretendisng to know her. In about an hour after, she again sent for witness, and said, " :Irs. Lcwis, what was I to do, without a home lo put mY head into, among strangers, and on bemg laughed and jerred at bj him who promised and so often swore to pro2ect me ? I feltt the aight oi my misforttune. and found myself so desolate, that on getlingoffthe coach this morning-and, oh God. forgive rne for it I-but what was i to ?_I--oh_1 swallowed arsenic and lau_ ia2urn." Here s'me of the jurors burstint-etears ] The wimes was verr muehslhoclked, and instently seiit toher brother and the :octer; but in a few minutes as(er the deceased losed her eyes,and with an eJaculation to Heaven fbr mercy to "her Willium," sheh be- camite insensible, and soon ce-pired. The COROXER reimarked. hie couild not consider that ary blame was attached to the last witnless, as she had evidently not been aware of the fact or the deceased having taken poison, until the tiruatated. SShe had given her evidencec with gre-at feeling. The next witness was Dinah Hates. sister to the dese. She knew of tht deceased being acquainted with a vonag man, a bzok.. keeper in a cmunting-houge, of tthe nanme of Burrell; he weut to LOei. cester; her sister called on her a few das before rsie left town, and Kavtc her an umbrella, saying, "I shall'never see you again, ver likely." She seemed very low-spirited and light-headed. She dic not niake witness her confidant, which nmight proceed froui the wit. ness's being very young. Witness beard that her sister knewr the young man three years. Her cister brutised the side of her head by a fail, in Jamcs-street, Covent-garden. Noah Bates, the brother, who seemed overwhelmsed waith afflic. t.iOn, deposel to nearly the samne effect asAirs. lizs. He said a e knew of his sister being attacelcd to some young manr, a clerk, but he never thought that intimacy had gone to such a length. The Copo.\ ER here atldressed the jry, and said, this, perhap2, of the kind, was as hielancholy a detail as they had ever heard : it wag evident tihe poor girl bad been " lured from her native home" by some itfanotias and profligate villain, who, after causing her rain, had even, it seemed, slorted with her feelings, and made the whole attendant train of misfortunes caused by his villairy the subject of in unfeelingijest. It was for them to consider whether all theso ircumsta-nces were not sufficieat to ovetthrow her intellect, and pro.. duce that state of derangement in which she might hav comuiitted sl,e fatal aeL The Foreman of the Jtirv said it was evident that the condi.ct of her infiamus seducer had produced a temporary derauge.tent,ce intellect. The Jurv deliberated for a fete minutes. and then found this rer. diet:-" The dcceascd Satah Btets, ae 20, commnitted tuicide while in a state of temporary mental derangeiment." The jury-roomn voas orowded to excess. as hs cate producel rnrtaz4 extitatiol of feeling in the neiShbourhood. CORONVERS'S, I.V QtUESTS.