Coroner's Inquest.
The Times, 1824-06-05T00:00:00

Yesterday an Inquest was hed in the CJommittee RoOn, of Ito- tbherhithe Panish, betbre C. JEM:\METT, Rsq., on n male new.-borm infant, wboseldAT was placed in a basket, and sent from town itt .the-Deptferd stage.coacb. directed.to Atr. St.evens, ibake- eiding near-il illpond-bridge. The following evidence was adduced:. Elizabeth Turner, the first witness examined, deposed is fol- lows :.I am housekeeper to Alr. T. Stevens-. On Wednetlday fore. noon, about half-past 12 o'clock, I receivcd'a basket by tbelent. ford stae coach, directed for mr. Stevena, baker, near Alillpold. bridge, otilerhithe, 'and fastened to the handli of the basket. Mr.. SEevens not being at home, the basket remained in the s3Sop umtil about one o'clock, when he camie homre Soon after, the backet was taken into the kitchen by,Mr, Stevens's niece,wbo proceeded toopen, it, observing " that it was a present of a goose to her uncle., After the niece ad entered with the basket, I went over and took a parcel out of it; and, on mY proceeding to open it, I was sh1ocked on be- holding the head and side of the face of a newv-born infant, whick was pinned up in a napkin. The witness added, that ofropening the parcel, she discovered a piece of naper inside, with these-words wrote on it--" Rury, bury the deed." Coroner.-Did the child seem tohave been dead any lcngthoftitne ? WVitness.-lt had no. the appearance of being dead many ho- its face andarms were quite red; but I wasso alarmed that Idi dneltmi nutely examine it. Georgiana Anindale, Mr. Stevens's niece, deposed, that she sawr the parceleaken inon the day stated. She removed ttie basket ather uncle's request front the shop into the kitchen, where she proceeded to open it, uftl found a napkin, withl something pinned up mit, which she at first iflagined iYas a preseRt of Ba gose for her unle;: She tookt~he napkin out ot the basket, and laid it on the dresser from whence it was taken into the ba.kehouse hy the housekeeperj who, to her surprise, upon examining it, found it to contan the body of a child. * Coroner.-Did the coachman say where he brought the parcel from ? iMrs. I urner replied, thatthe coachmatn said he had brought it from the Elephant and Castle. Charles Fisher, bookkeeper at Mrs. Fisher's, the Elephant and Castle, deposel, that on Tuesday night a aeket,diretted for Mr. iteveas, baker, IWilpond-bridge, was taten into their bflce, and deliveredover toDlr. Barry's coachman, on Uednesday morning, to deliver to Mlr. Stevens. In reply to a question by the Jury, the witness said, that he had no recollection whatever of the person who. left the basket: w hether it was a male or female, he could not say, in consequence of the great number of parcels wvhich were lef. thereo in the course of the day. Samuel Sone, the coachman who delivered the parcel at Mlr. Ste- vens's, deposed that the parcel was given to hbim at the time men- tioned by the last witness, and delivered at Dqr. Stevens's. C. Jackson, a sargecn, deposed, that on Wednesday afternoon he was sent for to the workhouse, when he examined the bodv o' she child. The navel-string had the appearance of being recenty tied, and on the fore part of the thtoat there were evident marks ot disco_ louration. He then proceeded to open tmie body, and on diseecting the back integuments covering the fore part of the throat, he found the right jugular vein distended, as if some obstruction had been oftered to the return of the blood. The lungs had a healthy appearance. antd appeared as if thev had breathed atmospheric aer. T he lungs were put Into water, and float. a d, wiulchdepicted that the- child w as born alive. Coroner.._Might not the child have died immediately on its comn l ing into the world ? XVitness.-Myt supposition is, that the marks lofvi hich l discovered on the body' were the cause of its death. If the child had died at its birth, the lungs would not have assumed thehealthyappearance which they did. *T1ie Jury retired about 10 minutes, ndt brought in the ving verdict:;" That the child was born alive, but how or in wi6. man- nier it came by its death they had not suflicient evidenice before them to prove." CORONVER'S nVQUEST.