Melancholy Occurrence.
The Times, 1824-12-08T00:00:00

Mlonday night an inquisition was taken at the Wellington Ta- vern, Brooh-street,Ratcliffe, before J. Wv. UNrwrN, Esq., and a very respectable Jury, on view oF the bodly of AMrs. MIargaret Eldred, aged 33, wife of' ir. Joseph Eldred, a veterinary surgeon. Airs. Sarah Hollitt, sworn.-I reside next door to the deceased in Glass.house.ficlds, Ratchefe: on Monday night, the 29tlh tit., the husband of the deceased came to me and requested that I would come to his wife as soon as possible. I immediately went, and on en- tering the bed-chamber found the deceased lyilg with her clothes on. I asked what was the matter, and the deceased answered feebly, that she was very ill, and that it was all the effiect of passion * I asked her wby she put herself in a passion, particularlv when she was situat- ed as she was (the deceased was in her last month of pregnancy); the deceased said that she and her husband had had a few words, and that she was more fo blame than he-thathe had stayed out later that night than she wished, and that she flevr at him directly he opened the street-door.Itoldthedeceasedthatitwouldhavebeen much better if she had held her peace in her present situation; deceasedsaid she wish- ed sbe hati.No fartherconversation tookplaceatthat time; I undressed her,put her to bed,and sent for Dr. Harkness,who immediately attend- ed. I remained with the deceased all that night. After Dr. Hark- ne.s went away, the deceased said she was getting very ill, anid de- sired me to call her hushand to the bed-side; on his approaching hnr, the deceased said, "Joseph, i hope the Lord will forgive you and me, for one is as bad as the other; be kind to my babes, for I am going to that place from whence I shall never rettrn." I de- sired the husbarnd to go again for the doctor, and not to come back without him. He did so, and AIr. Harlkness again attended. The deceased became more composed, and told me site thought she had broken a blood-vessel. Shortly after this, she asked me if I did not think it would have been better if she had told the doctor she had been kicked by her husband. I persuaded her to tell the truth,- which she agreed to do. On Vednesday shc seemed somiehat bet- ter, butinthecourse of the day she beeameworse,andexpired about 10 o'clock on that-night. lb answer to a question from the jury, the witness saidl that the deceased had told her before her death that her huaband had given her a dreadful kick. Alrs. Sarah Croker sworn.-On llonday night I was aLso request- ed by Mr. Eldred, the husband of the deceased, to visit his wife, an7d found her In bed as described by the last witness. All her care seemed to be for her husband and children, and she ascrioed the cause ol her Indisposition to the effects ofpas.sion. I observed a great quantity of blood about the bed, and on the floor, which I cleared up. Mrs. Eliza Reyjiolds sworn.-I was sent for on Tuesday by the &ceased, and on my asking her what ailed her, she shook her head, and said that if she ever got over it, she hoped God would give her grace to overcome her passion. 1 saw the deceased frequently after, and she never attributed any improper conduct to her husbantd. Air. John Samuel Harkncss sworn.-I am a surgeon, and resile at Ratcliffe. On Monday se'nnight, about 8 o'clock in the eventing, I was called to attend the deceased, and found on the lower parts of lier person a quantity of coagulated blood, but there did not appear to bea sufficient quantlty to occasion albarm. I administered such medicines as I cousidered calculated to do her good, and they ap. peared to have the desired effect, as she somewhat recovered. I con- titnued to attend her till she died. The deceased never in the slightest degree mentioned her husband's having kicked her. I have examin- ed her body after death in the presence of Dr. Conquest, but canntt say that death ensued froM dLe loss ot blood alone, but that, together with a laceration that presented itself on the part above mentioned, produced her dissolution, as she was far advanced in pregnancy. Dr. Conquest, of Finsbary-square, sworn.-I wvas rTesent with the last witness when the body of the deceased was opened, and on exa- mining minutely the parts already named, foand there were consider- able marks of violence. The parts alluded to were very livid and tumefied; there was also a small laceration about three.quarters of aninmch itt length. I found an extensive extravas4tion of blood pro- duced by the injury, which was the immediate cause of death. The Coron,er recapitulated the evidence, and the Jury, after a long deliberation, returned a verdict of MzansIaugkter against MIr. Eldred. the husband, who was immnediately apprehended on the Coroner s warrant, and commnitted to prison. MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.