Coroner's Inquest.
The Times, 1824-03-30T00:00:00

An inquisition was taken yesterdav aftcrnoon before M r. UNW]'*, the Coroner, at the Golden Lion public-house, Canno.) street.road, St. Gcorge's in the East, on view of the boKdy of MIrs. Seraphine Rosalia West, whose husband is asoliciro in Cannon street-road, St. George's in the East. dI- West hlad been dead since Monday week; and it would seetm, from the foltowing facts detaileti before the Coroner, that the inquest had sat rather for the putrpose of in- quiring into certain slanderous, and, indeed, infanotous reports cir- culated respecting dIr. WVest, and tending muwch to disparaze and ruin his character, than to inquire irtto the death of the deceased. Mr. HARmEa attended professionally for Mtlr. WVest, and paid great attention to the examination of the witnerses, in order, if possible. totarace these slanderous rutnours to the fountain-head, and Vunih the propagators of thein. 1T. e first witness examined was Sarah W'iltshire,who deposed she was servant to Mr. WVest,of 2f6, CannonstTreet-road. for the last four inonths. Her mistress had good healtlt till within the last month, during which she had two fits, and continued to decline from that time until dionday week, wher. she died about a quarter before two in the morning. Shc wac attended during her illness bv Surgeon Crisp., of Cannon-street. Mr. W est was a most alfectionate husband. and the deceased and he lived together verv happily. The decease(i never complained of being ill treated, but freoluentlv mentioned her dread, that in consequence of the reports in circulation of' him, he would get into trouble. Mr. HAISM ER ohsnrved, that in order to throw a little light on the subject, it would be necessary briefly to examine Mr. WVest - Ir. \Vest vwas then called, and heing swom. depssed that the deceased was his wife. She began to lose her health about a month or slit weeks ago: he attributed her death to a communication which was ma(de to him in her presence by Mr. Timnothy Wright, a cul-.rerchant, in Rotherhithe. This commnuniration tas made in English, witness believes, for his benefit; .Mr. WVright thinkini- that his wife, who was a native of France, would not understand what lie said. The purport of the communication was, 3ir. 'Wright's saying, that it had been represented to him that durini witness's absence from Eneland lie had led a most abandoned life, run through the whole of his property, destroyed a young woman Pamed .Mary Clark. wbo had accompanied him to the continent, and that he was in Paris without a shoe to his foot * and that it was more than probable that he never ivould return holse. COstoNgY.-IS there any foundation for this report? Mr. West._O dear ! no, Sir. M r. HjuLmELR-Dijd this seem to have any effect upon the de- ceased ? dir. West.-On returning, after parting from Mr. WVright I found her on the sofa, in teats, and on retiring to bed on the fol- lowing night, she appeared very esmuch alarmed, and asked tme if there was anv truth in this report: or if it was likelv I should he sent to prison. 1 endeavoured to comfort her, anti cidm iher fears, hut all was to no effect, dlary Clark had livcd with him as setvant for tpwaTds of seven years, and left in consequence of ill health. She was in a decline, and he took her abroad for the benefit of her 'oealth; but she lingered a short time, and died, and her death gave rise to these slanders. Mlr. Charles Crisp depose(I he was a medical student Of Guty's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, and resided in Cannon-street-road. He attended the deceased for the first time on the 2d inst.; slhe then bad an apoplectic fit, but was removed in two or three days. Heat- tended her in her last iUness on Friday last, and found her labour. ing under diabetes, which was the sole cause of her death. Her spi. rits were Tery low on this occasion, but when he first saw hir she had a great flow of them. Diabetes waa the immediate cause of her death; but it is witness's opinion that her death was accelerated by these eports. 'Witness oened and examined the body : there wvere 30 rnarks of violence, ae he could discover no other trace of coin plaint excepting the diabetes. Coitxow R-.Would anv violent passion, or grief, or terror, cattsed her death ? Sreon.-I think not. 5faTX Clark lives at Orset, in Essex. She bad a daughter named Mary, who lived seven vears in dir. *Vest's service, and went with him, in the Joly of 122, to France with witness's perfect con- eent. She had been four years in a deefine, and left the country for the benefit of her health. W1 itness never entertained the sliglttest sutpicion that any improper intercourse existed between her daughter ad 32ri WVest. Riebard Smith -sworn.-Hehad lived for the last four or five years in France, and resides at present in illile-end. He saw Mlary Clark on her ffirt arrival in France with Mir. XV'est ; she aup peared then in thr last stage of decline * two surgeons attended her, but she ultimately died in France; she had no appearance whatever of being in a state of pregnancy; be saw the (deceased about three weeks ago, when 5he appeared much a'armed, and said( she dreaded tbat these slanders would be a means of depriving her of her husband, and that she did not know what she should do in a strage country. He law her frequently afterwards until her deatth, and she on all occasions expressed tle saine fears. Jr. TimothY Wright lives in Queen -street, Rotherhithe, and is a coal-merchant. Hle is intimate with Mir. West, and cormuuni- e%ted to him calurnies which were afloat respectitg hig character. JVitness heard his own neighbours say, that Alr. UWest had t&,en his servant to France, used her very ill, which produceti an abortion, of which she died, and that he atl run through all his property, snd was associating with dissolute characters. Ile statetd this to sd4. West in the presence of deceased, as the report he 1sAd1istrd., The COROMar here, at the request of Mir. lIarmnet, wished 3Mr. Wigbt to name some of the individuals vho had mentioned tbis,iebre. The witness xaid it was spoken of in mixed company, and it wac bis opinion that not one who heard it believed the conversation. He bad conversed himselfwith persons who had knownMr. iWrest in France, and they spoke in the highest terms of his conduct there, anti rebutted the report respecting the girl. The Cojo2r,'i, in summinir up the evidence, remarked, that the reports circulated respecting Mr. WVest were most unwarrantable, cruel, 5nd unfounded, And bad no doubt preyed so on the deceased as to accelerate in a great degree her death; and lee holped the per- sonsgwho had been the means of circulating these reports would be traced and punished as the law allowed. dIr. HLtR3rEit pledged himself that nothing should be wanted oh blsprto trace and pintish the3e gross libeUlrs- I'he jury, after somne little deliberatien, returned a verdict- tt That th, deGesad died a iatutal dealh; but that her dissolution 's83 s0celervted by the rePo ts alluded to.", CORONER's *,NQ UEST.