Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1879-12-20 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A.  LADY IN LONDON.  THE INQUEBT.-VERDICT OF WILFUL MURDER. The adjcsirned inquest upon the body of Annie Jane Fanny M•Lean, 34 (daughter of the late Colonel M'Lean, C. 8.), of Broadway, Worcestershire, wh.) died under peculiar circumstances at a coffee house, 128, Seymourplace, Marylebane, on the 17th of last month, was resumed on Tuesday by Dr. Hardwicke, the coroner for Centel Middlesex, at the Buffalo's Head, Marylebone-road It will be remembered that the medical eyi,:ence showed that death was accelerated by taking excessive stimulants, which it is alleged were given deceased in a reckless manner by a married man named Lewis James Paine, with whom she cohabited, and in whose favour deceased, who is the possessor of considerable propetry, had made a will. Daring the process of the case some, revelations of a startling character have been elicited from the various witnesses, causing great sensation and indignation. At the last sitting of the Court. Paine, who was present when the enquiry commenced, absented himself daring the morning, and as he had not re-appeared at the adjournment of the Court, the Coroner issued a warrant for his apprehension for contempt. It was not, however, eat noted, and Mr Lewis Paine appeared in due course, and occupied a seat by the side of his s licitor.  1 The witnesses 'examined confirmed the statements already published. , The Coroner, in summing up, said the-dcI ceased lady's mother by her will left the deceased considerable property, and left her sole executor to it. This property, together 1 with a small pension to be paid to her aa long as she remained single, amounted to. about £l5O per annum. Paine and the deceased went about, a good deal; and later on Col. McLean and his wife came to Broadway, Worcester, and the family were in March joined by Paine and the deceased, who represented that they had been married. In April, however, the mother died somewhat suddenly of apoplexy. On the 24th of August last Paine and the deceased came up to London to bid farewell to her brother, Dr. McLean,who, with his wife, was leaving for America. After that Paine and the deceased went to lodge for a time at Alexander-terrace, Westbourne Park. After that they went again to Broadway, Worcester, which appeared to have been their head-quarters till the commencement of November, when the  deceased was brought by Paine and Fanny Matthews to the coffee-house at Seymourplace. The Coroner then went through the various paints of the evidence. The jury then retired, and after a shoit absence returned a verdict of wilful murder against Lewis James Paine, and also a verdict of wilful murder against Fanny Matthews, as an accessory to the fact. _ _  Paine was then taken into custody. Fanny Matthews, a young woman about twenty-four, was also arrested. A painful scene ensued. The aged father of Fanny Matthews was in Court, and begged hard to be allowed to address a few observations to the Coroner on behalf of his daughter. The Coroner said that his danAiter no doubt would have a fair trial. The old man then, in a state of great excitement, suddenly turned round upon Paine, who was standing close by, and charged him with being the ruin of his daughter, and was about to strike him. The blow was prevented by the officers of the Court, and the woman was led into an adjoining room vowing she would tell all she knew, for she was not going to be hanged with put speaking.  Paine soon regained the self-poseesiion he, had displayed during the proceedings, and laughed freely when he was hearing his depositions read over. He had at first ex-pressed surprise at hearing that he would at once be conveyed to Newgate, but in the end readily assented to being searched by the police. His loobe money, amounting to about was given to his third wife, who was present throughout the enquiry. The prisoners were driven off in a cab, amidst shouts of execration from a large mob, manyof whom tried to seize Paine.