Star. — 1823-05-05 (London, England)

ARKE./ Esq. Deputy Coroner for London, on the body of Mr. T. Tate, late landlord of the Ship Tavern, Tower-street, London, a prisoner, whose death was stated to have been caused by violent blows given by a.fellow-prisoner. W. Smedley, a prisoner, sworn.—Witness was sitting at the table, in the ward where Mr. Tate usually sat, on the night of Monday se'nnight, and heard an altercation between the deceased and a young man named Barnstable; Mr. Latham, another prisoner, interfered on behalf of Barnstable, and in consequence, some words took place between the deceased and Mr. Latham. Smith, a tailor, who was present, forced the deceased down to his seat. Witness g“t up, and begged the deceased to sit still and -be quiet, And he did so. Mr. Latham said something offensive to the deceased, of which witness did not exactly catch the meaning, and the latter said to Latham— " It is a lie," or words to that effect. Mr. Latham, instantly came from his table to the deceased, and struck the deceased, with both hands clenched, as he was sitting at the table. The deceased received one blow on the face, and another on the head, and instantly dropped, apparently insensible, with his head upon the table. Witness jumped up, and said For Gon's sake, Mr. Latham, do not strike a man-when he is down, in such an unmanly inanner." Lathan took hold of the deceased by the collar, and shook him, and attempted to drag him out to tight, and said, " Hang him, ss by does he not come out, the coward, and fight like a man ?" The deceased's head was against the wall at the timie he received the blows, and instantly afterwards witness heard a noise in his throat, and found that he was incapable of speaking. His mouth was cut, and blood came from his mouth and nose, and in a few minutes his face was swelled as large as witness's fist, under the left eye. Examined by the Keeper of the Prison.— No application was made to the keeper for medical assistance for the deceased on the night of the accident. . Witness believes that both Latham and deceased were a little in liquor at the time of the quarrel. John Smith, George Watts, Joseph Walker, and Cevilsay, prisoners in the same ward, all confirmed the evidence of Smedley. Mr. Thomas Wadd, Surgeon, of Whitecross-street Prison, deposed, that the deceased had, in March last, complained of internal debility, and want of appetite, and witness had prescribed for him. On Tuesday week, the wife of the deceased,_and subsequently the deceased, had applied to him for an injury in the face, which was bruised, and there was a discolouration under the left eye. He applied leeches. In reply to questions from the Jurors, witness replied that a concussion of the brain, occasioned by external xiolence, such as a blow, might produce the effects which witness had described, in the head. Witness could not say that the violence which produced the injury on the deceased's face, had caused a concussion of the brain. The injury on the face was not so likely to cause his death, as the organic disease of the heart, and therefore, witness attributed his death to the greater apparent cause, viz. internal disease affecting the brain, which produced a fit, in which he expired, Mr. Arthur Lloyd, Surgeon, 4, Falcon-square, gave a description of the disease in the brain and heart of the deceased, similar to Mr. Wadd. Witness was of opinion, that a blow had caused some of the appearances on the brain. The CORONER said, that if the Jury were of opinion the death of the deceased was produced by the violent act of Latham, he having at the time a malicious intention to do the deceased some serious injury, the offence amounted to murder; but as the blows appeared to. have been given in consequence of sonic provocation on the Olt of the deceased, and in the heat of passion, and most probably without any such intention, then, though the death of the unfortunate person was caused by the blow, the offence did not amount to murder. The Surgeons had given it as their opinion that the death was accelerated by the blows; if they (the Jury) were of that opinion, the offence committed by Latham amounted to manslaughter. The Jury retired to consider their verdict, and, after some discussion, they returned a verdict of— " Manslaughter."