The Sun. — 1855-01-09 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST.  Yesterday an inquest, which lasted for several hours, was held at the Belvidere Tavern, Nunhead, Peckham, before Mr. W. Carter, coroner for East Surrey, on the body of Wm. Lester, aged five years, son of Mr. Thos. Lester, of 27, Thornton-street, Horselydown. The cause of this inquiry, which has created much excitement in the locality, was a letter addressed by Mr. Payne, the City coroner, to Mr. Carter, coroner for East Surrey, to the effect that the deceased had been buried in Nunhead'Cemetery without an inquest, having died a violent death. Mr. Carter accordingly issued a notice to the churchwardens and overseers of the parish of Camberwell, and to the minister, secretary, and sexton of the ce. metery, to exhume the body. Mr. John Benstead, registrar of births and deaths for St. John, Horselydown, stated that he received a certificate signed by Mr. 'White, surgeon, that the deceased bad died from " scalds, effusion on the brain," &c. Mr. 'William 'White, of 'Horselydown, surgeon, deposed that he attended deceased for scalds on the chest and neck. Deceased 'progressed favourably for a week, when he expired from effusion on the brain and fever, which had existed since the scalds. His certificate was to the effect that deceased had " died from scalds and effusion on the brain."  The jury here, accompanied by the coroner, proceeded to the cemetery to view the body. On the return of the jury to the inquest room, The Qoroner asked whether the examination of Mrs. Lester ought not to be proeeeded with, as without that evidence the case could not be carried out ?  Mrs. Martha Lester, mother of deceased, stated that on the 25th November last, about a quarter to five in the swelling, she was sitting with her husband in their kitchen. There were three other children present, in addition to deceased, who was sitting on his father's knee near the fire. They were taking tea, and the witness poured out some boiling water from the kettle into a cup, which was held by Mr. Lester, for the purpose of making the tea weaker for deceased, when the latter suddenly threw his head back and turned over the cup, the scalding water from which ran down his neck and chest. Mr. White, the surgeon, was at once called to attend deceased, but he sank and expired on the 14th December.  Mary Ann Wright, of 50, Russell-street, Bermondsey, deposed that she had known Mr. and Mrs. Lester for 28 years. On the 25th November last she heard something had occurred to the deceased. On going to the house she found that the neck and chest of the child was much scalded.  Coroner—Do you think that the father of deceased, or the mother might have thrown the cup containing the hot water at one or the other, and in that act have scalded the child ? If that were the case, one or both would be guilty of murder or manslaughter. Witness said she of course could not give any positive answer to that question, but they lived very happily together, and she considered the whole entirely the result of accident.  This being the whole of the evidence, The Coroner said that there could not be the slightest doubt that deceased had died a violent death. The father of deceased had on several occasions rebuked the Registrar of the District for giving information of the cause of the child's death to Mr. Payne, the coroner for the city of London. He (the father), not satisfied with that, paid a second visit to the Registrar, who felt that from repeated applications he was bound to give information to the coroner of the district. Whatever means might be taken to evade the coroner's investigation, the facts must, sooner or later, become known to the authorities. The jury then returned a verdict of " Accidental death" the Coroner giving an order for the re•interment of the body.