The Nuneaton Times. — 1875-12-25 (Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England)

THE SUPPOSED MURDER IN SUSSEX.  shipped tin His.  last time from  Mr. Fullagar, coroner for East Sumer, has held an inquiry into the cause of the death of Sarah Ridley, a married woman, who was supposed to have been murdered at Ilarestield during the night of the 6th inst. From the evidence of Albert Fleet and John lienward, two young men, it now appeared, however, that deceased was at the Chequer's Inn, Mares&ld, in a drunken state, and they volunteered, at her request, to see her home. She was then in the stable of the inn, having been induced to go there, as she had lost a good deal of her clothing. The landlady's son had offered to let her stay there during the night, but as she expressed a strong wish to go home, they undertook the task of taking her thero. She rolled and tumbled about a good deal, and they had great difficulty to get her along at all. On reaching a stile near her house she refused to get over, and asked the young men to go and call up her husband. This they did, and alleged that the husband's reply to them was that she might lie and freeze. They did not return, but left her in the snow, where she was found by her kusband, who went in search of her. She died on the folloWing morning. Blr. Trentler, surgeon, of }latching, said he had made a poet-tem-tom examination at the request of deceased's relatives. There were several bruises on the body, but only such as might have been caused by the young men assisting her home in a helpless condition. The appearance of the body was consistent with death by cold and exposure. The jury returned a verdict of "Detth from exposure," strongly censuring Flee: and Kenward for their inhuman conduct in leaving the deceased exposed in such a manner in a helpless condition.  A special lecture has been delivered at the Society of Arta by Dr. B. W. Richardson, on "Industrial pathology, or the influence of certain injurious occu. potions on health and life." The lecturer begau by stating that there were seven active causes producing disease amongst the working classes: first, noxious inhalations of dust and gases; second, exposure to to soluble chemical substances; third, mechanical impact of foreign bodies; fourth, physical injuries from unnatural postures, &c.; fifth, exposure to damp or impure air ; sixth, contact with organic parasitic forms; and seventh, excess of muscular work, &o. Turning his attention in the first instance to the injury caused by the inhalation of various sorts of dust, Dr. Richardson said they had all heard of the growth of oidium on the vine, which growth was checked by the blowing of sulphur dust on the plant. This operation procured a peculiar disease, showing itself in inflammation of the eyiball and other still snore serious symptoms. Oitlium was a white parasitic fungus., and appeared nut only on the vine but also in the throats of persons suffering from diphtheria. Ammonia often proved injurious upon hatters. The vapour of turpentine produced a epecific form of disease, and was more injurious to house-painters than the lead to which their peculiar complaints were commonly attributed. Sulphide of carbon was useful as an anaesthetic agent, but produced disease and insanity when inhaled for any time by men who used it in their occupations. The fumes of nitric acid affected furriers deleteriously. The vapour of chlorine affected bleachers injuriously at first, but on continued use became innocuous. Analine produced two distinct forms of disease, one neuralgia, the other -ulceration, and when the inhalation resulted in death the flesh we found to be of an analine or mauve colour. N.Lro-benxine vapour produced headache, and the • pours of metals caused various diseases of the lungs, brain, and stomach. The remainder of the lecture went to show that apoplexy, paralysis, insanity, and various other serious diseases were producible in artisans by contact with injurious substances and vapours, especially that of lead, which affected not only the working man using it, but also his offspring. Cleanliness and care would greatly mitigate this mischief; but still the startling fact remained that amongst those workmen who were exp( sed to the vapours of lead, the deaths were 38 per cent. in excess of the ordinary mortality. At the conclusion of the lecture, the chairman announced that the next lecture would be delivered on the 21st January.