The Sun. — 1824-06-05 (London, England)

RECEIVE DEAD BODIES. At eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, an Inquest was held before THOMAS STERLING, Esq. at the Queen's Head, Lower Road, Islington, on the body of a female, name unknown, who was found drowned in the Regent's Canal. On a verdict to that effect being returned, one of the Jury rose, and said he was deputed by several of the Jurors to ask the Coroner whether the owner or holder of a public-house, next the place where the body of a dead person was found, was compelled to receive the same until the Inquest was held ? Mr. STIRLING was unwilling to answer the question; but, upon being pressed, he said a publican could not be compelled to receive the corpse of a suicide, a casualty, a murdered person, or way laid traveller, into his house. But if a quarrel occurred in the house and ended fatally, then he was bound to keep the body until an Inquest was held. Bodies, to be owned, should be placed in the nearest church or church vault; but a publican refusing to receive the dead body, is liable to lose his license, the whole of his conduct being under the controul of the Magistracy, who have such power in very gross cases ; and it was a question yet to be decided, whether the act of refusing to receive the dead body would not be defeating the ends of justice, and thereby subject the publican to punishment in many ways. Publicans generally imagined that they were bound to receive dead bodies, and with a view of being relieved from that unpleasant task, they put the question to the Coroner. It is imagined they receive some benefit on having an inquest holden at their house ; but we are informed, that the present is not the only instance where publicans have had cause to complain on such occasions.  Yesterday an Inquest was held in the Committee-room of Rotherhithe Parish, before C. JEMMETT, Esq., on a male new-born infant, whose body was placed in a basket, and sent from town in the Deptford stage-coach, directed to Mr. Stevens, a baker, residing near Millpond-bridge. The following evidence was adduced : • Elizabeth Turner, the first witness examined, deposed as follows :-1 am housekeeper to Mr. Stevens. On Wednesday forenoon, about half-past 12 o'clock, I received a basket by the Deptford stage-coach, directed for Mr. Stevens, baker, near Millpond-bridge, Rotherhithe, and fastened to the handle of the basket. Mr. Stevens not being at home, the basket remained in the shop until about one o'clock, when he came home. Soon after, the basket was taken into the kitchen by Mr. Stevens's niece, who proceeded to open it, observing, " that it was a present of a goose to her uncle." After the niece had entered with the basket, I went over and took a parcel out of it ; and, on my proceeding to open it, I was shocked on beholding the head and side of the face of a new-born infant, which was pinned up in a napkin. The witness added, that on opening the parcel, he discovered a piece of paper inside, with these words wrote on it— " Bury, bury the deed." Coroner.—Did the child seem to have been dead any length of time P_Witness. It had not the appearance of being dead many hours; its face and arms were quite red ; but I was so alarmed that I did not minutely examine it. Georginia Anindale, Mr. Steven's niece, deposed, that she saw the parcel taken in on the day stated. She removed the basket at her uncle's request from the shop into the kitchen, where she proceeded to open it, and found a napkin, with something pinned up in it, which she at first imagined was a present of a goose for her uncle. She took the napkin out of the basket and laid it on the dresser, from whence it was taken into the bakehouse by the housekeeper, who, to her surprise, upon examining it, found it to contain the body of a child. Coroner.—Did the coachman say where he brought the parcel from ? Mrs. Turner replied, that the coachman said he had brought it from the Elephant and Castle. Charles Fisher, book-keeper at Mrs. Fisher's, the Elephant and Castle, deposed, that on Tuesday night a packet, directed for Mr. Stevens, baker, Millpond-bridge, was taken into their office, and delivered over to Mr. Barry's coachman, on Wednesday morning, to deliver to Mr. Stevens. In reply to a question by the Jury, the witness said, that he had no recollection whatever of the person who left the basket; whether it was a male or female, he could not say, in consequence of the great number of parcels which were left there in the course of the day. Samuel Sone, the coachman who delivered the parcel at Mr. Stevens's, deposed, that the parcel was given to him at the time mentioned by the last witness, and delivered at Mr. Stevens's. C. Jackson, a surgeon, deposed, that on 'Wednesday afternoon he was sent for to the workhouse, when he examined the body of the child. The navel-string had the appearance of being recently tied, and on the fore part of the throat there were evident marks of discolouration. He then proceeded to open the body, and on dissecting the back integuments covering the fore part of the throat, he found the right jugular vein distended, as if some obstruction had been offered to the return of the blood. The lungs had a healthy appearance, and appeared as if they had breathed atmospheric air. The lungs were put into water, and floated, which depicted that the child was born alive. Coroner.—Might not the child have died immediately on its coming into the world ? Witness.—My supposition is, that the marks of violence which I discovered on the body were the cause of its death. If the child had died at its birth, the lungs would not have assumed the healthy appearance which they did. The Jury retired about 10 minutes, and brought in the following verdict :—" That the child was horn alive, hut how or in what manner it came by its death they had not sufficient evidence before them to prove."