The Express. — 1847-07-27 (London, England)

INQUESTS, YESTERDAY.— AFFLICTING SUICIDE.— By Mr. Bedford, at St. George's Hospital, on the body of William Murch, aged 39. The deceased was foreman of carpenter in the employ of Mr. Wyatt, the architect. For several days past the deceased's manner was wild and di, • ordered ; on the 14M inst., on the return of the workmen from breakfast, the deceased was discovered at No. 31, Gloucester-square,lying across the doorway of a closet in the front hall, in a pool of blood, having inflicted a deep incision in his throat with a penknife, dividing the carotid artery and jugular vein. Ho was conveyed to the above hospital, and for several days he appeared going on favourably, but on the 22nd the waned burst out afresh, and he expired the same night from the loss of blood. Verdict —" Temporary Insanity." —NEGLECT Or w Stuotost.—By Mr. Payne, at the Vestry-hall, Tooley-street, Borough,on the body of Charlotte Walker, a child about 3 years old, late a pauper of St. John's Workhouse, liorsleydown. The investigation was adjourned front Saturday, in consequence of a charge of gross culpability sud negh.ct againat the surgeon who had attended the deceased.--Elizabeth Curtis said she lived inthe St. John's, Union, and, on Friday fortnight, a man in the workhouse, named Rose, brought in a gallon of hot-water in a tin can, when one of the female paupers, a child about .1 sears old filled a half-pint pot with some of the het-water and brought it to the deceased, who, in endeavouring to drink it, got it spilt over her chest. The deceased screamed, and was soon taken upstairs, and some fl nir was pat on the wound. Ellen Mahoney, the girl who brought the water, cried, and said it was not her intention to hurt deceased. The accident happened about one o'clock, and Mr. Pettigrew, the housesurgeon, was seat for, but he did not attend.—Mrs. Woodbine, matron to the Union, stated that Mr. Pettigrew was sent for, and came in the afternoon of the accident, but she could not say when he saw the child again. Jane Walker, mother of deceased, stated that she first called the attention or last witness to the state of deceased's mouth, the Sunday after the accident. It was then all in a blister, and the matron thea declared she would have the doctor to set the child, but he never came until the Wednesday, nor did she (witness) receive anything to apply to the mouth. Witness showed the ehiln's mouth to Mr. Pettigrew, and he said it would soon get better, though he remarked " What an awful state it was in." lie saw-the deceased a third time  on the succeeding Friday, when he gave a box of ointment; and be told witness the day after deceased's death, which took place on Thursday last, that he was never more surprised in his life than when he was informed the deceased , had expired.--Mr. W. H. Pettigrew stated that he bad seen I deceased on the 9th lost., when he noticed a superficial scald on the breast, and deceased did not appear at all depressed by it, and he understood it had been occasioned by hot water, bat did not look at the child's mouth. As soon as he heard of the bad symptoms, be had her removed to the sick ward, and she was then seen daily until her death. Death was the result of ulceration of the bowels. The shock to the nervous system was very slight indeed, and there were no symptoms of inflammation in the windpipe. The witness was here examined at great length in a scientific manner by the coroner, hut his answers gave but little satesfaction.—The coroner: flow came you to give a certificate to the registrar of deaths that this case was a "natural death ?" Were you not aware that a death from scalding could not be considered a natural death ? Witness: I was not aware that I was required to give any other certificate. Mr. Payne having summed up, the jury returned a verdict " that the deceased died from ulceration of the bowels, and they were of opinion that it would have been much more satisfactory if the medical man hail, instead of trusting to the accounts of other persons, attended the patient himself, and that he ought not to have given the certificate which he did to the registrar, as it was likely to have had the effect of defeating the ends of justice by preventing inquiry where perhaps it was essential to be made." Mr. Pettigrew was subsequently reprimanded by the coroner, and the proceedimp terminated.