The Sun. — 1837-01-10 (London, England)

CHILD MURDER.—Yesterday evening an inquest was held at the Black Horse Tavern, High-street, Marylebone, before Mr. STIRLING and a respectable Jury, on view of the body of a fine new-born female infant, which was discovered in a sewer of a house in James-street, Oxford-street, the unfortunate little innocent having been murdered and placed there by the unnatural parent, or some other party. Several witnesses were examined, who proved the finding of the child, but could give no clue to the parent. Tile house is a lodging-house, full of lodgers. There are no single women residing in the house. It had not been of late observed that any female in the house appeared to be enciente. It also appeared that the sewer is in the backyard, and that persons can obtain ingress to it from the street without the knowledge of the inmates 'of the house. Mr. Edward Barnard, surgeon to Marylebone Infirmary, deposed that he had examined the body of the infant ; it was certainly a fine full-grown child. The umbilical cord had not been fastened, which neglect would occasion death, admitting the child had been born alive. The body did not exhibit marks of violence to account for death. Immersion in the soil immediately after the birth would occasion death. As a matter of opinion, witness thinks the child was born alive.  The CORONER said that no doubt the poor innocent infant had been thrown alive down the closet by some unnatural wretch, and that it had perished either from suffocation or exhaustion, from loss of blood, the cord not being tied. The Jury without hesitation returned a verdict of Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown." The parish intend offering a reward for the apprehension of the offender.  SUICIDE THROUGH DlSTRESS.—Yesterday evening an inquest was held at the White Hart in Bethnal Green-road, before Mr. BAKER, the Coroner, and a respectable Jury, on view of the body of Thomas Clarke, aged 45 years, who had hung himself on Saturday morning. Wom the evidence of a son of the deceased, a lad of 14 years of age, it appeared that the deceased had been in the employment of Messrs. Barker, warehousemen, of Wood-street, Cheapside, for eleven years, as carman or waggoner, and was discharged on Saturday week, as he alleged, for taking a pitch—namely, taking some goods belonging to other persons into his waggon as he went along, and receiving remuneration for it. He endeavoured to get other employment during the week, but being unsuccessful, and having a wife and six children dependent upon him for support, he exhibited symptoms of great uneasiness of mind upon Friday and Friday night, and on Saturday morning he was found suspended from a beam in a small wash-house.  Several of the jury expressed much surprise that the deceased, after so long a servitude as eleven years, should have been discharged for so trivial an offence.  A juror remarked that, in all probability, the reason for his discharge was different to that which they had heard. There had latterly been discovered a most extensive system of plunder carried on both by the carmen themselves, acid with their connivance.  The jury ultimately returned a verdict that the deceased had hung himself while labouring under temporary insanity. Nothing could exceed the wretchedness and misery in the residence of the deceased. There was scarcely a vestige of furniture in the place, and the wailings of his wife and unfortunate children were truly heart-rending. Another inquest was held before the same Coroner and jury, at the King and Queen, Hate-street, Bethnal-green, on the body of James Stephens, a broad silk-wearer, aged 43 years, which had been picked out of the Regent's Canal on Sunday morning. The deceased, it appeared, had latterly been afflicted with disease seas to be unable to do his work, and for some weeks past seemed in a very dejected state of mind. On Saturday evening he left his residence, and nothing more was heard of him until mid-day on Sunday, wben his body was brought in a shell to the workhouse. Verdict, " Found drowned."  During the past year no fewer than 1,065 packets entered and quitted the Port of Boulogne, with 55,512 passengers, being five times the number of the preccdin„ year, and much greater than the number of the vessels which entered and quitted Calais. This vast increase arises from the improvements made in the port of Boulogne, and also from the extraordinary cheapness of the fares between London and Boulogne, and from Dover to Boulogne.  A melancholy accident happened at Bordeaux on the 31st ult to M. Senegre, stock-broker. Wishing to unload his gun, he put his mouth to the muzzle. His leg having unfortunately touched the lock, the gun went off, and killed him on the spot. His young wife was present at the time.  The most active preparations, we uncle' stand, are in aking for the Grand Reform Dinner to be given at Drurylane Theatre on the 23d instant. It is expected that in a few days the number of stewards will not be much under 500, while the number of persons expected to sit down to dinner is estimated at from 1,2005t0 1,400, the latter being the greatest number the theatre will comfortably accommodate. We are also enabled to state that Reform. Members of Parliament from all parts of the country are daily intimating to the Committee their intention of being present on the occasion. We have reason to believe that some of the country Members who are not in the habit of speaking in the House of Commons, will address the assemblage on this occasion at considerable length, and that some very important declarations will be made as to the course which the Reform party ought to pursue in the existing circumstances of the country.