The Express. — 1866-04-30 (London, England)

KING'S COUNTY.  The committee resumed-their inquiry to-day, at 11 o'clock ,• Mr. Stephen Cave presiding. The other members were Mr. Gore Langton, Mr. R. W. T. Hamilton, Mr. Townley Mitford, aril Mr. John Abel Smith. Counsel for the petitioner: Mr. Longfield, Q.C., Mr. Cooke, Q.C., and Mr. O'Hara. Counsel for the sitting member (Sir Patrick O'Brien) : Mr. O'Malley, Q.C., Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. Coffey, Q.C., Mr. Biron, and Mr. J. W. Gray. The following additional evidence was given in support of the petition : Jas. Jackson, who acted as poll-clerk in the barony of Ballybut, stated that Thos. Ryan, whose name appeared at the end of a page, voted for King and Hennessy. (His vote was not included in the total of figures opposite his name, being the total of the column.) ('rose-examined—l know how he voted by the total. The deputy-sheriff crossed out the vote of Mr. Wallace, because he had voted before. There is a Wm. Wallace on page 9. I could not swear he is the same man. A Wm. Wallace came in and he did not belong to the booth at all. That was found out after his name was written down and the deputy sheriff struck out the name. Ido nut know whether the correction was struck out before the list was made or not. It was made before, I think. lam certain of it. I cannot tell when I made the list. It might have been when the poll was closed. I think it was after. [Left sitting.]  FOUND DROWNED IN THE THAMES.  INQUEST.-(THIS DAY.)  -- This morning an inquiry was held at the Essex Head, Essex-street, Strand, by Mr. W. J. Payne, the coroner for the Duchy of Lancaster, touching the death of a woman whose name was unknown. John Morrissy, Thames police-constable, No. 2, said that on last Friday morning he was on board the Royalist, the Thames police-station, near the Temple-pier. He saw the body of a woman floating in the river, and he got a boat and towed it ashore. She was a woman of above 25 years of age, and the only clothes she had on were a black alpaca dress and white petticoat, and a pair of leather boots and white stockings. From her appearance witness thought that she was a married woman and the wife of a river bargeman. She wore a gold ring. Every inquiry had been made by the police, but no clue could be obtained as to her identity. Dr. John Walsh said that the deceased had not been dead more than five days when she was found in the river. The cause of her death was drowning. There was a mark under her left eye, as if she had received a blow before she had fallen into the water. That blow might have been received by the deceased striking her head against some hard substance whilst leaping from a bridge into the river. Witness believed that the deceased was not a female of the lower class of society, but that she had moved amongst the respectable classes. Her hair was done up in the fashionable style, and she bad a very ladylike appearance and her skin was remarkably white. She had on her finger • gold keeper ring. She had been a mother. _ . .  Joseph White, coroner's officer, said that the friends of two young women, who had been missed in London within the last week, bad called to view the deceased's body. One party stated that on Tuesday evening a young woman, named Elizabeth Helston, living in Bethnaloven, ran down the steps on the city side of London-bridge and leaped into the water ; before she could be rescued the tide carried her away, and she waa drowned. When shown the body of the deceased, he said that she was not his friend. The friends of the other young woman who was missing also failed to identify the deceased.  A juror said that the deceased had evidently committed suicide by leaping from one of the bridges. The Coroner said that as there was no legal evidence as to how the deceased woman became drowned, the jury must return an open verdict. The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased female, unknown, was found drowned in the Thames, but under what circumstances she came by her death there was no evidence to show." 

Article type: Incident