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* ment, and held a consultation on the s...
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Sfje £&etropoti&i
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Health of London during the Week.—It is ...
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Stie «romncc£.
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Hush's Pistol.—A man who give3 a real na...
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'£(otianti. '
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The Attempt to teach the Highlanders to ...
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ireiattt.
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'" Dublin, Fiuday.—State op the Souin ax...
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DISASTROUS FIRES. On Saturday last, abou...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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* Ment, And Held A Consultation On The S...
May 19 , 1849 , A THE ; r \ O RTHX' ¦ K , _- " ' i inn y ¦ - _iTJ 0 _. . I _t
Sfje £&Etropoti&I
_Sfje £ & etropoti & i
Health Of London During The Week.—It Is ...
Health of London during the Week . —It is satisfactory to observe that the last return indicates a continued tendency in the public health to improve Thc deaths registered in the week -were 5 S less than the average , the numbers having gradually fallen daring four successive weeks from tlie middle of April , when thev were respectively 1 , 089 , lfiob , _9 S 6 , and in the last week 905 . This result is obtained , notwithstanding recent lowness of temperature , -which in last week was considerahly under the _average of seven years , though it had been much above "!*; _during great part of that immediately _precedinir . The deaths from zymotic or epidemic diseases , in thc _aggregate , were 20 G , and exceeded the average bS " ; in the two preceding weeks they
y ¦ were 233 and 218 . Of the diseases in this class , -which sometimes prevail extensively , small-pox and -typhus continue to be fatal to a less number of persons than usual ; diarrhoea and dysentery are fatal to 13 , or 1 less than the average , showmga decrease on the preceding four weeks ; cholera to 3 , or only 2 more than the average ; measles , which increases a little to 33 , or 12 in excess of thc average ; and scarlatina , which continues to decline , to 40 , or 8 in excess . ' The mortality from bronchitis and pneumonia falls , and now only exceeds the average to an incon siderable extent ; that from phthisis is in less amount than usual . No death was recorded from
influenza . The deaths of two men , one 6 S and the other 71 years of age , are described as the result of intemperance , which produced in one case typhoid fever , and in the other delirium tremens . A man of 33 years died of " apoplexy , succeeding great cerebral excitement . " The mean hei g ht of the barometer during the -week was 29 _* S 35 in . . ; the mean daily height was above 30 in . on Saturday only . The mean daily temperature , -which was 50 deg . . 7 on Sunday , continuously fell to 42 deg . . 2 on Thursday ; on . Friday and Saturday it rose to about 47 deg . The mean of thc week was 45 deg . 5 min . It was 0 deg . . 7 below the average of the corresponding week of seven years .
Dreadful Occurrence . —On Wednesday aftersoon , about three o ' clock , a dreadful occurrence took place at a house in Shire-lane , near Templebar . It appears a young woman took a lodging there on Tuesday night , stating she had left her situation in Golden-square . On "Wednesday afternoon she went out for a short time , and when she returned was watched in by two women , who shortly afterwards , accompanied by a City policeman , _entered the house , and proceeded upstairs to the room of this unfortunate girl . 2 fo sooner had they entered the room than she sprang from the -window , and fell a distance of forty feet into a back yard , fracturing the back part of her skull in a dreadful manner . She was conveyed to King ' s College Hospital , hut there is no hope of her recovery . She is said to have a great quantity of property in her possession .
inquests . The Fire is Portland-place . — On Saturday , before Mr . JL M . _AYakley , at Middlesex Hospital , ou the body of Edward Jenner , Mr . Hill's coachman , who died in the hospital on the 9 th inst , from the injuries he had received at the above fire . The nurses who attended thc unfortunate man stated that he was dreadfully burned about the face and head , and that the flesh about his hands and arms was so burned that it hung down in shreds . Hc was sensible when admitted , and stated that be came home with the carriage about half-past twelve
o ' clock on the previous night , and put it in without a light . "When he discovered the fire he got two of the horses out , and was trying to remove thc other when he became exhausted and feU down . He could not . account for the fire , but some of the young gentlemen had been smoking in the mews near the place , and hc supposed they must have caused the fire . —Policeman Clark , who took" deceased out of thc stable , and sent him in a cab to thc hospital , also saw him bring the carriage home . Die was quite sober , and there was at that time no sism of fire—Verdict "Accidental Death . "
The Boirr of a Gestvessas pound ix the SekrtsriKE . —Ou Tuesday , before Mr . Bedford , at the Hose and Crown , High-street , luiightsbridge , on the body of a gentleman name unknown , apparently about fifty years of age , who was found drowned in the Serpentine . It appeared from the evidence of a labourer named Golcker , that about ten minutes before five o ' clock on Sunday morning last , hc was on the south bank ofthe Serpentine , when he suddenly saw the arm of a man in the water . On going jieir the spot , he discovered the deceased lying upon Ms right side , about fourteen feet from the shore . He gave an alarm , and a boat was sent from the Humane Society ' s receiving house . The deceased
was conveyed on shore , and a surgeon was sent for , who pronounced life to be quite extinct . The deceased was respectably attired , his hat was on his bead , and his legs were tightly fastened together by three silk handk ~ ei'eliicfs . _~ The clothes of the dcccased were searched , but nothing was _fo-.: nd upon bis person , with the exception of a pencil case full of steel peus . Mr . Cluster , a surgeon , said hc had made apost mortem examination of the body , and from the appearances hc found in the brain , ho had no doubt that the deceased had been labouring under an aberration of mind for some time past . —The coroner observed that there was no moral doubt that the deceased had destroyed himself ; but , in the absence of any positive evidence , it was
advisable to return an open verdict . —The jury accordingly returned a verdict of " Found drowned . " The _a-ite Steam Boiler Exriosiox ix Back _CuEitcii-LANu . —Before Mr . Baker , at the Red Lion , Batty-strcct , Commercial-road , East , on the body of James Holt , aged eighty , one of the persons who were injured by the disastrous explosion which occurred at the sawmills belonging to Mr . Keys , Back _Church-iane , St George ' s in the East . A great number of witnesses were examined , who proved wliat lias already appeared in this journal , aud the inquest was eventually adjourned for Mr . Braithwaite , the eminent engineer , to examine the boiler , aud make his report as to the probable cause ofthe explosion .
Suicide . —At thc Elephant and Castle , St . Pancras-road , on Wednesday , before Mr . H . M . Wakley , on the body of Frederick B . Murrell , aged 53 , late captain in the 6 th regiment of foot . It appeared that thc deceased had resided , since the 30 th of last month , at a coffee-house , No . 77 , Waterloo-road , and had been in a very nervous and excited state , attributed by those who knew something of his af--fnirs to the loss of £ 1 , 600 by the failure of the Nottingham Bank . He left his residence at seven o ' clock on Thursday evening last , and at twelve o ' clock was found in the Itegent ' s Canal , at Battlebridge . What led to his discovery was the report ofa pistol , heard at the adjacent lock-house . The lock-kceper _' theu went to the bridge , and on the iowiii < r-nath under it found two pistols , one of which
was loaded . The deceased was soon after discovered in the river , quite dead , aud an examination ofthe body disclosed a wound from the left breast through to the back , evidently the pcfora tion ofa pistol ball . It was supposed that the deceased shot Mmself while standing on the hank ofthe canal . The next morniug Mr . Gould , his landlord , received the following letter , which had been posted the previous night at Battlc-hridgc : — "Mr . Gould , — -When you receive this I shall have ceased to exist . A pistol will have put an end to all my troubles , wiiich have of late caused me much misery and wretchedness ; indeed , to the extent that no other
remedy was left me but to commit a dreadful deed , whieh I hope thc Almi ghty will pardon , and have mercy on my soul . The things I have left at your house will , I trust , sufficiently compensate you for the nine or ten weeks' board and lod ging I had of you . Whenever you again see Miss , toll her I felt very much pained at her not writing a line In answer to my last letters ; also tell her my last thoughts and wishes were for her well-being and happiness . _Xow , farewell , & c . —F . M . "—The jury xetimied a verdict "That the deceased shot himself , but in what state of mind there was not sufficient evidence to show . "
Stie «Romncc£.
_Stie « romncc _£ .
Hush's Pistol.—A Man Who Give3 A Real Na...
Hush ' s Pistol . —A man who give 3 a real name and address , writes to us as follows : — " On Sunday , May 6 , passing through a field near Potash Farm , I found a large double-barrelled pistol , bedded in the ground , with 'J . B . Rush * engraved on the guard over the trigger , and a bunch of skeleton kevs . Tou can mention this circumstance in your paper if you think proper . " Of course we cannot say whether the above is a hoax , or a serious matter of fact ; hut we have put it in train for investigation . —Nor folk C / iranick . The Murdfji xeab BnocKtESBr . —The jury in this case returned an open verdict , on Monday week •—"That the deceased , Catherine Farrow was murdered by some person or persons unknown . " The prisoner was examined at the Justice-room at - . vrawi-y , and was committed for trial on a charge of stealing a fir-bill and an axe .
_BoHBERYASn TRANSFER OF THE PxUKDER TO AS _isnocext Person . —A young man named Charles Mackenzie , a jeweller , of Broad-street , Biriningham ,-was _charged with stealing £ 0 in silver , contained in a packet , from the person of Mi ' . Thomas Tonks , merchant , of Regent-parade , Carolinestreet , in tbat town , under the following circumstances : —On Saturday last Mr . Tonks went to the Birmingham Bank , and got a £ 50 cheque cashed , _leaving £ 5 in silver wrapped up in a packet , which he put into his coat pocket hehind . After this newentto
S pooner and Attwood ' s bank , for the purpose of getting another cheque cashed . Ontheway _-f-o the litter establishment he passed the prisoner , who had a Scotch plaid on his arm , and who repassed hun . _IVhilehe ( Mr . Tonks ) was standing at the counter at Spoonerand Attwood ' s hank , which wasa bcmtanunute ' afterhe got there , he felt a movement behind him at his coat pocket , and that ltbDcame lighter ; he immediately _iurned round , and saw the prisoner open the bank door for thepurjose of going out ] He namediately cbas _^ himInto
Hush's Pistol.—A Man Who Give3 A Real Na...
Worcester-street to the corner : of . Phillip-street , where he cried out" stop thief , " and as Mr . Thomas Berks , landlord ofthe White Horse , Creat Colcmore-street , was coming out of the Marketball , he caught the prisoner and held him until Mr . Tonks came up . Mr . T . then told thc . prisoner to hand out that £ 5 of which he had robbed him , but the prisoner denied thc charge , on wliich he was taken to a fruit shop and searched , but the money was not found upon him . While in the fruit shop Mr . Berks suddenly felt one of his pockets much heavier than he could account for , and , on putting his hand into it , pulled out the money-packet of which Mr . Tonks had been robbed . No one but the prisoner could have put the packet into his pocket , and it was supposed to have been placed there during the struggle between him and the prisoner in _Phulip-strcctT The prisoner was committed for trial .
Incendiarism . —On Saturday last a fire broke out upon the premises of Mr . Hoiioway at Bosham , about three miles from Chichester . The whole of the farm buildings , excepting the house , were soon one mass of ruins . The property belongs to the Hon . Captain T . II .. F . Berkeley , and is insured . "When the fire was at its height , a labourer named J . Bechcr stood quietly looking on , frequently making remarks how well it burnt ; and finding he rendered no assistance , the suspicions of Mi * . Holloway were aroused , and he was charged with wilfully setting fire to the premises—which he readily admitted having done . It appears that prisoner has a wife and five children to maintain . On the
previous Monday he had applied at the Westbournc Union for out-door relief , which was refused , and the guardians recommended him to emigrate ; he replied that he would , but when he did it should he for some purpose . Hc had latterly been to work on the roads , and his pay was 10 s per week . On the day ofthe fire he was reduced ls . by Mi \ Hoiioway , that is the supposed cause of his vindictive act . The prisoner was taken into Chichester during the afternoon , and underwent a short examination at tho county magistrates' otBce hefore Colonel Kotton , but owing to the absence of the witnesses he was remanded . Whilst undergoing his examination he said , " I don't care what you do with me , gentlemen , as long as you don't hang me . "
Serioos Accident on t . iie . _NoRin Kent Railwat . —On Saturday last a serious accident took place on the line of the _Xorth Kent Railway , whereby several men received very extensive injuries , and one of them , named George Brown , is not expected to survive . It appears that for some time past a large number of workmen have been engaged in . forming a tunnel , near the White Horse Inn , Charlton , Kent , and on Saturday morning , about 11 o ' clock , several ofthe labourers were at work at the east-end ofthe tunnel , when an immense body of earth fell upon them , burying them beneath its
weight . An alarm was instantly _^ raised , and the men were soon released , from their perilous situation , but not before they were shockingly injured , and one of them so much mutilated that very faint hopes avc given of his life . This man , whose name is G . Brown , had both legs fractured , his arm also was broken , and he received various contusions on the upper part of his person . A surgeon was called to the unfortunate men , and those who were slightly injured were removed to their homes , but the poor man Brown was taken to Guy ' s Hospital , where he now lies in a very precarious condition .
The Alleged Poisonings at Bath . —At-the coroner ' s inquest on the body of Harris ' s last wife , the jury returned a verdict , " That the deceased died from inflammation ofthe stomach and bowels , hut what produced the inflammation * there was no evidence to show . " The sutposed Murderer , John Gleeson Wilson . —This individual , it is known , is iii custody at Kirkdale for having murdered Mrs . Henrichson , of Iieveson-street , her two children , and servant maid . Since his committal for trial his conduct generally has been peaceable in prison . Last week , however , one of the keepers took him out into _theyirrdto have a walk . As they were walking the prisoner observed some hammers left by labourers who had been working in the yard , upon which hc made a
rush and seized one of them . The keeper instantly followed , grasped him bythe back , and held him fast : but the fellow began to kick , strike , and bite , and was in- the act of overpowering the keeper , when two of the prisoners came _ fortunately to his assistance . The three with difficulty restrained Wm until further help came , and , on being secured , he lamented much that he had not a knife , saying that if he had had one he would have ripped them open . He was then manacled , npon which he stated that he would not cat anything for three days . He kept this extraordinary resolve , and for three days never tasted food . On the fourth day , however , he demanded his victuals , and on the usual allowance being brought to him he demanded the arrears , and that thc three days' supply should hc given to him at once . —Liverpool Journal .
Caution to Tradesmen . — On Friday , the 11 th inst ., a man who gave his name as Henry Poole , of Derby , fell into the hands of thc police of Leeds , and was taken to the Court-house there , having been found drunk in the street . On searching liis person , sixteen sovereigns and other monies besides six watches , and duplicates for nine other watches , were discovered . From papers found upon him , and inquiries that have been made in consequence , it appears that the man has obtained the watches from various tradesmen in Coventry and other places ; but , as there was no evidence to show that there had been any false misrepresentations on liis part ' , thc magistrates of Leeds discharged thc man from custody on Tuesday , intimating that as he had improperly [ obtained credit for them , they regretted that it was out of then- power to punish him .
THE MURDERS BY _POISOXDTG IN SUSSEX . Hastings . Monday . —This morning at ten o ' clock , Mr . Kell , coroner for the jurisdiction of tho rape of Hastings , resumed an inquiry at the "White Hart inn , Guestling , touching thc deaths of Richard Geering , aged 56 , and his two sons , George Geering , aged 21 , and James Geering , aged 20 , " who died from the effects of poison , alleged to have been administered to them hy Mary Ann Geering , the wife and mother who is in _custody at thc gaol of this town awaiting the result of the investigation .
As has already been briefly noticed , the suspicious illness of Benjamin Geering , the son , who survived several almost fatal doses of poison , and for the attempt on whose life the mother ( Mary Ann Geering ) has undergone several examinations before the county magistrates , gave rise to the belief that the deceased father and two sons had died from some unfair means . Their remains , which had been interred in the village churchyard , were exhumed , and , as was proved by the report ofthe analysis of the contents of their several stomachs , then * deaths discovered to be the result of poison .
The deceased father and sons , as also the son who overcame the influence ofthe poison , were members of a society calied the Guestling Benefit Society , held at this house . While the inquest was proceeding this morning the prisoner Mary Ann Geering underwent another examination at the Town-hall , when Professor Taylor , the eminent analytical chemist ' of Guy ' s nospital , deposed to arsenic being in the fluid which the lad Benjamin Geering discharged . The poor fellow had a very narrow escape . In two ounces of tbe fluid about half a erain of arsenic was discovered . Thc prisoner was again remanded by the magistrate . On the coroner ' s jury re-assembling George Hawkins was called and examined—I
Knew thc deceased , Richard Geering . On thc loth of last September , I measured the deceased for his coffin , which was made in my shop . I and my son took the coffin to his house , and placed his body therein . The widow of tho deceased proposed that the body should be screwed down tben . It was not a very good corpse . I told her I thought it was hetter not to screw the coftm down then , and that we mi ght be sent for when it was required . Judith Vexess was next called . —I knew the deceased , Richard Geering . I assisted the widow in laying the body out . He died on Wednesday , thc 13 th of September . . I saw the body placed in the coffin on Thursday nigbt or Friday morning . George Hawkins , the younger , screwed it down on the Friday . On the _foliowinsr Sundav the funeral took
place . I accompanied the body to Guestling churchyard . The corpse was very black and much decayed , and the skin came off the back of his neck as it was placed in thc coffin . Iwas sent for by the widow of the deceased to lay the body out . Iliad not before heard of his being unwell . The head and chin were bound with a handkerchief when I got at the house . I asked the widow how long the deceased had been unwell .- She . - ' said , - ' " - "Not alon " time . " __ I asked her , " What had been the matter with him ? " She said , "Something the matter with his heart . It was a famil y complaint . " Four years ago I lived in the adjoining house . The deceased , Richard Geering , and his wife frequently disagreed , and I have heard her say to him several times , "I wish you were dead—you are only a trouble to me . " After his death she said she was very sorry he was taken so quick . _——ujiiuuu ui lire mai _nibuuaa
_„„„ .. _, auu , some confirmatory evidence as to _thie _screwing'down ofthe coffin , the depositing of the corpse in the grave , and its exhumation . Mr . J . Lucas Pocock , surgeon , of Winchelsea , was then examined . —Some time in the month of September last , I attended the deceased Richard Geering at the house at Guestling , On my first visit I saw the deceased . and his wife . He complained of chills , fever , cough , difficulty and __ pain" of breathing , sickness , pain in the" abdomen , and sweating . His wife told me that he - had been ailing some months , and had only given up work a day or two before I saw him . He was in'bed then : He had some pills consisting of blue pill and colocynth . He had some mixture consisting of sulphuric acid ; epsonr * salts , sulphate of quinine , and peppermint water . " He had medicine only once , - and I believe I treated hun as for an intermittent fever . - _recalled at the house a second tune two days- after ; - J ¦ saw liis wife * , who
Hush's Pistol.—A Man Who Give3 A Real Na...
mformcd . meher . husband was dead , that he died about two hours before I called . I expressed my surprise , dnd sdme conversation took place which induced me to think I had mistaken the symptoms of the case , and she stated that other members of the family had died suddenly in the way her husband had . She described an increase of the difficulty of breathing and the cough , and I concluded from what she described as his symptoms that he must have died from an affection of the heart . I formed that conclusive opinion from what she described _.-rr-By the Coroner : I afterwards gave to the Registrar of Births and Deaths a ceitificate as follows : —" Medical certificate of the cause of death , —Name , Richard Geering : aged fifty-six last birthdav . Was attended
by me , and died on the 13 th day of September , 1848 . Cause of death—primary disease , hypertrophy of heart ; secondary disease , an inflammation of the pericardium . " The medical certificate produced is that signed b y me . When I delivered the certificate the Christian name was" not filled up by me . I was in thc parish churchyard on the 26 th of April last , and was presentat the post mortem examination of the body made by Mi * . Ticehurst . There wore vague appearances on the surface of the body , denoting the presence'of arsenic , and I observed appearance of disease in the left lung sufficient to account for death . On the day preceding the examination of the body I deemed it fit that an inquiry should take place . before the coroner respcctiu < - ; the cause of
death of deceased and his two sons . I did not see the body after death , on my way to see him the second time . When I got to his house his widow told me that he had been dead two hours . I was surprised to hear of his death . I did not see any of the vomit which came from the deceased . Hc complained of thirst . I have no recollection of attendinw him before . , Jons Sindon , labourer , of Guestling , called : I knew the deceased . I was working with him turniphoeing on the Monday and Tuesday before his death . It was about a week or eight days before his death . On tho Tuesday after eating his dinner he was very sick . He vomited his dinner . I asked him if he would have some beer . He said he would
have some water . I got him some , and he drank . He was sick and threw the water up . In the course ofa short time he drank again : that remained on his stomach . He was not sick afterwards . * He had a little beer for dinner , and he thought that made him sick . —By the Coroner : He brought his dinner with him from his house in the morning . Mr . Frederick Ticehurst , surgeon , of Hastings , was next examined : On the 26 th of April I assisted in making a post mortem examination ofthe body of the deceased Richard Geering . I took out the liver , intestines , stomach , heart , and lungs , placed them in ajar duly sealed and marked , and forwarded them to Professor Taylor , of Guy ' s Hospital , London , for analysation . The upper part ofthe body
was much decomposed . Therextcrn . il part ; ot the abdomen was in a good state of preservation and ofa light brown colour . On opening tho abdomen there were no marks of decomposition in the . intestines . The smaller intestines in places were of a pink colour in patches . They were of a peculiarly pink colour . . The pericardium and heart were apparently-healthy . —Coroner : From what you saw can you form any opinion as to the cause of death?—Witness : From the appearances I saw I should say that he died of inflammation ofthe bowels , but from what cause I am unable to state . —Coroner : Have you had any conversation with the widow as tothe symptoms of thc deceased?—Witness : Yes . On my seeing Bcniamin Geering , son ot the
deceased , as requested by the widow , Itook down what his symptoms were . She said his symptoms were thc same as those of his father and brothers . Benjamin Geering said , "Myfather and both brothers were first taken like me , - and vomited just the same kind of stuff . The widow added , " They all complained of parched throats , everything . that went down came back . " I took down what she said , and I read it over to her .- She said it wa-J all ri ght . The lad said , '" The first Sunday morning I was took I was as well as ever till I drank down a cup of tea , and then ii \ about fivo minutes I was taken sick as death , and was had all day . I folt a great boat in my throat at the time . I was purged , and I sent for thc doctor . He saw me on
Monday , and said hc did not know what to do for me . Hc sent mc four pills and I got somewhat better . On Saturday , the 21 st of April , I was . again taken sick after dinner , and I throw-up somo green stuff , and I continued to feci sick . I have now a burning heat . " I took this statement on the 24 th of ApnJ , and on reading it over the widow said it was all right . The symptoms were so suspicious as to induce me to ask her whether she had any poison in the house . She said she had not any poison in the house for more than a year . She used to keep the stuff when she was troubled with mice . —Coroner : When did Mrs . Geering first communicate the symptoms to you ? Witness : On tho 11 th of April I met- Mrs . Geering in the street , who wished mc to attend her son Benjamin . She said ho was attacked just like her husband and two sons . She asked mc
to call and see him the first time I was going to Guestling . The vomit which 1 found under hi 3 bed I tested , and found it to contain arsenic . 'Mr . Alfred Swaike . Taylor , of 3 , Cambridgeplace , Regcnt ' s-park , London , Professor of Chemistry at Guy's Hospital , was next called and examined , and read a most elaborate report describing the symptons he discovered upon an examination oi the internal organs of the elder deceased ( Richard Geering ) , from which he arrived at tho conclusion that tlie deceased Richard Geering died from the effects of arsenic . Mr . Taylor then deposed to his analysis in the case of the deceased , George Geering , from which he said it is my belief , based on the examination of more than 10 ( 1 bodies , that the
deceased George Geering died from irritant poison . — Mr . Taylor next gave a very elaborate report as to thc result ofhis communication and analysis of tho stomach , contents , Ac , of James Geering ; and here arsenic was traced to liave produced death . Mr . J . Pocock , the surgeon , of Winchelsea , was examined in respect to the death of thc sons James and George Geering . He said—I attended thc deceased George when ho resided with his mother at Guestling . lie complained of pain and tenderness over the region ofthe stomach , liver , and generally over the abdomen . He vomited continuall y many hours . About the middle of his illness lie had an
extraordinary sweating , and towards the close vomited matter of a greenish colour ; afterwards of a brownish cast . I certified liis cause of death-Primary disease , pericarditis , duration six weeks ; secondary disease , continued _fcvoi _' , duration 'three weeks . I attended James Geering in his illness . I cannot say when I first attended him . —Coroner : Do you recollect making a certificate as to the cause of death— "Witness : Yes . —The coroner produced one , and asked the witness if it was thc same ?—Witness said it was . The cause of death therein described was ofthe same speculative character as in the caso of the father and brother George .
TUESDAY . . The proceedings being duly opened this morning , Benjamin Geering , the son who survived tho dose of _rohson administered to him , was called and examined . He appeared in a weak state . He said , I lived at Guestling with my mother for the last twelve months ; M y father died on thc 13 th of September last . His name was Richard . He died at his own house . lie was ill from the Friday night to Wednesday . There were living at home , my mother , James , Alban , George , Edwin , Mary Ann Andrew , Peter , and myself . My brother William , who is married , was living away in the village . My father was first taken with sickness . I do not know if he had pain and thirst . My mother nursed him . I did not think he was dangerously ill . Mr . Pocock
attended him once after he was taken ill . My brother George died on the 27 th of December . He was first seized with sickness . Hc was ill a month and some three or four days . Mr . Pocock attended him . James died on the Cth of March . —Coroner Did your father belong to the club ?—Witness : Yes , —Coroner : How many of thc family belonged to the club ?—Witness : All of us when living ; my father and five of us boys . —Coroner : What is the club called ?—Witness : It is called a Burial Friendly Society . —Coroner i What is the benefit you get by belonging to that society . —Witness : In case of illness we get 103 . per week , and in a death ls . from each member . My brothers William and Alban did not reside at home . -There are some hundred members in the society . -The shillings received from the members in eases of death are _navable
to the widow ofthe deceased . - My mother had the money . —Coroner : Is there any medical -man attached to the society ?—Witness : No , there is not . Mart Ann Geering , aged 14 years , daughter of the deceased , said—I now live , otthe union ' -house ' Guestling . Before then _. I lived with my mother ' but cannot remember the exact time my father was taken ill ; I think it was about harvest last . He had tea . for his supper on the night previous and during the night he was taken sick . My mother threw W _^ _vomiting away . He kept his bed the whole , ot Saturday . M y father died on the 13 th of September . _W-S _^ w _?^ - ™ _* nast _** -g-V proved that he sold Mrs . Geering several penny worths of poison in the latter pari of last summer ,, ia the autumn and winter , up till March , last , whieh she flaid was to Kill rats .
Charlotte Gretsall , wife ofa higg ler , _livinc at Weastfield , deposed to seeing the woman Geerin " ? w 7 _^! , _tr _£ _- fc another chemist ' s shop at Sft _rt _™ ! h obt _!* ed A , on the _^ _Pi-Gsentation that it was for Si * , John _Ashburnham-that was in _Sh _^ s _^ _S _?^ eifchcr _^ _P-ny-vorth or Mr . Stijbbs , the chemist referred to , in the most positive terms denied that so large a quantity of ar seme had been purchased at his shopV _tKman Geering as that spoken of by the last _witnesJ . He admitted however , that pennyworths had been add to her at various intervals . " _« u ueeii soia By _^ _SS S _2 _vSatfe _^ _^
Hush's Pistol.—A Man Who Give3 A Real Na...
_JAXE _^ _jSStS deceased and his wite . . _^ . _^ and his tw 0 sons The deceased _p _^ i d _Gog g ham at fce were in the employ of Sir _^ John kbou and time of their death r _* _i _cS " industryand sobriety . b 0 « - _TCa _^ buSS _Sincd .-Coroner : Did Sir Jon . v Ashbu _™ ex * authorise Mr 8 . you ever , at anytime , s » r , ?__ | cering _tojurchasc _*™™ _£ _lff ge J _^ _y 0 f Never . -Coioner . Oi in _^ n fa _^ _^ y CoroTcr _" fl _£ 22 £ be- used by any of , your _^ S _sonyourpremises ? -Witac : Ifcver _. _tomy kn Ti ? oM _- . s Houghton , pawnbroker , of Hastings , jui . » _u-- - " _" n ' ¦ _£ 0 f tU ) woman Geonng
P 1 „ S _, H <™ .. aW > w « U _* 8 _% f _™ limr said : I acted as steward to the t * uosu , ng Sndly Benefit Society atthe time of the death of E _chariTGeering . He was a member pfthe _soctety I produce thc Society ' s book with his name written therein as a member . -Coroner : What was the amount subscribed for the widow . on his death ? - Witness : £ 5 . —Coroner : What time elapsed after thed eathofthe deceased before . the money was applied for _' -Witness : The widow applied on thc ' da yofhis death .. ( Sensation . ) . ' Ilea * Geering , ' another son of the deceased , said -1 saw my father the Sunday before his death . He then comp lained that he was very sick . My mother attended hira . He did not complain of her with
conduct . I did not have any conversation my mother as to the nature of his . illness . . 1 did not Kin tho same house . : AVhen I left I did not think hc was so ill as he was . I saw him no more alive , ne died in two or three days afterwards . I was at the funeral .. He was buried in _Guestlin-r churchyard . —Some time after the funeral I . isked mv mother whether my father had any money m the savings bank . She said , ho had £ 12 in the Hastings Savings Bank . She did not say how much there was originally . I did not ask her what was done with the money . , , V \ n . -n i Geokgi- Jeffrets , officer , attached to thc _^ Last Sussex constabulary , said . —Before I r emoved the prisoner to prison I searched the house . In . 1 box in her bedroom I found upwards of forty duplicates .
( They chiefly related to clothing belonging to -uenj . - Geermg and his deceased father and : brothers , which she had p ledged . ) On a subsequent search I found a large pdl rolled up in some paper in one of the prisoner ' s drawers in her bedroom . A quantity of drugs and liquids were also found , the whole of which have been handed to the medical gentleman . Mr , Ticehurst , the surgeon , here informed the coroner that Mr . Professor Taylor had , on the night previous , in his presence , tested the pill mentioned by the witness Jeffreys . That gentleman believed it to contain arsenic , but its analysis had not been completed , Mi ' . Taylor having taken it with him to Guy ' s Hospital to determine the quantity it contained . Mr . Thompson , tho superintendent , of police , handed to the coroner a deposit book of the Hastings
Savings Bank , from which it appeared that 420 had been deposited in the bank in the name ofthe elder deceased on the 31 st of January , 1846 , and that between that period and May Oth , 1848 , the whole of the amount , including interest , with the exception of Is . 4 d ., had been drawn out withoutthe sanction of the family . . . Mr . Bishop , actuary ofthe Hastings Savings Bank , said , with the exception of £ 0 , the whole of the money had been drawn by Mrs . Geering . It was against the rules of thb bank for her to draw the money . The excuse sho made for her husband not coming for it was that he . was out of work , but hoped to bo able shortly to pay it again . This being the whole of the evidence in Richard Gccrinff's case the Coroner addressed the jury .
Tho room was then cleared of strangers ; in the couse ofa few minutes they wero re-admitted , and The Foreman of thc j ury announced as their unanimous verdict " Wilful murder against Mary Ann Geering , " the widow of the deceased . Since tho incarceration of the accused she has addressed a letter to her children . It was intercepted by thc gaoler , and thc magistrates have taken it as evidence against her . The following is an extract : — " My Di : ar Children * , —I never had any poison for to use after I had thc last , which you know was before your father died some time . I could not recollect yestcrdav , when I was in court . If poor
James could know , he would be very sorry for mo to sutler for him , for when hc wanted poison to kill vermin in tho horses I always got it for him ; he used to tell mc what to get , and not let anybody know whom it was for . I have got it for him a good many times . The last that I ever got for him was that week he was getting bettor . He said to me , ' Mother ye must . go and get , mc some stuff for my horses . ' I went and got him several sorts ,, and then mixed them all together , and done them in tlie oven when I had been baking , and he never meant to give it them . I did not lot any one see it . I threw it . away after he was dead . My dear children , I never had a bit of poison for myself afterwards .
'£(Otianti. '
' _£ ( otianti . '
The Attempt To Teach The Highlanders To ...
The Attempt to teach the Highlanders to Fisn . TT-The boats which were sent from Cellardyke by thc Highlands Destitution Board , to fish at the West Highlands , have not been as yet , very successful ; indeed , they have been hut seldom at sea , owing to the fierce and stormy state of the weather , and those few attempts have been made principally for the purpose of exploring the _fishing ground , a circumstance absolutely necessary for the proscoution of the fishing . The express object of this mission
was to teach the inhabitants—men and women—the artof fishing successfully , to that they may not became a burden to the country , if such dire times should again visit our land as but very recently befel it . But—with shame to the West Highlanders be it told—aU the attempts ofthe board to make them industi _ious and efficient members of society are rendered utterly futile from their obstinate refusal to become instructed in the art . They have been offered 10 s . per week , and a part of the proceeds of the fishing , but even this tempting offer has been rejected with scorn . —Fife Herald .
Ireiattt.
_ireiattt _.
'" Dublin, Fiuday.—State Op The Souin Ax...
' " Dublin , Fiuday . —State op the _Souin axd "West . The accounts from tho South and West repeat the same melancholy tale of misery and starvation . Thc " 2 ? attt ' na // _crc-M says : — _"TYchiivo travelled over a large portion of tub county of Sligo , and wc regret to say that never within our memory did it present so wretched an appearance . The lands arc to a great extent uncultivated—the dwelling-houses are , for the most part , demolished , and their occupiers thrown on the cold charity of the world . " .
Destitution in * the County Kerry . —A specialreporter says , " I have seen poverty in many shapes and under many circumstances ; but poverty so extensive , and embracing within its fold , in any district five times its size , so many victims , I have never witnessed till my arrival here . Speak of pauperism in the towns of your county , why it is only on a retail scale there when compared with what you witness here , If you wish to see a wholesale exhibition of it , come to Dingle . I firmly believe that fivo outofovory six of the present population of this unhappy town are recipients of relief of one kind or the other . Can you imagine some two thousand five hundred of the most abject of those boggarswhoarojustnow flocking into your city , collected together—old and young , male and female—in one ofthe poorest and unciean outlets of your town ? —if 3 'ou can you will have a faint idea of Dingie and
its present inhabitants . AValk through the lanes of its principal street , and you behold at each side a collection of unfortunate creatures , ragged in the extreme , and apparently not half fed . These are the ejected of the surrounding districts , the'former tenants' on the ; estates of Lord Ventry , thc De Moleyns , John Hickson , Rev . Mr . Townsend Fitzgerald , and Others , who , having been evicted , or having , themselves given up possession , in order to be placed on the relief list , have flocked into the town , and are now the happy recipients of one pound of Indian meal per day . In addition to this agricultural class , * you will also perceive the wives and children of the fishermen ofthe Bay—a numerous and really wretched set of people , unwashed , uncovered , and unfed . Go where you will and the hand of the mendicant is stretched towards you for relief , his cry for alms rings through your ears , "Cork Examiner .
Saturday . — Prospects of tke Country . — —Matters are bad enough in all conscience , and it requires not „ a _yery sanguine temperament to indulge the hope that . we have seen the worst . But still there ' . _ax-e gloomy spirits that will be satisfied . vifchnbthinV short of the ruin and destruction of all classes , root and branch , and who can perceive no hope of amendment , present orremote . In many of the Irish journals such miserable and disheartening speculations ai-e indulged ; but it appears to me that a careful consideration of all the circumstances
would warrant a less desponding calculation as to tho future . Our main reliance , to be sure , is upon a good harvest ; " but if Providence should bless the country with' abundant crops , of which there is how the fairest prospect , Ave might look for a decided improvement before the end of the autumn ; and a , steady progression towards recovery within the next twelve months . ¦ ' " - 1 There arc not wanting accounts from /¦ ho country by watchful observers of what is passing to encourage this more favourable _^ view ; but , at i he same timej itcannot be denied that at ' - present t . he destitution ia overwhelming , and that almost all _s _^ ptions
'" Dublin, Fiuday.—State Op The Souin Ax...
and embarrassments common - to all . Rmirtiern In Nonach , Dungarvan , and other southern unions ? _JKui-al _population are _***» _$ » _££ tuto a condition as those of Mayo . * _% _*™*™^ Suir , between Clonmel and . _^ _S _X _^ dpaupers are to be seen seated by fires ° n the road side . In that neig hbourhood the Messrs . Grubb Quaker millowners , havbtheir flour boats guarde d by policemen between Waterford and Camek . ine Waterford News states that " on Monday night uotn 150 to 200 creatures seeking admission to the _workhouse , or out door relief , had to sleep in a fiel d near tho establishment . " .. ' ¦ . ' " , I have seen a exeat number of accounts of the . _imi mill iii I _Ir-irrnrt —¦ " ¦ _" - ' <> ro n _^ ariv
state ofthe crops this morning . With scarcely an exception , they are highly favourable . New . potatoes , perfectly sound ,, are beginning to appear two months earlier than usual . Some of the early-sown kinds have certainly suffered , or been greatly retarded at least , by the late severe frosts . In various places , even in Ulster , the farmers are still p lanting potatoes , as if there had never been a blight . —Morning Chronicle . , .. . The Cholera . —In Ballinrobe the cholera is still _i-ao-in" _* . Dr . John Pemberton is announced amongst the deaths . The vice-guardian , Mr . Fishbourne _, has died of fever . A few days previously his wife died of cholera ; ' In some parts of the King ' s County the epidemic is pro ducing considerable mortality , and several of the middle classes are amongst thc
The Poor Law Commission . —The Mercantile Advertiser says : — The vacancy atthe Irish Poor Law Board , caused by the resignation of Mr . Twisleton , lias been , wo learn , filled by the appointment of Mr . Power , who has : been , since the passing ot the amended Poor Law , in 1847 , thc assistant commissioner for Ireland . The promotion of Mr . Power makes a vacancy in the office of assistant-commissioner . " ,, ¦ . - '¦; 1 , Mn . Jons Martin . — The Lord-Lieutenant has appointed three distinguished medical men—Sir Philip Crampton _, Sir Henry Marsh , and Dr . Corngan—to inquire and report as to the state of health ot Air . John Martin , now confined in Richmond Bridewell , under sentence of transportation , having been convicted at the Dublin Commission Court , last July , under the Treason Felony Act , for publications in the Irish Felon newspaper , of which he was
proprietor . ' , , The State Prisoners . —There is much speculation as to the effect of the ' affirmation of the judgment against Mr . Smith O'Brien and the other State prisoners by the House of Lords . Thesentence of death , of course , will be commuted , but it is considered probable that the prisoners will be transported to a ¦ penal colony , or , possibly , that they will be allowed to expatriate themselves . Two or three days since , the commander ofthe Hydrabad transport , now in Kingstown Harbour , received directions to take In no more convicts , and to delay his voyage toNew South Wales until further orders . . —Morning Chronicle . Monday . —Mortality in Ballixasloe Workhouses . —The Galway Vindicator states as a positive fact that thc deaths in the Ballinasloe workhouses amounted in one week to the frightful number of SCO .
_WonnnousE Mortality . —The Cork Constitution has the following statistics of mortality in the workhouse ofthat city : — " There were 1 , 059 deaths in the Cork Union Workhouse , from the 1 st January to 8 th May inclusive . On the 1 st January there were 5 , 143 paupers in the house , and during the month there were 123 deaths . On 1 st February 0 , 299 in the house , and during that month , 189 . On 1 st March 0 , 311 in the house , and during that month 245 deaths . On 1 st April there were 6 , 304 in tho house , and during that month 308 deaths . On the 1 st May tliere were 6 , 538 paupers in the house , and during the eight days to last Tuesday there wero 134 deaths I " The same journal records these instances of a new species of robbery : — " Florence O'Brien , Wm . Donovan , and Wm . Cotter were arrested by
actingconstablc Catchpolc , charged with entering tlie cow-house of Denis Murphy , of Killeens , on Monday night , and cutting the hair off the tails of five ofhis cows . This species of robbery is becoming every day of more frequent occurrence , there being hardly a farmer in the neighbourhood of the city who has not to complain ofthe hair being cut off cither his cows or his horses . In addition to thc above it has been ascertained by constable Porter that William Donovan , Martin Hart , Wm . Cotter , and Florence O'Brien , on Sunday night last cut the tails and manes off a horse belonging to William Riordan ; two horses _belonging to John Murphy ; two horses belonging to Samuel Bateman , * and three horses belonging to Jeremiah Regan , all residing in the neighbourhood of Ballinhassiff . In cutting off the mane of Bateman ' s horse tliey took away a large portion of the flesh o the neck . "
Father Mathew . —Thc scene at Cork upon Mi ' . Mathcw _' s departing for America on Saturday was most exciting . On Wednesday Sir . Mathew will leave Dublin for Liverpool , where he will sojourn with Mr . Rathbone , and depart for America on the 21 st instant . Agitation in Ulster . —After a slumber of some weeks'duration , the northerns are again up and stirring , with a view of reviving the opposition to the rate in aid project , now that that measure has readied the second stage of legislation . On Friday last the guardians ' and office-bearers of eleven Ulster unions met in the town of Belfast—Mr . Edmund MacDonncll , of Glenarm Castle , presiding —to lift up their voices once move against the imposition of
this "most obnoxious measure , to take immediate steps to protest emphatically against thc bill , and , by petitioning- the House of Lords to reject it , give confidence to the largo body of Peers opposed to it , " and show that Ulster was now , as from the beginning , most hostile to it . " Among those present there was a goodly show of J . P . ' s and D . L . 's , several of whom denounced the rate in aid , and instanced the extent to which the feeling of opposition in their several districts had risen as such that they were very apprehensive of serious disturbances in thc event of the bill becoming law and the rate being levied . . A petition to the House of Lords was ultimately adopted , and the _meeting
was adjourned till Wednesday , to consider what further steps should he taken to defeat thc measure . Reclaimed Land in Ireland . —A return , moved for by Sir It . Ferguson , M . P ., informs the public that thc total number of acres of land in the county of Done gal , reclaimed from tiie date of the Ordnance survey to the date of its revision , amounts to 32 , 434 ; the number of acres still unreclaimed to 732 , 615 ; and the number of acres at present under Cultivation , to 437 , 719 . The number of acres of land reclaimed in the county of Londonderry amounts to 4 , 203 ; the number of acres still unreclaimed , to 24 , 500 ; and the number of acres of land at present under cultivation , to 68 , 405 .
Tuesday . — _Orrosmox to the Rate in Aid . — There are some indications of determined hostility to thc rate in aid in Leinster , as well as in the northern province . The guardians of _Edcndorry union assembled on Tuesday last , John H . Nangle , Esq ., in the chair , when resolutions were proposed by the Hon . George F . Colloy , seconded by Edward Wolstenholmc , Esq ., declaring the determination ofthe guardians to abandon the superintendence of the affairs of the union as soon as thc Houso of Lords shall have sanctioned the Rate in Aid Bill . Thev state that the measure of the government precludes them from administering the poor-law , unless they arc content to levy the rate in aid at thc same timo , inasmuch as the half of every rate collected by them
, according to the provisions of the biJl , is to be placed to the account of the rate in aid , until the whole of the sum imposed by it shall be made up . Thc guardians refer to the prospect of increasing difficulties and embarrassments amongst all classes in tlie course of next , whiter , and they declare that , " foreseeingthat discontents , dissatisfaction , and perhaps resistance , will arise on the first attempt to collect a rate in aid , we are of opinion that it is no longer expedient to encounter these difficulties . " The guardians of Edenderry union have therefore resolved— " That from the day on wliich it shall be ascertained that the House of Lords has affirmed the principle of the bill for the rate in aid , by assenting to its being read a second time , the board
shall adjourn sine die , and thereby throw upon the government the whole responsibility of administering the poor-law in this union . " Another resolution strongly recommends that " all the boards of guardians in Ireland shall take a " -similar step , and throw upon the government the whole responsibility of administering the law in every part of Ireland . " —From present appearances , it is not at all likel y that tbo advice given by the Edenderry guardians will be followed by many unions out of the province of Ulster . Even in the northern counties it is by no means certain that many boards of guardians would proceed to extremities , in the event of the p assing ofthe Rate in Aid Bill , The _dl'Cad Of tlie income and assessed taxes of England has considerably moderated the spirit of resistance to the rate maid . ¦ "• ¦ '• • ' ¦¦¦ ' _,- ¦ -
_^ Progress or Destitutiox : — The accounts from the-western districts , and from most parts ofthe south , are of thc usual gloomy character . Although cholera has generally abated , the deaths from sheer destitution are as numerous as at any period ofthe lamme . In Dungarvan union the number in the poor houses was three thousand , and-the deaths lor the week wore sixty-three . The _guardians'have applied to the commissioners for libert y to give outdoor _reliorto- «« widows with one child / , anf women whose husbands were transported or n _othmS keeping , with a view' of _rpliVvitrtr + 1 ™ „ Ti ° from its present pressure , '' S _^ wkho « _se WEDNESDAY . _^ -TnESTAtE Prisoners — _TTn _\„ _™„ terday . evening ' no orders reSnl + T _- t 0 yes had been received by the l _£ \ _^ iH _?™?^™ Freeman ' s Journal ha ? th ? _Si _^ fe _^ _? relation to t h * ir , mV _„^ i ¦ ? _J 01 ned statement in _fflS _^ _lffi- _^^^ state of Mr . thatpn yit _ariSS & _SdiSfiffi _^ _- _" * ¦' _¦*?*" ai » bvisitp ' d' \ _fi * M _^ _i- _™ c ? . hoard , who some days ago visited . Mr . Martin on the part of -the : govern-
'" Dublin, Fiuday.—State Op The Souin Ax...
. ment , and held a consultation on the state of _^ esteemed gentleman ' s health , reported that L « in a 'fit condition' to . undergo his sentcneo _^ have not heard what the exact words of the i J were , or how and in what form the Queries , ? 01 ' 6 put . Much , we need not say—indeed alU .,. 7 J ' - depend upon this . Itis one thing for a gent ! r _* to be 'fit' to undergo ' a sea voyage-quite . _n * f _> to undergo transportation and its concomitant I ' . ' vations . Doubtless ; the government so form ed v queries to the board as to get the answers it , w- _'* _-f —answers that might , in form , though not iu _T _? justify any treatment it might be pleased _hcrp-, 6 ' to adopt towards John Martin . " " _^ tt Relief for the South and West . —The Dulil _' General Relief Committee mot again on Wcdncwh oi _cuiiiiiiiiiuuuuoiis mcnt . -and _^ da consultation on _Ibn _^ _T" _^ mem , _^ rhnmt _^ _t _.., $ tW
and receiveu _anuiiiuui _. _mcUj _- ' two from Roman Catholic Bishops , dcseril , ii , ! $ frightful increase of destitution and mortality '" ; the progress ofthe clearance system . Them " deplorable of these accounts were from the
them are his cash books of income and expenditum down to 1831 . This is certainly a curious lot Projected _Insurrection . —Tlie Tippcra . ni Vi ' _m" _' . cator makes the following revelations : ~" - " omo ' time ago we gave a hint of certain particulars which reached us from the nei ghbouring districts of Clonmel and Carrick , ' that persons were wwed swearing in thoughtless and inconsiderate voung men into secret societies , and promising them all sorts of benefits when the time should come for fighting . It is said that this swearing has been going on very briskl y for the last six or seven weeks —that many foolish persons have been eawht in the snare , whilst several others have resolutely re . fused to join the ridiculous confederacv . A _Cottov
received on Tuesday states that the system is proceeding with more vigour within the last few clays , and that several poor unsuspecting persons have been taken in tho mcslics of the artful . Wc understand that the form of the oath is simply that the person taking it is enrolled an United Irishman —that hc will be ready to fight when called upon . We are told that a subscription of sixpence or a shilling is paid by each person sworn in which goes to a fund for the purpose of purchasing fire-arms . " The same journal gives the annexed sketch of tho _"HonninLE State of Tipperary . —In thcd ' stiicS of Duharrow , on nearly all the properties in that barony , there is scarcely a sign of a human habitation except in the dilapidated ruins of what at no distant day were happy bonies . " -The Dern- Castle
and the Coumbeg , and several other properties , are almost altogether depopulated . It is melanchol y to pass through the country and sec none of those evidences , of life which a few ' years aso cheered the traveller , and made him rejoice at tfie appearance ot the people . Between "fceiing li and Cloughjordan—a distance of about six miles—nearl y all . the houses have been tumbled down , ami tliat lino of road presents an ogually gloomy and _terriUtaspect . Between Cloughjordan and JJonisk .-tnc thc Rev . Mr . Trench ejected forty families , comprising about 250 souls , from the nronertv called _Vm-tv
Acres ; the houses are removed ; a fence wall lias been built around the property by the stones that were taken from those houses ! A Mr . Ely has ejected and . tumbled down the houses of a great number of persons also in the same district ; but the ruins of the houses are standing , and seem as if they were the debris left after the cannonading of somo hostile army . Between Borrisokanc aiid _Xenagh the work of destruction had been also progressing to some extent . A gentleman from Nciiagh . who passed through a portion of the district a fewdays since , was startled on drivinc past one of tlio roofless huts , at a late hour , to hoar groans issuing
from the ruin . He examined to sec whence tingroans proceeded , and found a poor man , apparently in the height of fever , lying amid thc thatch , unprotected from the rain that was falling heavily The house had been his own , and ho said he came to die there . "
Disastrous Fires. On Saturday Last, Abou...
DISASTROUS FIRES . On Saturday last , about half-past five o ' clock in thc morning , the pianoforte manufactory , in Chciiics-mcws _/ Tottcnham-court-road , belonging to Jlr . Monktclow , was discovered by thc police constable on the boat to be on fire . Tho officer having given an alarm sent for the engines and thc Royal Society ' s fire escapes . Before , however , an engine had time to arrive the whole of - the factory " became wrapped in flames , to the great alarm ofthe inhabitants . The engines were early in their attendance , but in spite of thc exertions of the firemen and au abundance of water , . the-factory and its contents were destroyed ere the fire could be extinguished .
The loss is very considerable , and , unfortunately , Mr . Monktclow was only insured for -S-500 . How tho firo originated is enveloped in mystery . Tho same morning , as some parties were passing the premises of Mr . Cooper , Ivo . 33 , Wynyattstrcet , Clcrkcnwcll , they perceived an unusual glare of light hi one of tho upper rooms , occupied by an aged and invalid female named Wollcr . Tho inmates having been apprised of the circumstance , they found the apartments occupied by thc un fortunate female in flames . By a desperate exertion thoy succeeded in pulling the woman out of tho fire , but she was so much burnt as to be obliged to be taken to St . Bartholomew ' s Hospital , where she at present remains . The firemen and inmates
eventually got the fire in the houso extinguished , but not until considerable damage was done . Other fires broke out at Shoe-lane , Pleasantplace , _Kennington-lanc ; in Caledonian-terrace , Pentonville ; and Marchmont-strcct , Brunswicksquare ; but owing to thc timely aid afforded , tiie damage done at each was not very considerable . The most serious fire broke out between three and four o ' clock on Sunday morning , and although numerous land engines , with one of the powerful _floats , were soon at the spot , and in full operation , the flumes were not entirely extinguished until tho middle of the day . The scene of devastation was the Thornlcy Coal Company ' s wharf in Broadstrcet , Ratcliffe . Thc premises in which the disaster commenced were of great magnitude , having a
Irontagc in Broad-street , and extending to tne water-side . They were fitted up with steam machinery for the purpose of lifting and discharging coals from the vessels in the river . That part in which the flames were first perceived , was nearly 140 feet long , aud was divided into two compartments—the " lower being used as stores in wliich & J 0 tons of coals were deposited , - the other was occupied as the sack warehouse . On the western side of this property , and separated only by a narrow court , five or six feet wide , stood tlie extensive di :-tillery belonging to Messrs . Goldic . To add to thc danger , and to increase the fears pf the inhabitants , several vessels were lying at the mouth ofthe wharf . The instant the Thames police wcyo
made aware ot the outbreak , they started to benoo .-housc-lane _, Shadwell , for tho engine kept there . The machine was instantly dispatched to thc suet , when the firemen found that the fire was confined to that part of the property near the river side . Thero being an abundance of water flowing from the _EasS London mains , the engine was set to work ; but no sooner was the branch taken into the premises ihaa tho flames shot forth with such fury as to drive tho man with the hose out , and in the space of a few minutes they broke through the roof and rushed ouS of thc several windows , firing almost simultaneously the lofty wooden lifting gear at the water side , and the side front of Messrs . Goalie ' s distillery . Tho lower floating engine from Rotherhitho was dispatched to the spot , and so were numerous land machines of the brigade . Tho fire , however , had iu
the interim extended to the tog _Adrontare , of _Xctt _* castle , Captain Robinson , which was lying alongside the wharf . The first object sought to be accomplished when thc float was set to work , was to extinguish the flames about tho vessel , which had already taken possession of the bulwarks , mainmast * bornp . boom _, thc companion , deck , and topmast , so that as fav as midships the vessel was ono body of fire . Thc immense quantity of water thrown upon the vessel soon extinguished the fire about it , when the whole force was brought to bear upon the inai ' body of flame in the stores , but it was not until tbo upper part was burned out , and the lower [ lort'Oll extensively damaged , that they could be got _ao * _- _* - _/ Inspector Gaskin , in rendering assistance , imfo _" _" _- _* * nately got his leg broken . Respecting the ol- ' = "li a tho . disaster , there' soems to be no doubt tbat tuo premises were wilfully set on five by some pc « oji s at nresent unknown _^—Tim .+ _^ +., 1 ln _« is thus
officially reported : — " The building used as coal stoie-j and sack-lofts over , witli 2 , 000 sacks , dcstroyeO * and 500 tons of coals damaged by fire . Wood i [ _' _^ ° , and steam lifting-gear on wharf damaged by <"" J The brig Adventure , Capt . E . Robinson , j »" deck , bulwarks , masts , and rigging , seriously *; , maged by fire . No . 23 , Broad-street , Mr . B _« -S jo smith , end of shed and roof burned off . f ° ' % m the game street , Mi * . W .. Goldic , distil ler , _^ window considerably damaged by nrc ¦ a « _m _Sair / broken . The buildings of the . Thornley _w _^ _- tt were insured in . _theSun Fire-office , but a nately the contents wore not insured . ' _^ _fotf About an hour previous to the above fire- ' _^ g occurred at 74 , Fore-street , Cripp _legato "f „ j _jJy S to Mr . P . J . Bruce , a baker . It was cau _* _^ spark ' from a candle which set a quantity _-, _^ so in a blaze , from whence the fire sprea d . ' p i « _£ . that the inmates had great difficulty i » J . m The brigade promptly attended , and P ? r tjiO & engines to work-the fire was _extuiguisf _t 1 _- ' until considerable damage was done .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 19, 1849, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_19051849/page/6/
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