DEATH OF A DECAYED GENTLEMAN. SHOCKING CASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 183, 28 June 1862, Page 5

DEATH OF A DECAYED GENTLEMAN. SHOCKING CASE.

Last evening, Mr. Bedford, the Westminster coroner, held an inquest in the vestry room of St. Martin's, respecting the death of Mr. William Allen, aged 52 years, which took place under the circumstances detailed in the following evidence : ■.- ■ From the testimony of John Biss, of 30, Rosestreet, Long-acre, it appeared that the deceased had on many occasions lodged at his house. From what he had stated the deceased had been formerly in very affluent circumstances, and had run through a vast sum of money; aiid he (witness) believed he had a brother who was wealthy living at Cheltenham. On Thursday morning last the deceased left the house, aud he raw no more of him alive.

William Watts, the piorman at Waterloo Bridge, deposed that, on Wednesday morningl week, between nine and ten o'clock, he was on duty, when he heard a noise like something striking against one of the abutments, and shortly afterwards a cry of a_ manbeing in the water. He immediately put off.in his boat, and after rowing for about 100 yards through the bridge, he saw the body of the deceased. He at once got him into the boat, and having got to the Adelphi Pier, with the assistance of several of the Tiiames police the deceased was conveyed to the'.hospital. He (witness) did not see the deceased jump from the bridge, bnt heard the noise as ho had stated. On the deceased was found money and a few cards. ■

Charles Bargame, 49, Thames police, proved taking the deceased, ■who was quite insensible, to the hospital; and, after the treatment lie received, and the prompt attention paid'him by Mr. Travers, the resident medical officer, he revived. He (witness) called on several successive days to take the deceased in charge, but it was not until the Saturday that it was deemed advisable to remove him. On being asked to get up the deceased refused, when a stretcher was procured, on seeing which he instantly sprang out of bed and consented to walk. He believed deceased able to be removed, because the nurses and patients said that deceased had been in the habit of getting up and walking about the ward, swearing at and blackguarding- everybody. Deceased was conveyed to Bowstreet, where he was charged before Mr. Corrie with the attempted suicide. That gentleman asked him various questions, but not being able to get a single answer from him, ordered his removal to the workhouse, which was at once done. The Master of St. Martin's workhouse proved the admission of deceased on the afternoon of Saturday week, when ho was very ill. He was seen in ten minutes by the surgeon, and everything that could be done was done for him. He died oh Thursday evening last. He knew deceased, as he was an inmate of the house from the 18th to the 28th December last, from illness, but he discharged himself on the latter day perfectly cured. Never thought deceased was at all mentally affected, although he used -to say he was a gentleman, and had run through a large fortune, arid he seemed to regret he had brought himself to such a positioii. . . Mr. W. Bainbridge, surgeon, deposed that he saw the deceased soon after his admission into the workhouse. He was insensible to everything around him, and food and stimulants were forced upon him. With the exception of one slight interval he remained in the same state until Thursday evening, when he died. He had made a post-mortem examination of the body, and assigned the death to congestion of the brain, consequent upon the immersion in the water. There was no harm, he thought, in removing deceased from the hospital on the Saturday. Mr. Travers, of Charing-cross Hospital, said some blame had been cast upon the authorities for letting the deceased be removed ; but the fact was, it was deemed necessary to place him in proper custody, and he appeared in a fit state to be removed. The Coroner having spoken in high terms of the general kindness of the authorities of Charing-cross Hospital to all patients, The Jury returned an open verdict, "That the deceased died from congestion of the brain, caused by the immersion, but there is no evidence to show how or by what means he came into the water." The proceedings then terminated. — Herald. (London.) "... '