Deaths by fire

DEATHS BY FIRE — Early in the morning, a fire broke out in the house of Lord Walsingham, Upper Harley-street, Cavendish square. As soon as the servants were alarmed, they hastened to lord Walsingham's bedroom, but found it a mass of flame and smoke, through which they could not make their way. Lady Walsingham, who slept in another room on the same floor, having been roused, attempted to escape by leaping out of the window into a back yard, where she was soon after found lying, with her arms and both thighs broken. She died a few hours afterwards. She would have escaped, if, instead of leaping from the window, she had opened her door, and gone down stairs with the servants who gave her the alarm.

As soon as the flames were partially subdued, the drawing room and lower part of the house having remained comparatively uninjured, the remains of lord Walsingham were found in a state of almost entire destruction ; the extremities, hands and feet, were literally consumed to ashes, and the head and skeleton of the body alone presented any thing like an appearance of humanity. The remains were removed to the stable in which the mangled body of lady Walsingham lay, and there the coroner‘s inquest was held. From the fire having broken out in his lordship’s sleeping-room, shortly after he had retired to rest, it was conjectured he had left the taper lighted by the bed side, and fallen asleep without extinguishing it.

Mary Rolfe stated, she was lady’s-maid to the deceased, and was with her ladyship on Tuesday night, about ten o‘clock, when her ladyship retired to bed. She left her ladyship in bed, without fire or candle. Lord Walsingham slept in another apartment on the second floor, on the opposite side of the staircase. Witness slept in a spare room on the story over lord Walsingham’s room. She went to bed about eleven o'clock, and awoke about two, when she was alarmed by the noise of water running. She opened her bedroom window, and called fire. She ran down stairs in her night-clothes and escaped, but could not tell how, she was in such a state of terror. There were four rooms on the‘second floor, and witness did not see the fire in his lordship’s room till some time afterwards. She saw lady Walsingham after she had leapt from the window, in dreadful agony, and observed that she believed her lord was burnt. She did not state why she leapt from the window instead of going down the staircase.

John Richard Ellmore stated, that he was called in, soon after two o’clock that morning, to attend lady Walsingham. He found her ladyship dreadfully wounded in a loft over the coachman’s stable. On examination, found a cut on the forehead, another over the eye, the nose broken, and both thigh bones fractured; the greater part of the bone of the one protruded just above the knee joint three or four inches. The right arm was broken, the elbow of which was literally crushed to pieces. Notwithstanding these numerous severe injuries, her ladyship was perfectly sensible, and expressed strong anxiety for the fate of lord VValsingham, continually exclaiming, that “he must be lost,” and wished to know if anything had been heard of him.

Archdeacon de Grey, the brother-in-law of lord Walsingham, was present, and asked if her ladyship had any wish respecting the execution of a testamentary paper, and she replied she was so confused and agonized, as to be incapable. She was in a dying state, and a clergyman was introduced, who prayed with her, and a little before six o’clock she emitted from her stomach a great quantity of blood; she was suffocated. Before she expired, she stated that she was awoke by the smoke, which filled her room, and she opened the window and threw herself on the leads below. She said, she believed the fire had broke out in Lord Walsingham's room, and she had previously expressed to Dr. Clarke, her fear that some serious accident would occur through his lordship’s carelessness.

Jane Mills, housemaid to the deceased, was awoke by the ringing of bells, about two o'clock, in either her lord or lady’s bedroom. Got up instantly, and lady Walsingham’s maid said the house was on fire. Witness said, “ nonsense,” but ran downstairs on observing smoke, and opened lord Walsingham’s room door. Observed the bed-drapery and the clothes in flames; the smoke and heat were so oppressive she could only call out, and receiving no answer, she ran through lady Walsingham’s room, who asked what was the matter? Witness replied, his lordship's bed curtains were on fire. She ran to another room to get water, but, before she could get it, and return to his lordship’s room with the water, a voice called to her to escape, and she put down the water and escaped down stairs. There was no fire then in her ladyship's room, and she might have escaped with ease, if she had had presence of mind. His lordship always had a candle and fire in his room.

A fireman deposed to finding his lordship's body, burnt to a cinder, in the ruins in the drawing-room, at six o’clock that morning.

The Jury returned a verdict, “that the deaths of the deceased were caused accidentally, and by misfortune.“