Two maiden ladies, who had "seen better days," went to
lodge in the neighbourhood of the Edgeware Road about a month ago. Lately they locked themselves in, and so aroused the suspicions of the landlady. By a device she obtained admission, and found them starving. She offered food ; they refused it ; and on her departure they again locked the door. But moans were heard ; the door was forced, and the authorities interfered just in time to save them from death by starvation. They were taken to the Marylebone Infirmary, cared for, and are recovering. It appears they had come to Lou- don to seek a livelihood by the needle ; and failing in that, had resolved rather to die than "bring disgrace on their family by applying for relief."
The death of a wretched girl in St. Martin's Workhouse has, not for the first time we believe, brought to light a miserable colony of castaways in "the Adelphi arches." The handsome row of houses called Adelphi Terrace is built on an artificial foundation, partly traversed by passages to the land- ing of the river steam-boats or the wharves, partly occupied by stables ; and in those haunts, not without connivance of stable-keepers and others, num- bers of unhappy girls pass the whole day. Their hiding-places battle the pursuit of the Police. Mary Anne Palmer, who was only fifteen years of age, was found by a policeman, on Sunday week, lying in a state of help- leasness ; and he took her to the parish workhouse. She had been in the arches, day and night, for five months. She was a mass of disease ; and she died on Wednesday last, from dropsy in the chest, brought on by her 1;fe, and hastened by starvation and neglect. It is possible that her fate may be the means of rescuing another young girl, aged eighteen, who was a wit- ness at the inquest. But why is this subterranean den of human beings condemned to be rats, suffered to continue, without the correctives of free ventilation, light, and publicity ?
Lately, a woman died under the hands of the parochial surgeon of St. bike's: an inquiry was set on foot yesterday, before Mr. Baker the Coroner. The following verdict returned by the Jury embodies the gist of the case- " That the deceased died a natural death by the visitation of God ; and the
jurors are of opinion that blame attaches to Mr. Powell, the medical officer, in demanding money for his attendance on the deceased after it was repre- sented to him that it was a parish case, and that an order would be duly ap- plied for on the following morning after the application was made, it being too late to attend to the same." The Jury also requested the Coroner to forward a COPY of the verdict to the Board of Guardians ; which he promised to do forthwith.
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