CHRONICLE. 



125 



house felt as if it moved from its 

 base ; my family were mvich 

 alarmed; ami my son, iustepping 

 into bed, was nearly thrown on 

 the floor. I have felt several, 

 but none more sensibly than this 

 night. Stepping into a neigh- 

 bour's house soon after, I found 

 his family in great terror, the 

 shock having had the effect of 

 nearly spilling the liquor on the 

 table, as they were sitting toge- 

 ther after supper. About this 

 time, a small meteor was seen to 

 pass ft-om east to west, though 

 the shock seemed to come from 

 the west." 



Coroner's Inquest. — John Dra- 

 per, one of the beadles of the 

 Court of Requests for the district 

 of Enfield, was found dead on the 

 morning of the 9th, in a well, a 

 small distance from the Baldfaced 

 Stag public-house, between En- 

 field and Barnet. The case had 

 excited a great deal of interest, 

 and the inn yard was thronged 

 during the whole day. On the 

 inquest being summoned, the 

 jury, after viewing the body of 

 the deceased, inspected the well, 

 which is situated about twenty 

 yards from the house, is un- 

 covered at the top, and partially 

 surrounded with a rail, but there 

 is an opening of about a yard and 

 a half towards the yard, where 

 the stables stand, and carriages, 

 &c. are placed. The Coroner 

 called a great number of wit- 

 nesses, and the following is the 

 substance of their testimony : — 

 The deceased, in his office of 

 beadle, had made some distresses 

 in the morning, and had received 

 a considerable sum of money. At 

 six o'clock in the evening he was 

 seen at a public-house in Barnet. 



While there he produced a small 

 pocket-book, saying, " here is 

 enough to buy you all :" he was 

 then in liquor. A young man of 

 the name of Smith accompanied 

 him in his cart from Barnet on 

 the road to Enfield. They arrived 

 together at the Bald-faced Stag. 

 At this house they fell into 

 company with several persons, 

 amongst whoni were certain pu- 

 gilists, who were then in training. 

 The deceased began to talk about 

 fighting, and to propose some 

 bets ; and, taking out the same 

 pocket-book he had produced at 

 Barnet, offered to bet ten' or 

 twenty pounds. Some altercation 

 took place between the deceased 

 and a black pugilist, Avho very 

 prudently said he should not 

 strike him, but should take the 

 law. About ten o'clock Smith 

 left the deceased in the public- 

 house, and walked towards En- 

 field. Going along the road the 

 deceased's horse and cart followed 

 him, without any driver ; upon 

 which Smith got into the cart, 

 and drove back to the public- - 

 house ; he there found the de- 

 ceased in the same company, and 

 pressed hiiu to go home, which 

 he assented to when he had taken 

 another glass or two. The wit- 

 ness staid about half an hour, 

 when the deceased, increasingly 

 into.Kicated, went into the yard, 

 and had a scuffle with the hostler, 

 and afterwards with a haymaker. 

 He did not appear to be hurt by 

 these encounters, and was the 

 aggressor in both. Smith tlien 

 set off home, when, to his sur- 

 prise, the horse and cart followed 

 him a second time witliout any 

 driver. He got into the cart and 

 drove on, till the horse stopped of 



his 



