The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-07-06 00:00:00

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A.NOTHEE DREADFUL SUICIDE AT
WEYMOUTH.

A private of the 51st 1i.0.11.1. named Jacob Damon,
of 0 Company, committed suicide about fire minutes
pest nine on Friday night last, by shooting himself
with his Snider brerch.loeding rifie. He had been re-
ported for being at Preston village, near Weymouth,
without loalro, • oboe time, sad the eommanding
punished Men sad oonfined him to barracks. He was
inclined to be, aceording to military ideaa, "Insolent,"
and perhaps took his punishment to heart, for he told
• comrade that he had had 14 days' confinement, and it
should be the last. This does not seem to have been
taken notice of, and he retained es usual his Studer
rifie, and 20 rounds el ammunition, aims the ease with
the soldier. eteen,.. On Friday evening he seems to
have employed himself with snob occupations as are
allowed to defaulters, playing dominoes during the
evening. Those under confinement are allowed to visit
th,Csnt.en between sit and eight o'clock, and Damon
proceeded there, and remained until the latter time,
when he quitted the Canteen, laughing and joking as
he time slog. He proceeded to the barrack-room, and
there being nothing unusual is his manner, when he
left tho room a short time after, no one notiecd that he
hal gone. However, about five minutes past nine, one
of the Royal Engineers heard the explosion of a rifle,
which appeared to proceed from one of the closets, and
the colour.sergeant, and several others went towards
the direction whence the sound appeared to have come.
The closet WAS baud bolted on the inside, and was jn.
mediately broken open. A sad sight preientea itself.
Demon was lying dead with his exploded ride near.
The trigger of the rifle Dodd not have been pulled
when die muscle was presented at the face, so be bad
made fast a piece*/ rtring to the trigger, and at the end
formed a loop, in which he placed his foot, and point.
ins the rifle at his right ear discharged it. The ball
passed between the ear and the jaw, and out through
tbe back of his bead, carrying away the base of the
skull. The unhappy rum must have instantly died.
Taking him un, his oonarades carried him atones to the
hospital, and Dr. Rhodes and Staff-assistant Cogan were
mot for, and made an examination, but, of mares, it
was quite • !mimicsn case, and the body was taken to
the dead.hoose. The face was sce.roely at all disfigured.
Deosalied bad been abmt three years in the wrvice,
being on the dell,t, which he had joined when the
regiment was on t•tation in India. He was a native of
Derby, was 21 years an.l II months old, and, as far av
the military with, riYe4 kuow, was unmarried. He was
never known to be disliked, and was in general a quiet,
good soldier, with the exception that he gave trouble,
apparently through !owe amount of what civilians
would cull Independeter, but military men must con-
sider insubordination. One fact must be borne in mind
—that he was by no means intemperate, and some of
his superiors say they had never seen him worse for
liquor. Out of the twenty round' of autniunition
allowed to soldier', nineteen that belonged to deceased
were found alter his death. The affair created an
immense notation attic barracks.

Ii is said that
tlash: t7,d
denliesleed isee
beforentifully on the
got his living., an
accordion player duet the streets.
The ietissuestutrdwauy liatltt!LoGoth.e.
four on barrack., aboLulkhal,
dLoeoneun.
tycorzioserf,o urend.a..r.Ta jury first viewed o
11:ectablejurYiMrihje.
in which the occure nu,: took plaoe, and which was
bespettared with the brains of deceased, and the seat
and floor were much stained with his blood, which had
then viewed the
! urn, yd,o.wheicihe awf.rigllatif 001
They then
incite:sad,
and with the hornet Irt.n.l prominently visible behind
the ear. lacceued Repeated to be a fine man, awl seemed
rather older than the cc- given. Thu jury retuned to
the library of the leirrekewhere the following evidence
was given :
Joseph Drewoott, private of the 21st, said deceasul
was one of his emirales. He had menu from the Larne
place, Derby, More Ln joined the regiment, fie hot
been in the element shoot three years, and witness
knew him all that cue. Ile waned a very quiet man,
and these was nutting strange in his manner. He never
, complained of anything, and witness did not know
, whether he bed istely been ill. Witness saw him last
, alive about • quarter to nine last eight, wheuhe came up
into witneu's room about 29 minute to nine, and stayed
about five minutes. burins that time deceseed said
" Coale and tike me kit ; 1 sin going to give it you ;"
but witness replied "No; it is of no:use to me." Damon
went Onto say that he had got 14 days' drill, and would
, never do another after he had finished this one. When
he hat said this he got Up nod left the room. and witness
, as. him no more of hoe till he saw him dead. Every
; day this week previotely he hied met with him ; but
nothing was said before to induces witness tolbelisve that
; anything was the matter with his mine. —Ely the for,-
man : He was neither passionate nor bullets; at least
, witness never saw him in • passion.
William Jackson, private of the 51st, had known
dect wed about two years; but being a untried man
himself, he lived outside the single men'g quazters, and
: had not mach opportunity of being intimately acquainted
with him. At ten minutes past eight witness earns in
I with the clean clothes belonging to the men, and went
, to No. S room, where deceased 'teepee. After serving
, out the men's clothing. witness was asked by deceased
to direct an envelope to "a, Darnou, No. 33, Walker-
, street, Derby. Derlushire," where ha supposed
deceased's father lived. Having done 1110, witness went
' on to some eat the clothes, and saw nothing more of
Damon. It was a black envelope which deceased gave
hint to write the &dens. on,
Superintendent Vickery produeed'a letter from de•
ceased's motile:, dated June 26, 1869. It stated that
the writer was very mulch pleased to bear that her son
!' was better. It continued "I hope you will sc.'s 11°
better, deer son ; I hope
, you try to do your beet, and
conduct yourself, and you eft! find the benefit of it at
the end of your service. and if you conduct yourself, I
' will try Led be &Mewl to you. Please to writennd let us
know how you are, and where yon are living, as I saw
! on the paper yon had 1 ft Weymouth. I sent you a
letter and jou never answered it. Please write and tell
! zee the reason and what is the wean with you. You
! wanted to know all the news. George Clerks, seven
years, and another of his mates had a very narrow
essepe of the same punishment."
Colour-Sergeant K. W. Read was colour-sergeant of
the company in which wet deceased, and knew bins well.
Witness produced the rifle of deceased. marked with his
number 430, and this elle he had reorived from Colour.
sergeant Foliett It WU Damon's deity to have in his
charge his rifle and 20 rounde of ammunition, but when
imputed he had only 19 rounds. Soldiers are always
seetwwed to hare 20 sounds of arnmanitint. Witness
had every opportunity id seeing dammed, and his
general character woe Reel. Ho bad been tried since
the commencement of the year for being
sleep on Me Pr..e k• a gantry, sad his
punishment was 42 days' imprieonment The
rentenae was passed at Portland ; but the 42 days were
served in (Import ganl, and he returned abont two
months ago. After his return he was sentenced to
confinement to barrack, end about • week ago, was
senuneed to 14 days impremement by hit commending
officer, for being at Pruden without leave. By the
Foreman: Soldiers are not allowed to he away more
!Le's • mils from lwrseekt without a pas.. From May 2,
lansi 868, when wits"' linty him, his character wu good,tfless was nothing aminet him but these sentences.
Provost-sergeant Alfred lioreand Brooks mid his
dety was biassed in keeping discipline in the regiment,
and to see that the punishment inflicted by the com-
manding officer was tarried out. Dettea,ed bad been in
Ouport gaol for 42 dap., and same oat on April 16.
oBrinroutrhteinmehs—e hfoder mb'ine ~t,,froonnit.hed....edvgeratlhteittinum—otibreehi.
death She was under sentence. Sometimes he used to
give vent to purism, and at other times was very sullen
end morose On one flees...ion about a month ago, while
deceased was under punishment, witness had to report
him for sullenneu, and he received cert.. punishment.
The cheese wu inattention, and that inattention arms
from his re'loenua Y. skitter afternoon Witness had
to check him for some trifling affair. He was
in the rear rank, and was not so close to
the front rank nun aa he ought to have been,
On witness "Weelsine to him he immediately
obeyed. In generat ho would show his passion at any-
thing that annoyu I him ; but witness knew of no slim
that he was diseued in hie mind. He wee impatient
when be weld not hewn his own will, and did not like
to bend to military diecipfine. Witness had heard
him quarrelling with hie comrade., but never heard
him threaten anyorie. Last, evening at five witness
raw him at defealter's puniehmont drill ; hut he
Unmated to be in his tuned (-mime of mind. His •
ten" mu' bs confined to barracks for ro— een•
and etch day he had to do feu hour.' ' -sm." star'
order knapsack drill, over and . anew, man-chine
the soldiers equally ; bo•
all other ••••••• extra drill bad had a oerdrills of
Th. retie' -- witness did not think that
showni .
soy rffoet upon his mind,
omfal defaulter.' book was produced, and
that on May sth deceased was 'punished for
—.raining a pus by a false pretense, ten days' confine-
-1 meet to barracks being awarded by Major Madden. All
' during that time had to do the four hours' extra drill.
On May 7, for carelessness at defauhers' drill he was ...deuced to seven days' niece confinement to berraeks,
and !hir seems dove would commence after the coin•
pletion of the first ten On Jane 211, for going to
Preston without • pace, and for inesellar conduct, the
provosteaorgesnt had to make hen ts prisoner, and bring
hie ease before the commanding °Meer, an 1 deceased was
eentereed to 14 day e confinunsont

John Cheethain, privets of the Met, wag brought hi
under arrest, a soldier with fixed bayonet standing 11
and said he was companion of the demand, sod eleti•
nail him till within the lest few months. About •
quarter to seven last night, deceased said "Cheatham,
you ere going to be oonfined." Witness replied "Oh
sin I? I shall be off if I can," and on his going sway.
declassed wished him "Farewell," or "goodbye" add
shook hands. They had been comrades for two years.
and Damon, on account of his so often getting into
trouble, frequently said that he would either do some-
thing for himself or some one cise.—By the Foremen
Deceased never mentioned any officer's name when be
used these thrests.—Witnes•cintioned that he thought
two or three times that deceased looked determined to
carry out his threat, and be bed expected two or throe
months ago what had now occurred, for the punishment
had taken very great effect upon his mind.
Dr. Cogan said death must hove been instantaneous.
Tbe Jury returned • verdict of sulfide while in a state
of temporary insanity.