The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-21 00:00:00

SUICIDE FROM CLIFTON SUSPENSION
BRIDGE.

Another suicide, making the tenth, from the Clifton
Suspension Bridge was committed on Monday. The
one previous to this IVILS as late as August last. In
that instance a man rather advanced in years destroyed
his life. In the present case the suicide was a young
woman of prepossessing appearance, about 19 years of
age, and she seems to have been resolutely bent on
committing the rash act. She took a ticket at the
bridge at about half past eleven in the morning, and about
two hours afterwards the toll-keeper on the Leigh-side
saw her walking to and fro on the right-hand pathway
in the middle of the bridge. He watched her for about
half an hour, and observed that she now and then sat
down on the girder between the bridge and the
footway. As her demeanour continued t attract
his attention he left the toll-house and walked
past her. She asked him what time it was and he
told her it was five minutes to two. He then asked
her if she was waiting for anybody, and she replied
that ehe was waiting for a person from Leigh, who was
to meet her on the Leigh side of the bridge at half-
past two. Her answers appeared to be so straightforward
that the keeper went back to the toll-house. He con-
tinued, however, to watch deceased, her movements
again exciting his suspicion. The toll-keeper went a
second time to her, and told her that, as he thought
she contemplated committing suicide, if she did not
come off the bridge with him he should give her in
charge of a policeman. He succeeded in getting her to
leave the bridge, and then asked her if she had any-
thing on her mind. She replied that she had, but no
more than other people might have. The keeper became
somewhat less alarmed, as she appeared to be in good
spirits, and laughed as she chatted with him. He ob-
served, however, that she twitched a ring she wore on
one of her fingers in a nervous manner, and asked her
if she bad a sweetheart. She answered that she bad,
and soon after she left the bridge, and proceeded towards
Leigh. She hal not gone far when she met a man, of
whom she inquired the way to Cliffton, and he directed
her to the Suspension Bridge. She told him she did
not want to go that way, as the toll-keeger would not
let her pass over without going with bdr. The man
told her that she must then go down Rownham-hill
and cross the ferry, and she did so and went up the
zigzag on the Clifton side, entering into conversation
with a policeman on the way. She a ed at the
bridge again about three o'clock, and took a single
ticket. Having passed through the gate, she sat down
on a seat near the toll-house. There were two toll-
keepers on duty on the Clifton side of the bridge, one
for the carriage and one for the passenger traffic, and
to them the Leigh toll-keeper had communicated what
had previously occurred. One of these keepers re-
marked that he felt sure the young woman was the same
person of whom they had heard, and it was agreed that
one of them should watch her while the other dis-
charged the duties of both. Seeing the toll-keeper ap-
proaching the young woman began to run, and putting
her hands to the railing of the bridge jumped off almost
at the spot where another woman had previously com-
mitted suicide. The toll-keeper arrived just in time to
touch the head of the decease before she quitted her
grasp of the railing. The body turned twice in its
descent and fell on the mud bank of the river, on the
Clifton side. Directly after the occurrence a man came
up on horseback at a gallop and inquired whether a
person similarly dressed to the deceased had paseed
over the bridge. He was told what had just happened,
and asked if he knew anything of the deceased. He
said she lived in Elgin-park, and had committed suicide
through jealousy. The body was conveyed to the
" Genera Draper Hotwelle, to await the
inquest. About half-past six in the evening the
deceased was identified as Lucy Emma Durant, a
domestic servant, in the employ of a gentleman residing
In Elgin-park, Redland. The deceased left a note at
her master's house, announcing her determination to
commit suicide. The body was not disfigured by the
fall from a height of about 2SOft.