The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-07-04 00:00:00

SUPPOSED SUICIDE OF TWO LOVERS.

An limueet has been held in the lioard-room of the Cam-
berwell Workhouse on view of the bodies of John Robert
Mode and Rachel Sweeney, who apparently committed
suicide together in the Surrey Canal.

I.:videnee having been given as to the ending of the

bodies,
Emily Sweeney identified the body of Rachel
Sweeney as that of her sister, and said that she was
seventeen years of age. She was a japatiner by trade,
and lived with witness and her father and mother.
Wi'nees saw her alive last on Monday night.
Mode and a witness in Court were there. Rachel
and witness left home together at half.past eight
to take a walk, and by chance they met the youn
man Mode in company with a man named Take.
whom they had previously known. Rachel and
Mode " spoke° for eighteen months, but durim
that time they fell out for three months. They
did not speak for three months till last Monday. 81re
did not expect to meet Mode that night. All font
walked together (witness with Take), and they wen'
into two public-houses. Rachel and Mode did not g.
reconciled. In the tint public-house they had ais
of ale amongst them, and they had the same at the
"Dnimniond Arms." On leaving the '• DI ummom
Arms." Rachel and Mode appeared to be quite happy..
and they walked on together, and witness missed
them.

--Coroner Had they been out all night together beim e
to your knowledge?
Witness Yea, sir; I believe they had been. I did not

know that ptlr !sister was ill. There was no quarrel an
Monday night to lead me to suspect that there WAN
any intention for them to commit suicide. I only
thought he was doing as he had done before—keeping
her out. I went straight home. There was no threat
used that I heard. I never heard Mode threaten her;
hut when she used to work beside Inc in the shop she
used to say "I will make away W ith myself, about
him." She mid the mine thing to Mode, and he said
" Welk if you do, 1 will too." That was said both
before the quarrel and since. I heard her make the
threat to him, and heard him nay that he would kill
himself if she destroyed herself. othing of the kind
was said on the Monday night; but I believe they
both made up their mmds to drown themselves
together; for they were talking together for fully
twenty minutes, and I could not hear what they
said.
Alm Sweeney, the mother of Rachel Sweeney,
having given evidence showing that the deceased had
been on terms of great intimacy, and that her daughter
was in bad health, and in a low, desponding con-
dition,
The Coroner said that it was held that if a person
agreed with another to commit suicide he was guilty of
the other's murder. There was, however, some
cults, in this case, from the absence of direct evidence,
although there could be but little moral doubt that
both parties drowned themselves by mutual agreement.
'the jury, after half an hour's deliberation, returned
the following verdict:—" That the deceased persons
were found drowned in the Surrey CanaL"
The Coroner said that by that verdict no imputation
of felony was made against either of the parties.