The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-06 00:00:00

SUICIDE .12' WINDSOR.

OLD WINDSOR, WZMIT4DLT.
This afternoon, Mr. Rupert Clarke, the coroner
for Barks, opened en inquiry at the Fox end Pooch-bowl
tavern Into the deaths of John Richard Cook, aged 42 ; Mary
Ann Cook, aged 9 ; Agnes Josephine Cook, aged 5 ; Raga
Oook, aged 4 ; and Louisa Elisabeth Cook, aged 2 years.
The ciroumetenote of the presumed murder of the children
by their father have created a great sensation in that usually
quiet part of the cm:tatty, and the inquest room was crowded.
George Bailey. police-constable 55, Barks constabulary.
said that he accompanied Inspector Been to the enrage of
Cook, and there fated some papers. There is a letter ad-
dressed to " Mr. A. Cook, Foot Barracks, ]fees-waiter," and
another to " Rev. Mr. Blunt, Old Windsor."
There are three pieces of paper with pencil writing
on them. The writing is is the following words
"Whoever finds this puce of paper please to go direct to my
brother, at the foot barracks, and tell him what has hap-
pened to na Ask him to go to my brother servants at
CoUeg, sad ask them to speak to Mr. Harrison about our
and ask my brother sensate to follow os to our
graves; tell them I shall be greaUy oblig to them if they
will do me this last request for me. Tell them lam mise-
rable and unhappy, and I cionot get say thing to do to
support ey ehildreo. Sian I have lost my wife I have been
miserable sod unhappy. I can scarcely keep in my right
senses ; my beans wonders ; I am sure I cannot be in my
right saxes. I have praid to the Almighty God to forgive
me all my sins I have °omitted through life. lem sure if
the gentlemeo of Eton Colleg knew in the way I am paid
they would pitty me, and they would bury us at their
owe expense. hey tall them so, and not lett us be buried
at the parish exp Tee. "J. Coos."
. . .

" Please to send for Mr. Pearl ; tell him I wish him to
see as, and I pray he will not cut end hack us about, as
he can see the mum of all this. If I could have got any
employment that would not have happened ; but I am so
i involved in debt that I cannot get any peace of mind, for
everyone is troubling me for money daily, is the cause of
all this, and I am truly sorry it is not in my power to pay
them. I pray everyone not to speak diareepsetable of me
sow I am gone. Had my poor wife lived tide would not
have ha I ma say we loved each other dearly, mad
we log our children dearly. I have praid that my deer
wife 'e sole is gone to heaven and I prey the Almighty will
receive our mule into the kingdom of hooves. lam grow-
ing weak and my brain wonder. I pray God to forgive ms.
Good bye every one. God bless every one."
The following was written on part of a supplement of the
Breks Advertiser, No. 1,098, vol. 21. the date being cut off,
the day of the month being only left, so far showing it was
December Thursday, Sept. 20, 64.—1 am quite tired
of my life asd sot a friend in the world to speak to. If I
speak to the clergyman I am treated with the greatest die-
dela, toad what for Ido not no. lam amused o that by
them that lam not gilty o althoe they accuse me. If my
poor wife was alive, poor dear, she would le me from
sill sae accused of by them. The wicked people may talk
but God above no all my poor dear wife visit me nightly
and may for me to leave the wicked world and come
to her sad bring the e adreu with me, for she
is sure I have enough to contend with them.
She eel come to me while there is a vacancy
by my side. for she is sure Mr. Mout would allow
you to be buried by my side, and the children by hers. I
bare spoken to Mr. Harwood, but be is no gentleman, for
ihe will sot glee a poor man a fair hearing. He would make
a bed judge. I told him co Monday morning last that I
wished to say something to some gentleman, then I should
be happy, bat still gemmed me, and would not give me a
bearing. I have prayed heartily for my forgiveness, wbieh
I hope God Almighty will be pleased to forgive sse.—Joas
Oooc."

The following letter addressed to hie brother RIM dm
produced :—" My dear brother Alfred,—l hope you wiU
came and see me. Give nay love to may enters, tell them
would bare come sod seen them, but I wee to Heart Broken
to messy one, for I no I have not a friend in the world to
speak to of any comfort. Please mend word to my
brother (Medea, and tell him I with him to come
to me directly, for I wish to see him directly, for
to make all arisegemeets as reguards our fueserelle.
I hope sod trust that Mr. Maniacs will make our cafes,
sad my brother meanie will attend. I hope my fellow.
servants will do all they can so that we might not be buried
by the pariah wipers.. Mr. Vaughan. Mr. Holder's*, Mr.
Whitfield, Mr. Outer, Mr. Weetbrook, Mr. Howse, Mr.
Shaw Mr. James. Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Long, Mr. Gerdes', I
forge; your ease. I humbly sod pray you will bee kind
ea to petitioe to the college so that we might sot be buried
by the parish. My basis wooden, my poor deer wife is with
me now and tesolliog me wet to wright. I pray do not
disapeint meet my funeral there good souls. Gad Almighty
will reward you all for your kindness. I must now conclude
with a very beery and baking Heart almost drives to mad.
seas —I arr. your, "J. Coon."

The lotto; to tie Rev. Mr. Blent was se follow.:

•Th11;to---t:ried hard to get in your good favour, but I God
there are too many against me, end you, rev. sir, give way
to the idol Wes, and will not believe the truth, as Mr. Har-
wood bee accused meagreat wry timeeof th►t I never have
be guilty of. I bays asked Yr. Harwood the favour to
give up his author, so that I might bring t►em to Astir
to eximerste clueing( of all these idol tales. lam sorry to
say there are a greet many in the parish that are totted
of finding faults with others betted of look-
hog to themselves for the sake of getting in
favour themselves. Look, rev. sir, at the thing in
the right; see the thing yourself before believing
idol people talk. My brain wonder, forgive me it I say
anything wrong: there are many people in this parish
are guilty of telling the greatest untruth over herd.
hope, rev. is,, you will forgive me writing to you in this
way. My poor dear wife comes to me nightly and wishes
me to come to her and bring the children with me, fee ale
ris she knows I have a great deal to method with to
support them. She is with me nowl; the era, 'Come, come
to ins and bring the children with you, for I am sure the
Rev. Mr. Blunt will slow you to buried by my side, and
the children by the side of you ; pray come quiet before
some one else taker your place by the side of me.' 1 bops
and pray to God that the Rev. Mr. Blest will grant me
that favour to be buried by the aide of my wife and my
children by the tide of me; it is my wife's nightly request.—
I am your ►umble servant. J. It. Coot."
The Coroner said the letters and papers found would
largely refit the jury, sod he proposed to take the medical
@widow*, oboe weber a decision would be mime to.
Mr. Pearl said : lam a medical practitioner at Windsor,
and was called to the deceased oo Sunday afternoon about
4 o'clock. His besot was clotted with blood, sod his right
arm sod shoulder covered with blood. He vomited OM.
stantly dark acid matter, and complained of great pain in
bit belly. Remedies were administered, awl at six o'clock I
asked him whet he cut his throat and the child's, Adelaide ;
and he said he did it the night before below stein, and they
had bees bloodies into a pail nearly all eight. I then
asked him when he gave the other children poises, and he
said, " I
oldest child did it." He said, when he rut the wooed
child's throat he had worked himself up to a pitch of
madam. He made his answers perfectly ratioesl. A post.
' mortem proved that he died from the effect of some cor-
rosive pore, sad vitriol would give tartly sash appear.
area. I have ands a poet-modem of the child Agnes
Josephine. There were no marks of violence, but the front
of the body was quite grew, sod beginning to decompose
rapidly. There were livid marks over the rest of the body.
Internally there was no morbid appearance is the organs of
the body. There was no odour of poises, certainly not
vitriol• but the effect of the presence of opium or some
other poison might paas away. The child did not die from
any natural care.

The Cormier summed op. aed the jury ultimately found
" That the deceased children were destroyed by their
father. John Richard Cook, sad that he afterwards de-
stroyed his own life, bat is what Mate of miod be was in at
the time there was not sufficient evideace to determine."

MTSTLP.IOI-6 DEATH, OP Forts CH MOSEL —Tbe
sudden sod usseeoustable deaths of four children at Whit•
church Canoeitiorum, sear Lyme, have bees the cause of
much ezeitemest is that neighbourhood. On Saturday,
September 17th, Fanny Turner, a little girl between five
sod six years of age, was taken suddenly ill immediately
after tea. She eras very sick, end complained of a pain
in her bowels. She was put to bed shone kalf.pest meet,
and slept quietly all night. On Sunday meenlag she
took breakfast, apparently is her usual health, but sub-
sequently complained of a pain in her legs, and at 10
o'c/ock she was again pot to bed. After taking some broth,
consisting of bread, water, and auger, she bemuse sick,
but being unable to vomit her mother gave her some sweet
nitre. Shortly before 10 o'clock the rams evening she
died. On Teeeday morning Elisabeth Tureen, aced four,
and Susan Tumor, aged two years, were attacked with
sickness. They vomited, and were a little relaxed. Mr.
Norris attended them, but they gradually sank, Sams
dying at nine o'clock that evening, and Elisabeth at
three the peat morning. A day or two after Annie
Turner. the fourth child. was attacked with soorlatins,
and died after a short illness. Os Toesdey following se
inquest was opened before Mr. W. M. Lassie, panty
coroner. when Mr. Norris. lb* STIFf..O, stated. as Ural
result of a post morrow, exam's:alor:l of nosy Turner, that
he could not Sod anything to eccooet for the death of the
child. There was a alight ielearmation of the coat of the
stomach and the intestines. The kideeys and braes were
a little congested. By the wish of the jure the inquest was
adjourned, and Mews. Gillett and Norris, sure-some,
analysed the contents of the stomach, sod os Saturday
stated at the loosest that DO truce of poison could be
found ; and Mr. Norris wee of ophrion that deemed died-
from gastric, or intestinal distutbasee, from as unknown
muse. Mr. Gillett thought tba cause of death wee ID
• infection of scarlatina which acted on the system eta a
deadly poison.—Mr. Tomer, the father of the deceased,
admitted having in a due, two wird. of Rattles
Vermin Killer ; but asserted that the drawer bad not bees
opened for ix week& —The Rev. R. S. Hutchison bore
testimony to the excellent eberseer of Mr. Turner, but the
inquest was adjourned Saturday lass, whew the coroner
!ravine summed up, the prey returned the fallowing verdict :
—" That the deceased, Fanny Terser, on the 17th all.,
'being then is appsteet good health, was suddenly seised
with violent vomiting, followed by pains ie her lee. and
stomach, and ao motioned at latervals until the Bib of
September, when, from some gestric and intestinal distort.
once from some cause unknown, the said Faso, Turner did
die, but not from say bert, injury, er violent)* does or com-
mitted I. the said Farley Terser to the knnwisdgs of the
said ju7." At the iequeet out the bodies of Elisabeth sad
Sere Terser the jury returned imilar verdicts. •If St
child was very ill cm Stlorday, but it is capestei to neon.—
Waters Monsier Nara