The Express.
London, England, 1865-02-17 00:00:00

THE SUICIDE OP VICTOR TOWNLEY, THE
MURDERER.

Yesterday morning Dr. Lanireeter, the coroner,
Zradan lisqldry at tie Yodel Prism,, Pestonville, Ude
elreamMenees atiemilmg she death of Games Victor
Townley, who bed is lunday eight last, from Wades he
sustaised iioassqueet yea throwing biome& over the helm-
tribe of the seeing ha of the above pram, while on kis
way from chapel. The deceased, it will be remembered, was
tried for the murder of Mies Goodwin ; he was found guilty
and sembinead to death. behesquestly, however, he was re-
spite& epee the mead of Ineunty, and. after being eagles&
far some nessidesuble time fa Beehlebems Lembo Asylum,
the dabble of inemilty was ramieded, sad he was
thee sentawed to peal aseiritode for life, and removed be
the above-meallemed priwm. The jury having been swore,
they mended to vim the body of Um dimmed, wbish lay
in one of the °ethos's. of the prison. It presented a mho*.
ing eight, osematened by a severs eat (sustained is the fall)
OM the right temple end uteri* half over the
right eye. Upon returning to the ream,
Elaninel Was. Bill. 20, Trey Oeledonien-road,
said—l am betneeting warder. I was en lend, the 12th,
at five minden to 5 ONiolic, in the mobs! WU underneath
the lend*. I beard mime 'hosting been above, and is
Mapping from sidmo sth the deceased fell at my feet. I
am not aware if say one was with him at the time. I did
not see prisomws la the pMary from whirs he fall. I
west byany Mr. halcia's (algal warder) orders to get the
dopier. I did not see Use doctor come, hut I saw the 46-
,1 eased removed to the surgery. He appeared to me to be
ineemlble.

By the Jory—l did not wee the dammed afar be was
removed to the surgery. Re mover spoke Steel. fell.
Robert Pardon Ores—l as warder of D 8 ward of thls
I wee ea the top of the awake Sad"
tram at live minutes to dye. I was esperbitesiling the gn-
omon coming oat of chapel. Oa the primes soda. into
the B division there wee a mind I flea ordered the
to walk as qaither. the tin I wee ad.
gothe prisoners I beard a abed, mad as tainieg mead
I saw dammed lying es the Sam el the esstral bell. I
rearmed at my post, sad some of the prisons's Mad out,
Poor fellow, poor fellow ; he bee killed hbeeelf." I then
ordered the prierman to go to their aells. I did ace at the
lime know who It was that bad throws himself over. The
C dhkioo bad all bees to chapel.
By the Jay—l was shoot 20 yards from the dressed
whoa be threw himself over. Tb, other priposses 'were
sear him. It Is a rale that primmer. shoold walk about
six feet apart. The deceased was not ender my immediate
rata

;large Barmy-1 ama primmer bore. I remillect that
as &alley, the 12th iambi* I was sitting as she rigid al
the dammed at &spa. He was very gait* till the last
hymn. He this got up, opened his payer-book, and lasi
out the Let two MON very loudly. I Dever heard him do
that Wm,. He said to so, " 319th hymn." That was the
right hymn. He than abut his prayer-book, said the set-
vior, and Shea walked est. He made a fell step at the
bottom step is the chapel, dropped his prayer-book. got
bold of the rails to hest, with his foot as the steps, sad
right over, head over keels, and sa he fell he ex-
= '
d, 'Oh rHe foil flat as his facie below.
By the Jury—l always at by his Ode. I never etw any-
thing particular in him. He was always very quiet. He
sever need to speak. I Dever bees spoken to by say
am on thewidest of the man's death, arid I speak with-
out the least fear. We were all singing whom the doomed
begat to slag. He seas very loudly the following hymn :
fear we foe, with Thee at head to Diem,
Ills have no weight, wed tears no bitterness.
When is death's sting? Where. pave, the victory?
I triumph still, if Thos abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy arms Wore my closing eyes,
Shin throng% the gloom, sad point me to the skies.
Heaven's amnion breaks, end mirth's vain shadows nee.
In life, la death, 0 Lewd, 'bide with me. Amen."

He used to walk out of his cell and go into chapel and sit
down. He never used to speak to any ma Wham the de-
meld jumped over, the warder was about 24 feet from him.
He smog mer so suddenly that I had no opportunity of
midge( heM el him.
&mei Holmyard—l am a primer in this prison. I was
mesas when the deceased threw himself over the gallery.
I was about 14 feet from him. He at on ay nght la
He t la one position nearly all the time, with his
=es
on his hand. He was behind me whoa I let t the
chapel, sad as 1 tamed round to look at the dock I saw
him leaning over the rails, and • minute afterwards I saw hie
lap in the dr. and he fell on his head. I only spoke to the
deceased ease. I said. " How keg" and he said, "Dm."
By the Jery—l moot by that question how long he had
to serve. I never heard the dimmed sing Ware, sad it
was hie bass voice that =tract= my athletics.
By the Coroner-1 am quite positive he said " ten."
By the Jury-1 have been ten months in the prison, and
during that hen did not sodas say alteration in the treat-
ment towards the prisoner.
Charles Lawrence Bradley, oluiroo to the prison,
rid—
I we. called to the deceased at Ave o'clock os Sanday.
He was insensible, breathing hard, and prosodies symp-
tom of cemenesion of the brain. There was blood on the
nostrils end on the right ear. There was a sevens wound
over the right eyebrow, banding the bone, which per-
muted a fradans. There was a cut over the left eyebrow,
• cat through the upper lip an loch long, another through
the lower lip half an inch loog, sad there was •
tusks of blood in the times of the eyelids. he
died at twentty miantes past eight the acs night. He
died in the inthmiry. I have deco made a post-mortem
examination. The tissue of the scalp was covered with
blood, there was • et= fracture on the right temporal
boas, there was cased= blood in all directions, Übe ben
the shell was meshed, and the brain was lemerited. There
was • comminuted freetam d the left knee. He fell on
his head, and died from fracture of the skull. The height
be fell we. 231 feet. The substance of the brain, as far as
I could see, was healthy. There we. so seldom of any
disease ; it* weight was 65 ounces, which is above the
avermi.b/liszlioeuncesis
yHie weight
ea at I
when le time of death
By the Jury—The so dimes, if the brain so far as
could be aseertathed, but notwithstanding that lasenity
might have prevailed.
By the Coroner.—Hs come Into this prim ea the 3rd of
February, 1884. On admission he appeased in god ace-
Mice. I have had opportunities of judging the stets of
hie mind from time to time, sad I sismd that it any-
this( strands had occurred it would have bees reported to
me. I have seen nothing to lead me to suppose be we.
subject to attacks of inssaity ; nor has he ever bees re-
ported to me se Mein say tendons, to itasseadasse it
mind. I hare sever observed anything in hie habits of as
unusual Mare. Hied frequent opportunities d=
with the deemed. saddeem. I thought him amorally e
Ile was 12. i. 61b. on admission, and list. lib, on the 13th
of January. Mediae that he had thus wasted I prescribed
mare Mad, adha subsequently thanked so for It. Is my
experience • ms. may haves lucid interval, but there would
he no evidence if suck sanity.
By the Jury—The deemed sever appeared to be do-
gmatise. I think, on the other haul. that his correepos-
deem showed he had hope.
A robed= Sherwin—l am chaplain to this prima. I was
in the habit of seeing the deemed. I observed the state
of his mind Mealy from the time be entered the pima.
and if I had not knows by previous history I Amid never
have thought him imam. During the last twelve maths
I had had ocavereations with him epos the cause if his
committal, and he seemed perfectly inesesible to the
and would talk =oily about it. He admitted LIZ
committed the mime, but he deeded that there was
soy guilt in it. From this I opine be was merally
insane. Beyond this I never Mired say ant if in-
sanity. He was always cheerful, always reedy to ester
into oonversation, and at all the.. was eztremely
extrimes. I have seen four of his lettere writaa he hie
friends. He mite • letter lest Friday to hie mother, end a
brrisln the letter I think Indicates aa unsound Meth
pernagri was reed, which found fault with the prim im
nagemeet, beeme • letter of his had been istereepeek
easeequenco ot its Wag toe idosely mitres.
The Clarence explained that the rale of the prim was
that primers sheath maim themselves is writing ts the
ruled linen is the paper. They were allowed to write an
folly se they liked, bat were set permitted to willebetween
the Ithes.
Ezesdadies seelieued by the Jerry—fie deemed
neva remarked that be wt he should set esseplM his
asoleme.
The idlowing lather, writhes by the deemed on theirs&
seedily belsee eseamitted midi* woe mad
Faresty, 1117 dearest Yesher,—Ny writing -

,
woos sad woMM-•wdy, I eeppose, bent wont of
aremeleher it, sod liailly hem the slid yen ; however, you
woe% :clod, I dare my. Letter piper is oral y Wald 012
Widollidlrl DM. mid& Is the came of the delay ; had I
been avast of the sew rule you might have had this
bet w tho' it is doubtful. Wirt ma I my 10 ?tit kw
your &,y any more, mum! Lath,l fear, to pa
pose • as for hopes sod wishes • but altito' them are
there'is still lam Weald the; my love and gratitude were
in any way auflielent to Topsy you for all you have' gods
through to roe ; but I most lit hero Job's comforter. A
tiaileay, indeed, el wishbe you may happy returns!
the is, mum dear, as is usual with roe, I sat muddled.
I tea my brain hid& oat, sad there le salting time—
t. It is loos I lied what mom Joseph would elltilli wisher, bet lima that's all robbieh ;se whet esa I do?
I ma oily give you my best sad Idolises love, and tell yea
that I am just as usual—ao dims** whatever, end what I
have already said, via., that you must not trouble years&
about me or my elate, what we are all lobe. sad what's
W abject of it; tee ma boo as adios of ill looks very
Doneensical, but that's ao bedew el oars, sad, at any rate,
we have had nada( to do with it, sod }slops we really
do only see the wrong side of the snit, however,
it trite ; what I mean is, that such the fact, past sod
4.
future being equally haploid our nom mind what
happens to my body (you hoe law woe* oily pro-
fess to vest their mime ou the body),l sad sadder that,
after all, it is oely with me the lois et a few weasel emu-
(arta, being dressed queerly, and made to look a greater
fright than one naturally is, aid eiblemaed to live arseeg
diaepeasige people ; whereas with yea it is very diffeest,
sad far worm, for I have tried to psi myself la your plan,
sad have men all that you would tam sad fancy all
torte of thine, I can't exactly tommitst• : but if you only
saw how coolly I take it, and What little trouble there is
to cue's His bore, I really do thiak, my dear mm, yea
would take heart. Remember it is bet with as ea with
most I have ao coo depeerilog as mt. lam provided kr
for life, I may my, therefore I have nay no mom to bhe
thought for the morrow. Yon know the peculiarities of
my temperament. Idiceyncracies—l suppose Mr. Whales-
libitum would my—wad moo it not for the trouble that
my present position mates all of yes, lbws weld, I think
be Little to regret. It sesame odd, eirtoisip,
_the* whoa all
parties might be suited so sadly, this wrotobid bit slaw
continues to est, drink, sleep, tco., far ao earthly
Bet him n we get beyond coordepth, so wisely glop ;
and, alter would finish this (did you get a loch el hair
I se:tra th. last lot of beaks—it was in )osooli).
my darling mother as many happy el
rte day as possible, with such an tuducky of a sew.
By the way I did nob for Late's birthday. fore lo tell
you so. I bad a foolish dislike to mentiosing the
at all, and half hoped she would forget robe. Sissy=G I
for the last two letters and the cards which I have, which
the authorities were good awash to let me Toad. I said net
my Lew glad I am to bear rd year wades with idad
bleeds I won't my what =ewe appornamt in My mid,
for this reason.. 1 have fooled
ite the Sooteltosme•
puie pow I
nada B going ea the oppwr teak oo• oar •
Mirk ietoy the hands of one% fellow Yahoos, to lbreak more
owe head with. vase pies expertise, Mot. sad *NM
am* Mkt the order world will doubting soli OM to pelt
by it. Should they happen to have been bo2iederd=
as scosesive besevelesoe they will tad it
while those two =came mad amid milithes—eme-
tiveneesaad selfinteem—erM be developed.
About visitiag—tram wonelibieg Bete said—l
areeit
of
and she thinking of omin& It is very, very
yea belie,. and I don't know bow to limit yes, tmy
dear mum most sot be. I told the proator to
itto%
pose he had sot ineetioned it. Pootimbor you
owe Isom thoughtht of moth a thing bed Itsot bees
for a eabrapnoselation,
.sad I am ea for from being
• what 7

- _
pasha far the maw tiat— well, saver Mind -
but you shell whis, sever be expoud to w-
hims of the kisd so* sod I may tell you that the very
anis it year hiss- these walks, or is oasts& with
hie plats in say shape as way, is print torment to me,
sad infinitely mini en myth*/ else I base to boor.
I dare my there is set • mos is :Von of soy temps&
lability who would not hs beinfly if the stupid and
cowl mockery of vistios were y dose sway with.
Whim you ma see me without Lomeli to yourselves, well
sad good, bat that is tishkoly. Pardee me, distort
mom, if this is abropt. I would have aid nag -ash
mare kindly—but have so spook I would lathes sot
loan thus two sus., sod you on fix epos whom you
would like to asamapany the savorous. After sO, ass ma
say wahlwit et sash se Interview, it and be onstialin
wAst sew I man honk you for the eight hooks
mascot bought me. especially for ' Gil Bias sad
m Paha." lam aborsed with OM letter. Do you
know, be sometimos rash& me el you. You would sae,
for any on she would. what I mesa if you read ft.
°lll6
had it in Freon. "Oil Meg" I have seedy liiiklud,=
had many • good hush omit. What a sloe 'dittos. Bob
lam wry you should have sot it torso purposely. Dail
brim any books for me, and dos% mod me soy you are
likely to wont for reeself. Mawr thanks for the Suedes
MOrlfiat. I like it exondlogly. so theieughly with& is
its too.. flank you for rascal sod 011esdeoff ; the !otter
do sat at ell mans befog bowed tomiliter. I think yes
had knot seed me any 'more hooks OM will ban to
be imosipting wisps the sismsde% bat I will
nook le the governor shout that this I see lust. Thine is
always some Inn& signs; • rpm I doe% think it will
be neoessary to Lon my been behind me whim I go from
ben. I will do so if you Übe, but we can nook about It.
I buoy ohms stn he,. gesgeoll takes thins. lam
wady we I should sat to writs whet &laving,
heakke, there mkt be no tun zi,ert moor know when
yes en piss. NU the gonna* with my kiod love.
I diet think you (lho grnorsor) seed is say particular
limn about seeing as. I have • softer I DWI sot ge yet
awi, but, ci man, I know oohing, wad it would be
ageism 'skills. Mere I mu, yea se% st the Mg ; hire an
*sty of other thisp I wasted to nay, bet I have munrood
is as much so I dare. My best love to Mena sod Katy.
I always laugh at your sod lora letters. Did you boo
bier list t--411 woo so like ha. Think you for the Gonna.
characters, mid whoever was as kind se to copy them out
so gainfully. With all my love, sad Minim for your den
letters, ever my own mother—Your affectiosate moo
(biped) " Goo. V. Toingiar."
- -

Is aware, to • quietist trem the jam the witnaes said
the demand the Met is maths be was to the prison was
employed is waiving and afterwards at shoemaking.
Thwillez; Om father of the doomed, who was I.
mart d , sad who at Sham was moved to
Mars, :tubes bed, dans( his avocation, the
mensatied ass of amis.

He Was answered i• the adman%
The question wee put with the view of showing that the
diesemd bed opportunities at sornseitting suicide previously
bad be metemplated tt
The °mower add that if the jury thought they bed sell-
con widows to art& theca be IMMO to • verdict be
would go so further into the are. They knew that the
immeity of the deemed had boos mob disconsd ; sad if
they required evidence as to imanity having =Mid in the
Wally he would, if they thought proper, mil Mnr. Towels,.
The jury did sot desire to inflict this pain epo ass, gen.
bed bete no for
Memo who, however, Mated that there
tiara Mimeo cared Maimity is the family.
Mr. Bradley, tbe .urgeoo, was hen recoiled, and said—
I forgot be mentos that ars examleteg the body I
foaad marks of 'satiation m both arma, and fount
that I %Mak be attempted to bleed himself. There
wen wean& on both arms. They were quit* mast. I
mentioe this to show that there had been mane kiad et
winkled feeling upon him on the Sunday morning. Ho was
seen by the warder when be was washing on that morning,
and thole weeeds wife sot there then.
The jury this Mind to eseakaar their verdict, and thee
se eheeneo of a cleaner et as hour returned the following
media :—' That the dimmed der -*eyed blown by threw-
* himself from the gellery of the Yodel Prime, whilst I.
se inroad state of rated. They appestlid th• following
to their verdict :—" The jury regret that the latter wee
sot rest, as they lad nothing is it oentrary to the rules of
the pson."
The ri
Governor mid that the addendum should be for-
warded to the directors of omelet whom