The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-01 00:00:00

A CURIOUS SPECULATION.

The Dublin Nation contain. a curious article, in
which the writer declares his deliberate conviction that
there exist runes of a solid reliable character for believing
that Mr. Jobe Sadie& hes not committed suicide, hut has
simply been playing the trick so well known, both ie history
and romance,of a pretended death and a supposititionsoorpas.
The following may be cited as the ground+ on which the
writer bases his scepticism as to Ji ha Badleir's suicide :
1. While the dates of the letters written by Mr. Satoh,
to his friends show that he meditated suicide a full week
before he is supposed to have 'Meted it, he was it:lying all
that week to get in mosey frem every source, and did re-
ceive large sums--sems on the day of his death—not a faes
thirg of which has been traced cr accounted for. At the
very blink of the grave, it is urged, when money ought
natarally to cease to be valuable in his eyes, he was as intent
as sun on acquiring it.
2. In Paris and Fonblanque's "Medical Jurisprudence"
it Is laid down as a gerund rule that the more sudden the
death the longer is cadaverous sante, from taking place.
And it is farther stated as to causes of sudden death, " If a
holy is such coats be cold and stiff, we may be certain that
more than twelve hours have elapsed since the fatal event."
The evidence at the inquest showed that in soy case Mr.
&dick could not have reached Hampstead before 12 o'clock,
at the earliest, and might not have reached it before half-
wit one at the latest ; and suppesing him to have really
committed suicide, that event would have taken place at the
earliest at half-put 12 o'clock, and at the latest at, say
2 o'clock. At • quarter before nine in the morning Poles-
man 8 323 found the body at Hampeteed, "quite cold and
stiff." Mr. Nichol!, surgeon, gave similar evidence.
3 Doubtful Identifiestion of D ceased.—lt is remarked
on this head that ail standard authorities on medical juris-
prudence saucer in inculcating a spirit of maks—say,
even of scepticism, as to the identificatioa of parlous fund
dead. Dr. Guy, in ha "Medical Jurisprudence," says,
" We must beware of a hasty decision, and remember that
the apparent canoe of death is not always the real one. It
is not enough to see the objects which ectually preseat
themselves to the eye. We must look for such as are
not obvious at the first glance." And further, " And the
place in which the body Is found, the first 111111t1011 is not to
conclude too hastily that the spot in which a body is disco.,
yawed is that in which death actually took place." Dr.
Beck (" Medical Jurisprodenes," page 402) says: " Va-
lue the means of identification consists in scars, tattooing,
or other indelible marks, evidence should be taken with the
utmost poseible caution by the Airy, for very soon after
death such a total change of the features takes
place that it is impossible for the nearest relatives to recog-
nise theni."John Sadleir's body was removed, says the ert.cle,
to the Hampstead workhorse, without having been ex-
amined by any competent wrath. Its sworn identification
before the jury was, extraordinary to relate, not by any of
the relatives, though they wets in toorn, but by a person
named Mays, who had been in Sedleir's emtloyment but
eighteen months. The body was sot identifhd by him by
marks or peculiarities cf structere. One passage in the
evidence of Mr. Norris, the solicitor, showed moreover, of
what extremely little value was Elwys's evidence in this
particular; for, while the latter states', that "he hod not
observed eay change In his muter during the last month or
two," and that his master's " manner on Satnr.lay was the
same as usual," the jury are, on the contrary, informed by
Mr. Norris, that Mr. Sarileir "latterly spuarel haggard,
and that "he noticed an extraordinary change in his
appearance during the last week," and especially on
Saturday, Be.
As to the identification of the body, It may, in addition,
be net undeserving of remark, that the repute in the public
press speak of a change in the features of the deceased, and
of his lacking older than be really wu.
4. In the work of Dr. Taylor, the toxicologist, which
&Meth, it is stated, had been perusing on the day of his
death, is a discussion of the question as to whether dark
hair can be artificially changed to light, and his account of
sundry washes of recent invention which effectually pro-
duce the result. Most important, it is remarked, in coo-
melon with this feet, is the evidence of Elwyn, who do•
posed to the jury—. Mr. fladleif had previously ;hat even.
leg 'eked him to clean two bottles, and place them on the
sideboard, which he did. He (witness) did not know that
it was poison that he had to get at Mr. Maitland's. He
thought it wu some ingredient in a hair wash, which his
master was going to mix in the two bottles which had been
placed on the sideboard. A man who had just posted letters
stating hie intention to commit suicide, who had sent out for
poison, who was racked with the burden of frauds, forgeries,
tottering banks, and railways, was engaged as a prelude to
his extraordinary end le pnper:ng a Bair wash.
6. The place where the body was found. Why should
Sacildr, intending to make away with himself by poises
instantaneous in its effects, trudge nut to Hampstead-heath,
to the middle of the eight, for the purpose, first patting
into his pocket a piece of paper to tell his name? A very
intelligible purpose le suggested by the following bead of
inquiry, extracted from a long list of such from the second
volume of "Paris and Ponblanque's Medical Juirpnt-
dimes" :
. . . . .

7* hether the spot in question be of a description to ex-
plain the sense of the deceased haying been found them, or
bow fa its retired simatioa emit.. the supicion that the
body had been Named fee coneeilment or some other
Purr..."
Imp ankle twoclades with a remark arm the 'musics
ease with which a body for the seam owlet be procured
among the 24 millions of tho population of Load's.

PICMIMO FoCArre.-0a• .1 the roost audacious
thefts that have ever been perpetrated, lisajnit come coder
our notice, and es It may pomilir be cursed into practise
to a large extent, we think we ion de well by patting our
readers in possession of It. A pwag alp walking with her
sisters is ass of the nbarbs of Ynetiseßer one day last week,
had her attention attracted to her pseket by some external
agency bsioll applied to It, sad mein mead site saw a lad
by her side' he having jest alitilmelmi kw purse standing
w.th it in his bud. Sae, as eke imegised, dexterously
seised the purse but had scantly doze so when a yourg
and well•dressed mas who ease up at the moment, and
seemed to have observed bow matters salad, scooted her,
sad said, " Pardon NM madam, the parse must go with
the boy to the polies office," at the same time taking the
puree from her unresisting band, with which he lowed-
neatly made of. The cool audacity of the wer•dressed thief
paralysed the yeas, lady, who allowed the boy alai to
escape; sad neither soma, boy, sir pares have slam been
beard of—eiwowheetor Essesirser.
Img REPOLI= Lou or Tag CUPP= Bnlr
Boaomossio.—le the Bagasse of the 24th Marsh we
gave currency to the report of the lose of the above ship
while on her voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne. The
report is gentles, whisk was brought to Liverpool by the
Lightship, stated that the Bchombmg bad gone ashore
they miles north of Cope Otway, sad that the whale of
the pasorsgers, 300 is amber, ware saved, besides 2,000
tone of merchandise. A dexpatelt received at Lloyd's yes-
terday from Melbourne. use Trieste, Etontirse the lime of
ibis doe ship. No details are given in the &Dwelt, wide*
is dated Melbourne Dee. 21, ace worded as follows:
" Schonberg, Forbes, game west of the Otway."