The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-11 00:00:00

DISTRESSING SUICIDE,

Yesterday Dr. LankeEter, the coroner for Central
Middlesex, held an inquest at University College
Hospital touching the death of a boy named William.
Frederick Knapton, aged 13 years, who came by
his death under very painful circumstances. The
first witness examined was Charlotte Knapton, who
stated that she was wife of Thomas Knapton, a
pianoforte-maker, living at No. 7, Fitzroy-row,
Euston• road. The deceased was her son. He was
a boy of very violent disposition. On Friday last
he threw a fork at one of his sisters, and it stuck
in her back. His father threatened to chastise him
if he committed any similar act in future. On
Saturday, when the family were at dinner, his
father being absent at the time, he threw a piece
of bread at one of his sisters. She was drinking out
of a cup, and the bread struck the cup, breaking
it, and causing it to cut the girl's month. Mrs.
Knapton remonstrated with the boy, and ordered
him to leave the room. He then went out and sat
on the stairs. One of her daughters said he ought
to be ashamed of his conduct, and in reply he abused
her, after which he ran up to a bedroom and
slammed the door after him. As it was his custom
to lie down on a bed and sleep off his bad temper,
his mother thought that he was acting in accord-
ance with that habit, and she prevented one of his
younger brothers from disturbing him. She then
left the house for the purpose of visiting a neigh-
bour with whom she had business, but was recalled
in a few minutes by the screams of her children.
On going up to the bedroom she found the
deceased boy hanging by a cord from a hook
behind the door. She lifted him off, and
afterwards cut the cord and conveyed him
in a cab to the University College Hospital, but
he showed no signs of life when she removed
him from the hook, and he was certainly quite
dead on her arrival at the hospital. Emma Knap-
ton, daughter of the last witness, corroborated her
mother's testimony, and added that it was she who
discovered the body hanging from the hook behind
the door. When her motker left to visit her neigh-
bour one of her little brothers told her that he
wanted something in the bedroom, but was unable
to open the door. She then forced the door open,
and found that it had been fastened with a pair
of pincers. Dr. Sydney Ringer, resident medical
officer of University College Hospital, stated his
opinion that deceased had been dead a quarter of
an hour before his admission. Unsuccessful en-
deavours to restore respiration were made for
three-quarters of an hour after. The coroner, in sum-
ming up the evidence, said this was the most painful
case that had ever come before him. Every one who
had heard the facts and had witnessed the mother's
grief must sympathise with that poor woman.. The
only comfort he could offer her was contained in the
reflection that if a boy of such violent temper had
lived to a more advanced age it was very probable
he would have taken life ox inflicted serious personal
injury on another person, and so have brought,as
no;
dis-
grace on a respectable family, while he
perhaps accountable to God for the deed by which,
e
in a moment of madness, be bad deprivedced himself
of life. The found that jury the d ass
ound had
com-
mitted suicide while in an tins state of mind.

SHIP—PING—This Day.

LONDON, Nov. 11.—Wind this day, at noon—North-
Westerly; moderate breeze, and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.
PLtmouTit, Nov. 10.—Wind. N.E.—Arrived—Gefle,
from Carlsuma for the West Indies.
COWES, Nov. 10.—Wrind S.W.—Arrived—Safeguard,
from Hartlepool for Barcelona.
HOLYHEAD, Nov. 10.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Salos,
from Liverpool for Manilla.
HARwicir, Nov. 10.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Astrea

from St. Übes.
Nov. 10.—Wind N.W. strong.—Sailed—
FALmor
for New Zealand ; Alliance, for Auckland, New
Helen,
Zealand.