The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-16 00:00:00

ON )ON, TUESDAY EVENINC4, SEPTCVIBEN 16, 1862.

EX7RAORDINARY CASE OF DETER-
MINED SUICIDE.-A TRIPLE ATTEMPT.

Dr. Lankester, the coroner for Central Middle-
sex, held an inquest yesterday at the Swan with
Two Necks, Finchley, on the body of William
Eade, a postman, who was found dead in a pond at
Finchley, under the following distressing circum•
stances :
Robert Tennant Eade deposed that he was the
son of the deceased who was a postman, aged 53
years. His father had been in a desponding state
of mind for the last fortnight or three weeks,
which had been brought about by something be-
longing to his clab, which preyed upon his mind.
He told him once that he would make away with
himself, On Wednesday night last, between
nine and ten, the deceased was found in a pond
in Mr. Capper's field. The deceased had been
ill in bed all day, but got up about three o'clock in
the afternoon, and witness saw him go out at the
back of the house between seven and eight. In the
morning of that day he (deceased) went down stairs
about four o'clock in his night shirt, and witness
followed him to the back door. He went back and
dressed himself, and on going into the garden saw
his father's legs out of the upper part of the water-
butt. Witness got the head above water and held
him till his mother and sister came, and he was
then taken up stairs and put to bed. He was quite
delirious, and it was necessary to hold him down.
He had become Nery melancholy recently. When
his father went out in the evening it was to give
another postman a parcel, and when he did not re-
turn witness went to the waterbutt in the garden,
and then to the pond, by the side of which his hat
and clothes were found. After some search the
body was found, and witness identified it as the
body of his father. He occasionally got tipsy, and
was so the night previous. Witness had no doubt
that his father caused his own death.
By a Juror—He was with his father in his bed-
room all the day until he went out.
Mr. Robert Peele, of Whetstone, said that he
was in his garden on Wednesday night last, and
observed a light near the pond in Mr. Capper's
garden. It was then about half-past nine. By the
side of the pond he found the last witness and his
sister searching for their father, who they suspected
had drowned himself. He assisted in dragging the
pond, but they did not then find the body. He
went to the house of the deceased, and found a
piece of paper laying on the table. That paper he
produced, and it contained a statement in the hand-
writing of the deceased, and referred to his pro-
bable speedy death. Witness then went to the
police station, and, with a constable, returned to
the pond, in which they ultimately found the
body of the deceased. He was quite dead, and
there was a piece of string tied tightly round his
nack.

Thomas Sellwood, carpenter, of East Barnet, said
that the deceased was secretary to a Foresters'
Lodge, and a case had recently been heard before
the county court in which the deceased was much
involved. Although he had been much censured
by some of the members of the lodge he had been
re-elected to his post.

By a .Turor—Thero was no insinuation against
his character. Deceased had given notice that he
intended to resign.

The Coroner, in summing up; commented upon
the extraordinarily determined character of the
suicide, he having firstly attempted to drown him-
self in the water butt; and having been foiled in
that attempt by the intervention of his family(who,
strangely enough, allowed him to go out alone in
the evening), he threw himself into a pond after
endeavouring to strangle himself.
The Jury, after a long deliberation, agreed to a
verdict, "That the deceased destroyed his life by
drowning while in an unsound state of mind."

---
TWO MEN SUFFOCATED IN A WELL.

On Saturday morning two labouring men, named
respectively David and George Hudson, brothers,
proposed to their sister that they should get up a
pail which she had let fall into a well on the pre-
ceding Sunday at Chatwell, near Sittingbourne,
she answering that she would prefer that they
should not do so. They, however, persisted, and
having placed a ladder in the well, George, the
youngest, about 20 years of age, descended, but on
getting to a depth of five feet returned, saying to
his brother that it smelt queer. David, remarking
to him that he must be afraid, went down himself,
and reached the bottom, where he had not been a
minute when he reeled and fell against the side of
the well. George then descended to rescue his
brother, but he also became affected by the foul air,
and both were overcome by the poisonous gas.
Their sister, who had been standing over the well
on seeing the state of her brothers, cried for assis-
tance. Some of the neighbours coming up imme-
diately pulled her off the ladder, down which she
had gone a few steps. A man named Hinge then
went down and managed to affix a rope to one of
the Hudsons, but it slipped in the attempt to bring
the man up, Hinge, at the same time, being brought
to the surface almost insensible. A man named
Ramsden, a platelayer on the London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway, then volunteered to descend,
seeing that one of the Hudsons showed signs of life.
He made four attempts to do so, but on each oc-
casion was driven back by the foul air, a candle
which ho had taken with him the three last times
being put out by the gas at four or five feet from
the surface. Finding himself getting
weaker by
the inhalation of the " damp," he gave up the at-
tempt to reach the men, and procuring a grapnel
managed to get hold of the body which appeared
to be possessed of life, but before it was quite to the
surface some of the clothes gave way and the body
fell back. At the next attempt Ramsden succeeded
in raising the body, though at that time life had
departed,. The other body, that of David Hudson,
Was next raised, but life was quite extinct.

you will have learned, although she is happy and cheerful.
"The lady superior desires me to write to you concerning
her funeral, and to ask you what you would wish done with
regard to the expenses, for which the hospital have not
funds.—l am, Sir, yours, &C., "C. CHAMBERS.
Ascot Priory Hospital, Bracknell, Berks."
Other letters were read by the coroner, from
which it appeared that the authorities of the insti-
tution had endeavoured to inform the relatives, but
the deceased died very suddenly, and before the
friends could be reached by post. The sister of the
deceased went down to the Priory, but the funeral
had been performed.
Jos. Robinson, the elder son, said that h;,s father
was sadly annoyed at the death of his wife, and
became raving mad. He told his aunt that it was
no use to go to the Priory, for her body would be
cut up when she got there. He believed that his
father was afraid that his wife had died in the Ca-
tholic religion.
The Coroner said that it would only be right to
give the curate (the Rev. Mr. Brockman), of St.
Leonard, Shoreditch, an opportunity of explaining,
and despatched Mr. Waller, the summoning officer,
for that gentleman, who promptly attended, and
explained that he had used his authority to get the
deceased female into the establishment which had
been named. It was supported by private subscrip-
tions, and that was all he knew of the place, which
was a convalescent hospital. He had recommended
a great number of persons, and had sent his own
servant to the same asylum with a broken arm, and
she was recovering. The establishment was a highly
respectable one, and was conducted by a lady supe-
rior (Miss Lelham) on the same principle as the
Devonshire asylums. It was not true that the esta-
blishment was conducted on Roman Catholic prin-
ciples.
The female Pemberton was recalled, and said, in
reply to the coroner, that there were about 12 per-
sons in the establishment, and some were children.
They were dressed in robes and hoods trimmed with
scarlet linings, crosses, &C.
After some further evidence,
The Coroner remarked on the case at some length,
and read over the depositions, when the jury re-
turned the following special verdict :
" That the deceased committed self-destruction by
hanging, arising from the belief that his wife had
died in a Roman Catholic institution, where she
had been removed by the recommendation of the
curate of the parish."
The proceedings then terminated.