The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-29 00:00:00

DISTRESSING SUICIDE.

Yesterday evening the deputy coroner for West
Middlesex held an inquest on the body of Captain
E. C. Symonds, aged 57 years, who committed
suicide under the following painful circumstances.
It appears that on Tuesday evening two little
girls observed the deceased distributing tracts at the
homes in the neighbourhood of Brook-green, Ham-
mersmith. After he had handed a tract to a gentle-
man he suddenly darted across tha road and walked
quickly into the middle of Brook-green, and plac-
ing his back up against a tree, he drew from his
pocket a large double-barrelled pistol. One of the
girls attracted the attention of the passers-by by
calling out, " Look, .the gentleman is going to
shoot birds," but before they could rush to the de-
ceased he placed the barrel of the pistol in his
mouth, and, drawing the trigger, blew the roof of
his skull completely off. His brains were scattered
about the grass, and- the unfortunate man fell upon
thelground in a pool of blood. The noise of the
explosion caused the police to hasten to the spot,
and police-constable Dillon, 293 T, instantl
sent for Mr. Barrett, M.R.C.S., but that gentle-
man's services were of course of no avail, the
whole skull of the deceased being completely
shattered. The deceased's body was then removed
by the police on a stretcher to the district dead-
house. The deceased was a married man, re-
siding at No. 15, Ehn-grove, Hammersmith, and
he had served in India as an officer in the Hon.
East India Company's service. He was well known
and much respected throughout the locality in
which he resided. Latterly he had devoted much
of his time to religious subjects, and had written
several tracts and pamphlets. In his pocket was
found a, card on which was -itrzcribed " E. 0. Sr
monds." A police-constable discovered in the coat
pocket of the deceased 150 pamphlet headings,
" Symonds' Recommendations." The melancholy
occurrence was quite unexpected by the deceased's
friends, for on Christmas-day l►e was in high spirits
and gave a party.

Mr. Henry Stock, an architect residing at N 0.45,
Bedford-gardens, Kensington, said that the de-
ceased 'was his brother-in-law. He was a gentle-
man living on his property,- and up to 1859 had
been a captain in the Bengal Artillery. After he
left the army he joined the South Middlesex Volun-
teers. He became insane, in consequence of a sun-
stroke ,by which he was attacked at the siege of
Mooltan, and in 1852 he returned to England de-
ranged. He then married without the knowledge
of his family. Dr. Sutherland was called in by the
family, and he pronounced him insane, but said
that it was unnecessary to put him under restraint,
as the best attendant he could have would be his
wife. When the Indian mutiny broke out, the de-
ceased said, " I will go to India and do my duty,"
and the doctor thought he might recover if he went
out. A commission was got for him, and he went
out to India. During the mutiny he marched 200
men 900 miles to Cawnpore. In 1859 he sold out,
and returned to England in a very depressed state
of mind, and was in the habit of saying, "It is a
burthen to me to live." He was very mad upon
political and religious subjects. He showed witness
an article written by a Jersey newspaper editor
upon himself, in which it was said—" He is a jolly
looking person of about 60 years of age ; a regular
specimen of a John Bull." .Deceased said to wit-
ness, "Shall Igo over to Jersey and shoot the man
who wrote it ?"

William G. Brice, a boy living at No. 2, Lower
Vale-place, Hammersmith, said that on Tuesday
afternoon he saw the deceased walk up to a tree in
the centre of Brook-green, llammersmith. He leant
his back against it, and then placed a double-bar-
relled pistol to his mouth. Witness then heard a
loud report, and saw the deceased fall on the grass,
covered with blood. A doctor and the police came
to the spot, and found deceased dead.
Dr. Barrett proved that the roof of dcceased's
skull had been blown off by the explosion.
Inspector Sorrell said he found a bullet in the
bark of the tree near which the deceased shot him-
self. Just previous to the commission of the fatal
act the deceased had been distributing tracts in the
houses in the neighbourhood.
The jury returned a verdict that deceased killed
himself while in a state of chronic unsoundness of
mind.

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