The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-05 00:00:00

ROMANTIC SUICIDE.

Dr. Lankester, the coroner, held an inquest at the
Dudley Arms, Harrow-road, Paddington, yester-
day, on view of the body of Ellen Austin, aged 42,
lodging at 4, Hall-place, Hall Park, Paddington.
Mr. Austin, tradesman, of Hardington-street,
Lisson-grove, deposed that deceased was his wife,
with whom he did not live on account of her habits
of intemperance, and which he believed had affected
her mind. He last saw her alive on Saturday even-
ing, at the corner of Princess-street, under the in-
fluence of liquor.
William Lindley said Mrs. Austin occupied a
front room in his house. On Monday his wife called
his attention to the unaccountable absence of the
deceased, and he requested two policemen to accom-
pany him to her room. He found the door locked
inside, and unlocked it by another key in his pos-
session, and found the deceased lying dead in bed.
Mrs. Lindley saw deceased on Saturday night
come home very much excited, but she did not ap-
pear to be tipsy. She accounted for the excitement
by saying her husband would not give her any
money. She assisted witness in her work up to
half-past four that day, and then went to meet her
husband to get some money from him to pay her
rent. Two months ago she tried to make away
with herself by poison, when witness knocked a
phial of poison, which she had obtained for that
purpose, out of her hand. At that time she had
been to her husband for money, and had been re-
fused in a similar manner. She of late frequently
assured witness of her intention to destroy herself.
Witness had occasionally seen her the worse for
drink, but she appeared to be in no way under its
influence either on Saturday night or Sunday, when
she last saw her alive.

Other evidence elicited went to show that-a phial
containing a very small drop of laudanum, a packet
of sugar of lead, and a glass tumbler smelling of
beer and laudanum, were found on the dressing
table, and some poetry was found on a slip of paper
lying upon the mantel-piece, the handwriting of
which was admitted by Mr. Austin to be that of his
wife, and dedicated to him as follows :

" The treasure T have had and lost.
Oh, could I but regain,
Not for all the wealth the world might cost
I would not act the same.
" My Harry, to my arms once more,
Oh, could I have you again,
Then to my God I would implore
For happiness to remain.
" Oh, Harry, is your heart so hard
That it can no more relent
To the prayer of your penitent,
When she says she does repent ?"

The foregoing appeared to have been written just
before her death, and other facts seemed to show
that the deceased woman was of a romantic ten-
dency and of an unsound state of mind.
Dr. J. S. Beale, of Paddington-green, attended
and performed a post mortem examination of the
body. He had no doubt that deceased died from a
dose of laudanum, which she appeared to have
swallowed after getting into bed, and some hours
before she was found dead. The state of the brain
indicated unsoundness of mind.

Mr. Austin admitted that he refused her money
on Saturday night, and declared that he was com-
pelled to part from her to save himself from being
imprisoned for debt.
Verdict—Suicide from poison whilst in an unsound
state of mind.