The Sun.
London, England, 1824-09-01 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY' gUICIDE.

Oa Monday evening a respectable 'Jury was
empanelled 'at the house of Mr. Bell, the Globe, Great John-
.street, Pancras, before Thos. STIRLING, Esq., Coroner, to
inquire into the death of Richard Edwards, Esq., one of the
principal clerks of the Navy Pay Office, who on Sunday last
terminated his existence by suicide. Several of the principals
of the department to which the deceased belonged .were in at-
tendance, and in the jury-room a number of gentlemen of the
first respectability, attracted by the extraordinary mystery at-
tending the circumstances which caused the deceased gentleman
to commit the dreadful act.

Mr. Edwards, the father of the deceased, was first examined,
and stated, that his son was aged about 33, was unmarried, and
had no family, and resided with him and his sisters, in Lon-
don-street; be held a principal situation in the Navy Pay-office,
and was at all times most particularly attentive to business.—
Of late his manners had undergone a very considerable and vi-
sible change, his mind appearing to be in a state of irritation con-
tinually, which was far from his former habits. The family
did not pay any particular attention to this change in his man-
ners, imagining it to proceed from some offence he might have
received out of doors. He himself made no observation on the
subject, and seemed not anxious or desirious of causing in.
quiries to be made. He, although labouring under this !..ind
of irritation, still kept his regular habits, and returned early
each evening of the last fortnight. On Saturday last he
came home as usual, and retired early to bed ; he had on that
day been to Woolwich and Dartford to pay the men, which was
part of his business. He made no complaint on that evening,
neither did heat breakfast on the following morning (Sunday).
His manner then seemed to be very much ruffled ; nevertheless,
he ate heartily. There was also .a marked alteration in his
countenance. After sitting a short time in the breakfast par.
lours he went up stairs to his bed-room, as was his general
habit, and about one o'clock the family were alarmed on hear-
ing a loud discharge of firearms in his room ; the report was so
loud, that it attracted great attention in the streets around,—
The witness rushed up stairs, followed by two female servants,
and on opening the chamber-door they were horror-struck at
beholding the young Gentleman stretched out, weltering in his
blood.—LHere the utterance of the witness was rendered inar-
ticulate by excessive grief and emotion.l—Mr. Edwards, on
recovering a little, proceeded to state, that lie raised his son in
his arms, and the servants ran for surgeons; but on the arrival
of Mr. Eyre, surgeon, of London-street, the deceased breathed
his last ; he had shot himself through the temple with his fow.
ling-piece, which lay at his left side. He had that morning
evidently contemplated the rash act, and prepared for its final
accomplishment, as the fowling-piece had been in a case, in
pieces, and he must have put it together; he had loaded it with
two ounce bullets, both of which had passed through his head,
and lodged in the cieling.-IThey were produced, and bent,
from coming in contact with some hard substances, probably
the frontal bone of the head.]
A Juryman here asked the witness, whether he could assign
any cause for the commission of the act, beyond the appear.
ances•which he had stated.—Mr. Edwards declared he really
could not. The very desponding state in which lie was might
have brought on temporary delirium.
The Juror apologized for asking if any engagement of a ten.
der kind might have preyed on his mind ?—Mr. Edwards said,
not to his knowledge.
Juror—lie was punctual and attentive to the duties of his
important office, and was regularly in the habit of returning
home after ,business, you say ?-111r. Edwards. Always, and
his only associates were among his own family, relations, and
friends, with whom ho, in turn, spent the evening in their
own houses and domestic circles. His habits were remarkable
regular.
Several of the Jurors here expressed their regret, that a man
of such a happy disposition, and regular temperament, should
have given way to any despondency, which must have been
caused by constitutional weakness.
Mr. Edwards also stated, his son never complained of the
duties of his situation. _ _

The two servants were in attendance, but as they could
only speak confirmatory of the first evidence, they were not ex-
amined.
Mr. Eyre, surgeon of London-street, stated, he was called in
about half-past one o'clock on Sunday to attend the deceased,
'who was lying itihis bed-room insensible. Ile was informed the
deceasedleitt shot himself; on examining the head he found
two holes or perforations over the left ear, evidently gun-shot
wounds; and on the opposite direction, on the right side of the
head, there, was a large wound, through which the bullets had
forced a passage, and-bad carried port of the brain, skull, &c.,
into the ceiling ofthe room, where they lodged ; the bullets, in
their passage, had coursed through.the brain, and shattered the
principal vessels. lie died instantly on his arrival, a minute or
two after he had committed the act I no human aid could save
him. Mr. Eyre was of opinion, that the deceased, having
loaded the fowling-piece, had placid the stock on the ground,
and brought the muzzle or mouth on a line, placed Ins head
over it, a short distance from the mouth, and then with the
ramrod, which was in his right hand, lie forced down the trigger,
and the gun of course went off. The mouth of the gun must
have been sonic distance from his head, as the bullets had forced
two different passages through one side of his head.
Several gentlemen from the Navy Pay-office here were ready
to prove that the deceased's accounts were perfectly in order,
and the business and money transactions that passed through
his hands were not in the most remote manner disarranged, and
could not he more highly satisfactory, nor reflect more credit
upon himself. They had also observed a very great change In
his manners, for which they could not account.
The Con owzit said, it was Indeed a lamentable case, but it
was evident that the unfortunate gentleman had, somehow or
h what cause nobody knew, became desponding ; and
that
, t always be found, was the attendant, or preceded
soutidtedren
temporary derangement, or such paroxysm of insanity,
foresight could guard against. Every circum.
thatsten no humancetoubin g his business or habits of life had been satisfac-
torily stated, and there was, in his opinion, but one conclusion
for the Jury to come to—namely, temporary derangemement.
'rife Jury having viewed the body, which lay in the bed.
room of Mr. Edwards's house, and which presented no external
marks of the violence of his death, with the exception of the
two wounds, from each of which a stream of blood issued, on
their return, gave this verdict—" We find that Richard Ed.
wards, Esq., destroyed himself while labouring under temporary
mental derangement."
It is remarkable, that within a circumference of 200 yards,
within the last 12 months, fire persons have Committed sui-
cide—two by shooting, another by hanging, and two by cutting
their throats. eNIIMMINO