The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-11 00:00:00

LAMENTABLE SUICIDE IN

CHESTER.

It is with regret that we have to record the suicide
of a young gentleman, named Rowland Jones, son,
we understand, of Lieutenant-Colonel Jones, of the
Royal Enginoers, now resident at Malta, and nephew
of Captain Jones, of Bryntirion, near Wrexham.
The lamentable act was committed at the Green
Dragon Inn, Chester, on Monday morning last. It
appears that the deceased, Mr. Rowland Jones, who
is about 27 years of age, formerly held a commis-
sion, which had been disposed of, in the 67th Regi-
ment of Foot.

In the course of the day an inquest was held at
the Exchange on the body of the unfortunate young
gentleman, by John Hostage, Esq., Coroner, and a
very respectable jury, when the following evidence
was detailed :

Mr. Henry Melling—l am the secretary of the
Royal Mersey Yacht Club, and became acquainted
with Mr. Rowland Jones about twelve months ago,
when he joined the club. On the 15th of August
last we went with the fleet to Beaumaris, to honour
the Queen, and be present at the regatta. The
yacht in which we sailed had been purchased by Mr.
Jones from myself in April last, but it was not paid
for. On Saturday night I slept on board with him,
and yesterday morning we left Bangor by coach
for Chester. On the Ist of September Mr. Jones
gave me a cheque for 350/., on the North and South
Wales Bank at Bangor, in settlement of my account
with him. The money was to be paid by Lloyd and
Co.'s bank at Wrexham, into the North and South
Wales Bank, at Bangor, and I was then to get my
cheque cashed. I understood that Mr. Jones had not
that much money in Lloyd's bank, but he said he
thought Mr. Lloyd would advance it for him. The
money was not paid at Bangor as Mr. Jones expected,
and he proposed we should go together to Wrexham,
and get it there. We accordingly left Bangor by
coach on Sunday, and arrived at the Green Dragon
in Chester, about eight o'clock the same evening. I
was to be Mr. Jones's guest, but he had not sufficient
money to pay our fare with, and I lent him a sove-
reign for that purpose. We had tea at the Green
Dragon, and Mr. Jones afterwards drank a glass of
ale and a glass of brandy punch. Mr. Jones seemed
quite cheerful, and read to me several jokes from the
Man in the Moon, which appeared to please him much.
When we were preparing for bed, the chambermaid
inquired whether we would have a double-bedded
room, and Mr. Jones replied that he would not. We
had agreed to start on Monday morning by the ten
o'clock train for Wrexham, I arose first on Monday
morning, and told the chambermaid to call Mr.
Jones. He did not get up, and I then went up stairs
myself and told him if he did not get up we should
miss the train. He told me to get my breakfast, for
he did not want any himself. Having missed the ten
o'clock, I wished to get away by the 11h. 40m.
train, and I went up stairs two or three times
to his chamber door to request him to make
haste, or we should miss that train also. The
last time I went up the door was ajar, and I
heard him on the floor. I again asked him if he
would take any breakfast, and he directed me to order
some coffee to be prepared for him. As he did not
come down stairs for some time I went up again, and
perceiving that his room door was shut, I supposed
that he had gone out of his room, and closed it after
him. I therefore went to the boots, and requested
him to go up and look for Mr. Jones ; he did so, but
returned, saying he could not find him. I hardly
supposed at that time he was in his room, but thought
I would go up stairs and see. I did so, and knocked
twice at his door, but receiving no answer I opened
it. I was immediately met by a cloud of gunpowder
smoke, and on proceeding two or three steps into
the room, I saw Mr. Jones lying by his bed-
side, covered with blood. I was very much
alarmed, and immediately went down stairs to request
the landlady to fetch a surgeon. Whilst we were at
Bangor I had seen Mr. Jones with a pair of pistols
and ball which he kept in a pistol case, and are thosa
now produced ; he amused himself there by shooting
at bottles in the water, with a young gentleman
named Todd. The last time Mr. Jones put the pis-
tols into the case, I asked him if they were loaded ; he
said they were not, after trying them with a ramroad.
The pistol case was kept in a box in the cabin, in
which there was also a daguerreotype miniature por-
trait of a young lady. He said it was his sister's.
He took that out of the box and put it into his pocket,
and then locked the box. I supposed he was going
to leave the pistol case in the cabin, but just before
leaving the vessel he said that he would take the case
with him, as the pistols wanted cleaning, and he could
get them cleaned at Chester. I never pressed him for
the money he owed me for the yacht, but there had
been a good deal of shuffling on his part respecting
it. All I know of Mr. Jones's connexions is what he
himself told me. I understand that he formerly held
a commission in the 67th Regiment, but that he had
sold it. He said his father was a colonel in the Royal
Engineers at Malta, and that he had a sister also re-
sident there. He also told me that the house in which
his uncle lived near Wrexham belonged to him, and
that he had some property in Devonshire ; he has
given me endorsed bills on his agents in Devonshire.
I never observed anything in Mr. Jones's conduct, to
induce tnl for a moment to suspect that he was not in
the possession of a sound mind.
After some unimportant evidence, the inquiry was
adjourned until Monday next.

It appears from a recent official return, that the
total number of steam-engines in France in 1845 was
207. In 1840 it was only 109. Another return re-
speetini, the product) of th© iron mines states, that in
1845 the quantity of iron east was 439,000 tons, whereas
in 1825 the quantity was only 190,000. The price of
bar iron, which in 1825 was 48f. the 100 kilogrammes,
was in 1845 only 34f,