The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-20 00:00:00

DREADFUL SUICIDE.

Saturday forenoon, Mr. Bedford held an inquiry at
the Cavalry Barracks, Knightsbridge, touching the
death of Henry Robert Pearcock, aged 23, a private in
the 2d Regiment of Life Guards, who destroyed himself
while under confinement in the black hole. The jury,
having been sworn, viewed the body, which lay in the
black hole, a place twelve feet by eight, and so ill venti-
lated, as to call forth remarks from the Coroner and the
.Jury. The deceased was lying extended on his back,
on a kind of bench, which served him for a bed ; the
whole of the front of his shirt was burnt, and exposed a
pistol shot wound on the left breast, over the region of
the heart. The bullet had passed completely through
the body, and was found fixed in the wall behind the bed.
Charles Adkins, lance-corporal in the 2d Life
Guards, deposed that he was a private in the same regi-
ment. At ten o'clock on Tuesday night last, he
Limited the deceased on sentry in the stable-yard. and it
was his duty to have remained there two hours ; but at
quarter-past 11 it was discovered that deceased had
left his post, and had broken out of barracks, which he
effected by scaling a wall. At a quarter past one the
'ollowing morning, deceased returned to barracks in a
state of excitement, when, acting according to regimental
orders, he placed him under arrest, and confined him in
the black•hole, where be remained until six o'clock,
when he was removed to the guard-room, and a sentry
placed over him. At noon the same day deceased was
conveyed before the colonel, who sentenced him to be
confined in the black-hole for 168 hours, and to be after-
wards confined in barracks for three weeks. The de-
ceased was marched back to the black-hole, and his mat-
tress and bedding were brought to him, and before he
was left witness examined the whole of the place, toge-
ther with his clothes and bedding, to see that deceased had
nothing improper in his possession ; he even searched under
the mattress to see that he had no lucifer matches con-
cealed, in case of accidents. He visited him again at a
quarter-past two, accompanied by Corporal Read, in
whose custody he left him. The decease& did not ap•
pear at all depressed in spirits on account of the sentence,
which was an extremely mild one; there were no fire-
arms in his possession when he lett, nor could he at all
account for the way in which he got the pistol, as none
but non-commissioned officers and trumpeters are al-
lowed that kind of arms. The pistol found in the
accused's place of confinement belonged to the trum-
peter of the troop to which deceased was attached, and
was kept in a rack in the barrack-room, accessible to
any one. _ .

Corporal Sweedy deposed that at one o'clock at noon
on Friday, be accompanied the orderly officer to the
blackhole, and on opening the door looked in, and seeing
the deceased lying on the bed, he remarked, " All right
—he is asleep," and left. In about five minutes after-
wards the person who entered with the deceased's dinner
exclaimed, "That he had cut his throat." Witness went
in immediately, and saw him in the position he was seen
by his officer. He had a pistol•shot wound on his left
breast. Mr. M'Cullogh, the assistant-surgeon, was sent
for immediately, who, on his arrival, pronounced him
dead. He could not account for the way in which the
pistol got there, nor had he or any of the guard which
was on the spot beard the report of the pistol.
After some further evidence had been given, but with-
out elucidating any fresh facts,
The CORONER summed up the case, and
The jury returned the following verdict:—" That the
deceased died from a pistol shot wound, inflicted by him-
self whilst in a state of temporary insanity."