The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-03 00:00:00

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DOUBLE SUICIDE
PECTED MURDER.
NOTTINGHAM, WEDNESDAY.—A shockin ee
discovered here this morning—the suicide o
and it is feared that to the heavy crime of s -
yet deeper offence of parricide must be added. gi yAv m
The two brothers alluded to were William-ViticSaWer''`—
a AT
-
Collyer, both joiners, residing in Coal-court, Parliament-
street, of the respective ages of 36 and 32. Their father
(also named Samuel) was 73 years old, and possessed 14
houses in the court, but the property is so heavily mortgaged
as to be really of little value. The family also included a
young woman named Elizabeth, aged 37, of whom more
anon. The father and his sons lived together, and were of
most singular habits; latterly they employed no female ser-
vant, but washed, cooked, &c., themselves.
On the Gth of August, 1842, a discovery was made which
brought the family under the public notice. A man named
Charles Pearce, in passing the house, heard a cry of murder,
and on looking through the cellar grating, perceived the young
woman, and one of her brothers beating her. He immedi-
ately informed the police, and the matter was investigated.
The young woman was found in the cellar, miserably clad,
having on only an old coat, a ragged flannel petticoat, and
a nightcap. She was also in a most wretched state of filthi-
ness ; her hair was dishevelled, and her finger nails were de-
scribed in the local press at the time as being like a bird's
claws. The brothers denied the ill-treatment, and alleged
that their sister being insane could not be kept in a more
decent state. The poor woman was eventually removed to
the Asylum, where she has been ever since.
The neighbours, however, were far from satisfied, and
have uniformly treated the family with great shyness.
The father and the eldest son have also seemed to grow
very dejected ; • but the youngest went about as usual, col-
lected the rents, and behaved, in short, as if nothing had
happened.
About five o'clock this morning, Charles Sewell, a rope-
maker, employed by Mr. Baker, went to work in a field near
Shaw's-lane, and on going into the shed, to his great alarm .
found the two men suspended within two feet of each other,
from the roof, one by a pair of braces, and the other by a
cord. Sewell ran for assistance, and the bodies were cut
down ; but, though they were warm, life was quite extinct.
Information was of course given to the police, who im-
mediately proceeded to their house, but the old man
was missing. It. appears that at two o'clock on Sunday
morning, the driver of the London train passed him on
the Midland Railway, near Beeston, and having taken in
the train returned with the engine to see who he was. Col-
lyer told him that he had missed the road, and had therefore
come on the lice, hoping, thereby, to find his way to Not-
tingham. . . _

fie was taken to the station, but soon afterwards he was
allowed to go away; and he has not been heard of since.
What has become of him is, therefore, a matter of mere con-
jecture, but the circumstances of both sons choosing the same
time and place to commit self-destruction has given rise to
very grave suspicions.
A. rumour is afloat that the old man has been found
drowned in the canal at Lenton, about two miles from the
town.
In the house of the deceased, which was miserably fur-
nished, and appeared to have been ransacked, two shillings
and threepence, several ancient coins, and four or five pawn
tickets, were the only articles found that require particular
mention.

THE LATE MURDER and SUICIDE
AT BRIGHTON WORKHOUSE.
BaIGUTON, WEDNESDAY.—An inquest on the bodies of
the woman Norman and her infant child was held this morn-
ing,before F. H. Gell, Esq., coroner. The jury having been
sworn proceeded to view the bodies, which were lying on a
bed in the upper part of the house. On their return the evi-
dence was gone into.
Mr. Samuel Thorncroft, the assistant overseer of Brighton,
deposed—Early in November last the woman Norman ap-
plied to me for relief, and a few days after to be admitted
into the workhouse. She was admitted with her three
children, of the ages of nine, seven, and the deceased
infant. Another child is living in London. Her parish
was St. Mary's, Islington. I did not notice that. her mind
seemed affected, but she talked about her station in life and
the manner in which she was brought up. She seemed to
want to get back to her parish. She said she could not
bring up her children without a servant, which would cost
her 21. a week, and she wished to remain in the house till her
husband was discharged from prison, for housebreaking.
The deceased woman was 36 years old. She was of good
education, and told me she had been brought up in a board-
ing-school, at her uncle's expense. The coroner added that
her father's name was Parker.
Mr. Rugg, a parish surgeon, deposed to having attended
deceased regularly for the last ten days. She complained of
nervousness and lowness of spirits, and speaking of her child's
weaning said she had but little milk, and that the suckling
hurt her and the child too. Her illness was more mental
than bodily, and she seemed a woman of strong feeling. Saw
her on Monday, at noon, when she appeared more rational,
and spoke with gratitude of the kindness received from the
matron. Saw her again the following morning quite dead,
with her throat cut. The child's throat was also cut, and
the windpipe cut through, but the child lived a few hours.
The knife with which the murder was committed is a
blunt one, and escaped the jugular vein in the child's throat
in a singular manner. Witness thought a temporary flow of
blood had produced insanity.
The governor of the workhouse, Mr. John Bartlett, deposed
that the deceased woman always had every indulgence. She
appeared a kind mother, and sometimes, witness thought, too
indulgent. She avoided speaking of her husband. She lived
twenty minutes after she cut her throat.
Deborah Jenkins, an inmate of the workhouse, deposed to
sleeping in the same room as the deceased woman. She
complained on Monday of a pain at the top of her head.
She asked a number of questions, and looked very wild, and
her eyes seemed much larger. She asked if witness would
be kind to her children. Witness replied she would be
kind to the baby. She then asked witness how her mother
died, and witness said she was burnt to death. She cried
about her boys, and said they would be left fatherless and
motherless. She said, "Oh dear, Deborah," and shook wit-
ness's hands. She said she must die, and before that day
week. She had a Bible in her hand. Deceased had the baby
with her up to half-past nine on Tuesday morning. She said
to the baby in the morning, "Bless your little lips," and told
witness that she had prayed all night that it might die.
Witness gave Mrs. Tomkins the baby at half-past six.
Susan French, another inmate, deposed she was with de-
ceased till half-past nine in the morning, when deceased and
child were in bed together. She left the room for about two
minutes, and when she returned deceased was standing
bleeding from a gash in her throat. Deceased did not speak.
A thought struck witness of the child, and upon running
into the room she found the child lying in a pool of blood
with its throat cut. Deceased, before the act, expressed her-
self very anxious to see her two other children, which the
matron would not allow.
The jury returned a verdict " That the deceased destroyed
herself and child in a fit of insanity."