The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-21 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.--LANCISTER, AUG. 18.
(Before Mr. Baron GURNEY at Nisi Prius.)
THE KING V. LORD.

This was an indictment for perjury. The defendant,
MrS. Ann Lord, is the relict of a Mr. Lawrence Lord,
who, up to 1817, carried on the blanket-manufacture at
Rochdale, in this county. In May, 1817, he (Mr. Law-
rence Lord) died, first having made his will, in which he
bequeathed a sum of 8001. to each of his five daughters,
with an annuity of 601. to his widow, the defendant, ap-
poititing Mr. John Lord, his brother, and three others, his
executors. John Lord took the sole management of the
trust, and managed the concern in conjunction with a Mr.
Barnes, the partner of his deceased brother Lawrence. He,
however, subsequently commenced business for himself, and,
which, after carrying on for some years, he, in the year
1828, died, leaving some considerable property. Previous
to his death he made his will, and left to the daughters of
his brother Lawrence, to whom he was executor, a sum of
3001. each, upon the condition that they would not call on
the executors of their father for an account of his assets.
The legacy was left, as it was stated, from affection, but it
was coupled with the foregoing condition. The four elder
daughters received their 800/7 each, but Alice Lord, the
younger had not come of age. Some time after the
death of John Lord, his executors, who are his resi-
duary legatees, tendered the 3001. each to the five daugh-
ters, which was accepted by four of them. But Alice, the
younger, who had not then received her 800/., refused to
receive her 300/. ; her so doing, coupled with the condition
would release her uncle's executors from the payment of the
800/. By advice she filed a bill in Chancery, and the
Court ordered a reference to the master to report whether
it would be for her benefit that the executors of her uncle
should furnish an account of the disposition of the assets of
her father. The Master reported that it would be for her
benefit to file a bill to call on her uncle's executors (the
present prosecutors) to furnish an account, which they did,
and by those accounts it appeared that John Lord bad re-
ceived, as executor of Lawrence, a sum of 19,000/., which
in working that concern, and another he subsequently em-
barked in, realized a profit of nearly 9,0001. Upon this
appearing the prosecutors, who were named residuary lega-
tees, were called upon for an account of these different
sums. In the course of these proceedings it was necessary
that the defendant, Mrs. Ann Lord, should make an affi-
davit, which she did, in which she swore that the late John
Lord, after her husband's death, managed the business not
only as executor but as a partner, having a small share in
the concern. It was on this affidavit that perjury was al-
leged, it having been denied that such was the case.
In support of the prosecution, several proceedings in
Chancery were put in, and evidence was called to show that
John Lord acted only in the character of an executor, and
not in that of a partner.

Mr. Pw.Locx, for the Defendant, reprobated the pro-
secution in a most eloquent speech. He contended that it
was a base experiment upon the weakness of an aged fe-
male, who made an affidavit in matters in which she was by
no means interested, and which was in point of fact true.
He had no language to express the indignation which he
felt upon the occasion, and he was sure it pervaded the
minds of those he had the honour to address, and under
that conviction he fearlessly demanded an acquittal for his
client.

Mr. Baron GURNEY summed up the evidence, and the
Jury immediately returned a verdict of Not Guilty.

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—GLOUCESTER, Aua. 18.
ELECTION RIOTS.

William Grey, Alexander Tottor, and John Gearge
pleaded guilty to a charge of having riotously assaulted
John Cook and Charles Gillman.
Mr. FRANCILLON stated that the riots to which the de-
fendants had pleaded guilty occurred on the first day of the
polling for the East Gloucestershire election, and that a
party of between 500 and 600 men, many of them armed
with bludgeons, had assembled, and broke the windows of
two of the hotels at Cheltenham.
His LORDSHIP sentenced each of the defendants to be
imprisoned for three months.
Henry Young and Joseph Pardoc, two bargemen, were
charged with robbing William Barrett of two sovereigns,
three ten-pound notes, and eight five-pound notes.
Many witnesses deposed to circumstances connecting
the prisoners with the robbery, and the Jury found them
Guilty.
The prisoners were again charged with robbing Thomas
Gibbs of 4s.

The Jury found both the prisoners Guilty.
The prisoner Parnoe strongly asserted his innocence on
this last charge, and the other prisoner fell down in a fit.
Mr. Justice WILLIAMS ordered judgment of death to be
recorded against both the prisoners.

REPORTED MURDER of TIMOTHY O'BRIEN,
AT ISLINGTON, BY TRADES' UNIONISTS.

CORONER'S INQUEST.—Yesterday afternoon an inquest
was held on view of the body of the above unfortunate man,
at the White Swan, Islington, when the following evidence
was given :

Mr. Edward Clipper Dillon, surgeon, of Clarke-place,
Islington, on Sunday last, about three o'clock, was called
upon to attend the deceased, whom he found lying in bed
at a house in Parsley's-court, Islington. He was dead, but
not quite cold. Being satisfied he could do nothing for
him, he called in several persons to inquire respecting the
deceased's death, when he was informed that he had been
struck by a man under the right ear. On Monday witness
took a post nzortem examination of the body. He found a
swelling under the right ear of a bluish colour, a scratch
on the left shoulder, with a bluish mark around it, and the
Lick part of the body was of a livid colour, as also the face.
There was an effusion of blood on the brain, produced by
the rupture of a blood-vessel. The injuries were sufficient
to cause death.
Thomas Costellolived in Parsley's-court, Islington. About
three o'clock on Sunday last, he saw a man named Dunn
and deceased in that court. The latter want3d Dunn to
fight him, and they sparred together, and the deceased fell
down. Dunn then said deceased could not fight, and pushed
him in his own house, which is close to witness's, against
his will. While deceased was scuffling with Dunn, a man
called Pat Carney came up, and struck the former over the
eye, saying at the time, " Tim, what have you to say
about me ?" Witness then walked away, and was unable to
say what happened afterwards.
John Tye, shoemaker, of George-court, Islington, stated
that the man Carney, who is now in custody, lodged in his
house. Last Sunday afternoon, at three o'clock, he was at
his own house when Carney came in and said that O'Brien
(deceased) and his wife were following him. Witness looked
out of the window and saw the deceased and his wife com-
ing down the court. His wife was endeavouring to prevent
his coming along, but he persisted and endeavoured to force
his way into witness's house. Deceased's wife pulled him
back, for doing which he struck her. Witness blocked up
the door, and when deceased found he could not gain ad-
mittance, he exclaimed, " Send him out and I'll knock his
brains out." Shortly after Carney went out by a side door
and knocked deceased down. Deceased's wife took up mud
and stones and pelted Carney, who came in the house again.
Juror—Was Carney drunk?—Witness--I cannot say.
He generally got drunk on Sundays.
The CORONER summed up the evidence in his usual
clear manner, and the Jury, after viewing the body, re-
turned the following verdict—" Manslaughter against Pa-
trick Carney," who was committed to Newgate.

The masons of Newcastle have " struck," it seems,
for an advance of wages; they require twenty instead of
eighteen shillings a week. We did hope that the " strike" of
the pitmen, which proved so disastrous both to the employers
and the employed, more especially to the latter, would have
taught workmen of every description, in this district at least,
the folly of adopting such a course.—Tyne Mercury.

ON THE FREQUENCY -OF SUICIDE IN

FRANCE.

The inclination to suicide, to whatever first cause it may
be attributed, is from its very nature more contagious than
is generally believed ; it tends, like all nervous affections,
to increase by imitation ; no medical man doubts of this.
It is, therefore, much 'to be lamented that the journals
publish accounts of the suicides so frequent at this moment,
and give details of all the attendant circumstances. These
imprudent revelations, intended only to excite the feelings
of their readers by tragical emotions, have much more
fatal consequences on some constitutions ; they familiarize
the mind to the idea of a voluntary death, sometimes even
suggest the mode, and frequently bring on the sad catas-
trophe by the uncontrollable effects of example. We
have no hesitation in saying that the publicity given to
cases of suicide provokes at the same time the commission
of it. It is, therefore, to be wished that the daily press
should reject all communications of the kind. The sort of
suicide epidemic which appears to be prevalent at this mo-
ment, would certainly decrease if the knowledge of it was
kept back, whereas publicity does but nourish it.
Our readers being of a particular class, we are enabled to
make a few observations on this serious subject, without
running the risk of deserving the blame we attribute to the
general press. It is even possible, if not probable, that
some of the journals of the widest circulation, and most
sought after for this sort of matter, may pay a little atten-
tion to our warning, and that they may in future be less
prodigal of these fatal recitals, the tendency of which the
authors are ignorant of.

Suicide sometimes assumes an epidemical character.
History gives many examples of this strange phenomenon.
We find in Plutarch that at a time when the young women
and girls of Miletos were in great affliction at beirv, de-
prived of the society of their husbands, lovers, and brothers
almost all gone to the wars, a great number hung them-
selves, and as if to imitate each other.

At the time of the Ptolemies, a Stoic philosopher hav-
ing delivered in public, at Alexandria, an elegant apology
for suicide, a great number of his hearers, carried away by
his eloquence, put an end to their existence. Sydenham
relates that in the month of June, 1697, in the town of
Mansfield, without any assignable cause, numerous cases
of suicide occurred : the same thing took place in the
summer of 1811, at Stutgardt ; in 1803, at Rouen ; in
1813, at the village of Saint-Pierre-Monjeau, in the Va-
lais. M. Esquirol, who states these examples (Diet. of
Med. Sc.), relates also, that, in 1793, there were 1,300
suicides at Versailles—an immense number, when the po-
pulation of the town is considered._

It would be easy to find in history many similar facts.
These fact prove that, though suicide is generally an iso-
lated act, provoked by circumstances purely personal, it may
sometimes, by the influence of causes more or less defin-
able, become so frequent, that the writers have assimilated
it to an epidemic.
We do consider that the suicides which have occurred of
late, and of which the papers daily speak, are sufficiently
frequent to form a positive epidemic, such as those related
above. They are, besides, for the most part, as far as
the facts can be ascertained, produced by various causes,
whereas many of the epidemics found in history originated
in a general cause, such as public misfortunes, generally-
spread religious notions, &q. Still, the increase in the
number of suicides is so great at present, as to evince a
serious change in what we may call the moral constitution
of society. Thus, as we designate under the appellation of
medical constitution, the general conditions, whether at-
mospherical, whether medical, which predispose for a cer-
tain time rather to certain diseases than to others, or which
mingle together symptoms general and common to or-
dinary diseases, so we may suppose, in the intellectual and
moral order, variations analogous to those in the physical
order, which influence the common train of the passions
and ideas, as the former do the constitution.

The researches after these causes:are always very difficult.
We can do little more than seize the generalities, always
too vague, since comprehending the whole they explain no-
thing. No doubt each suicide has its own cause, and the
more usually definable ; in many cases it is the effect of
mania, of hypochondria, or some other shade of madness ;
most frequently it is but an act of despair, brought about
by a sudden reverse of fortune, the fear of dishonour, or
unfortunate love ; these causes are in most cases known.
But why do not these causes act with the same force at all
times ? The circumstances arising from situations which
may lead to suicide, exist much the same amongst civilized
nations ; there are at all times ruined gamblers, deceived
lovers, disappointed ambition, in short, desperate situations ;
but why is a voluntary death at certain times looked upon
as the only means of safety ?
Under the tyranny of the emperors at the time of the
dissolution of the empire, the most distinguished Romans
killed themselves with a readiness which is to us astonish-
ing. Suicide, decided on after reflection, was looked upon
as an act of virtue ; it became a fashion among the sect of
the Stoics, and it was difficult to conceive that an honest
man, a citizen, could die otherwise. The Mexicans and
the Peruvians, after the conquest of their country and the
destruction of their religion and laws, killed themselves in
despair. Thousands perished in this manner. But public
calamities and tyranny do not always produce the same
effect. Other nations similarly situated submit to the
yoke, revolt,or emigrate. The 1,300 suicides at Versailles,
in 1793, may be accounted for by the unparalleled misfor-
tunes of the time ; but how many other towns are there not
less ravaged by the revolution, which offer nothing of the
kind ?

In Paris, even during the time of the Terreur, the num-
ber of suicides did not exceed the usual number. Why
such different effects with the existence of like causes
That is what neither history nor statistical calculations can
teach us.

The tendency to suicide, independent of the exterior
causes to which it may be attributed, would seem to be
also influenced by a seeret agency quite special, as being
the law or the regulator of its development. Without pre-
tending to lay down our opinion as law, we think that the
bias to imitation must be placed foremost as causing this
influence. This tendency to repeat physical actions, or
moral impressions, is inherent in the nature of man and of
animals—it is one of the most active agents in producing
sociability : this is demonstrated by numberless facts. In
cases of illness the propensity to imitation has been re-
marked by all the observers. All nervous affections are
liable to be transmitted by this means.
We think it useless to support this assertion by proofs
which are to be met with everywhere. It will suffice, then,
if we show the particular share this influence has in the
propagation of suicide, in the midst of the general causes
which are the fountain head.

In our time the exterior causes which may lead to the
idea of suicide are very numerous in France, and especially
in the capital, The high state of civilization—the great
fortunes—the clashing of interests—the repetition of poli-
tical commotions, keep the mind in a state of extraordinary
moral tension. Life does not run on smoothly and regularly ;
it precipitates itself like a torrent. All extremes meet
and shock each other ; in all the careers in which human
activity is employed, there is an anxiety to reach the gaol
at a gallop : honours, riches, power, glory, renown, seem to
have no value in the pretenders' eyes, if they are to be
earned by the sweat of their brows ; they must be obtained
by surprise, by coups declats—space must be cleared at
one step, place an abyss between the yesterday and the to-
to-morrow, and nothing is attempted, but all or nothing.
In the midst of this terrible confusion, the majority re-
mains in the rear, and the small minority, which has risen
so suddenly, frequently falls with the same rapidity it had
ascended. Such a life must create many misfortunes, re-
grets, despair, moral wounds, and afterwards a distaste for
life. Such, in part, are most generally the causes of sui-
cide. To this must be added the state of licentiousness of
the public spectacles, which present unpunished crime,
human miseries without consolation, without moral coun-
terpoise ; and this vulgar literature, infested with a bastard
philosophy, declaiming against society, against human insti-
tutions, against all the forms of the duty of man, and the exe-
cution of which is a duty ; which celebrates the vengeful
assassination, absolves highwaymen, under the pretence that
the state of society is unbearable, and that recognizes no
genius but when accompanied in its march by spleen, poi-
son, and a pair of pistols. All persons who frequent the
theatres, who read novels, • will agree that we do not
exaggerate.
These causes -produce suicide, pervert the ideas, by up-
setting individual situation ; they sow the first seed in the
mind which the first occasion brings to bear. That these
vague influences to moral disorder assume the shape of sui-
cide, it is only necessary that a few examples, accompanied
with striking details, repeated by a thousand tongues, beset
the imagination already predisposed, and offer to put an end to
their misfortunes. An unfortunate wretch has killed himself,
why should not I, who am unfortunate, do the like ? Is
my case less desperate ? Have I not, the same reasons for
hating life ? Such is the first link in• the chain of reason-
ing provoked by the • example of suicide, and logic soon
brings on the consequence. Two young men of 30 had en-
tered into trade together, and their business was prospe-
rous. The younger, for what reason no one knows, blows
out his brains ; a week after the other does precisely the
same thing. This occurred under our own eyes not more
than a fortnight ago. Even the mode of execution is
pointed out by the instinct of imitation.
The women of Miletos hung themselves ; the women of
Lyons, towards the middle of the last century, threw them-
selves into the Rhone—now they throw themselves from a
rock, or suffocate themselves with the fumes of charcoal.—
Latterly every suicide has been followed by its fellow, exe-
cuted in the same manner.

It is to this fatl;T inexplicable contagion of example
that may be attributed, in part, the numerous suicides which
we have heard of, without real eauses existing. But, then,

-causes would not always produce the fatal result, were it
not for the. additional influence of example.
The medical professor has no direct advice to offer
against a malady placed so far beyond his reach, the causes
of which are, moreover, so- multiplied and general, as causes
escape even the legislator, to whom the moral and mat_e:
rial direction of society is confided. Suicide is one of th
distinctive attributes of the human species. Nothing .
eradicate it from the earth ; so that medical, no ti.ol.e thatt
morel, or political science, can indicate a prevention to .so
fatal a propensity. But if its original causes cannot b._
reached, those causes may be indicated which propagate
and favour it, and of this number publicity given to cat's"
t
trophes of the land is certainly one. In indulging b,
reflections, we have aimed less at fathoming the gener,3o
causes of suicide, which are too deeply implanted in t'
heart of man and in his social state to be removed, than at
indicating the only means likely to avail of diminishing the
frequency of such a crime. These means arc absolu
silence as to the facts, of suicide. We give this counsel
which will, no doubt, be more approved than followed.
Gazette Illedicale.