The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-12 00:00:00

SUICIDE 1N _HULL.

On Monday morning, considerable excitement
was caused in Kingston-street, Hull, in consequence
of the report that Mrs. Ann Bullock, -wife of a sea-
man, and for a long time 'resident in Kingston-
street, had committed suicide by poisoning herself
with laudanum. Being well known by the neigh-
bours, the event caused various conjectures as to
the reason which induced the poor woman `to
commit the rash act to be made; and the chief
opinion amongst the parties was, that it was pecu-
niary difficulties which had operated upon the wo-
man's mind, and had resulted in the melancholy
circumstance which we have to record. From the
evidence deposed to at the inquest, which was held
on Tuesday afternoon, at the Manor House Tavern,
it appears that Capt. Mortier, of the steamer
Swanland, had lodged with her for the last 17 or
18 years, and that she had frequently borrowed
money of him whilst her husband was at sea, hut
he having been away a few weeks for the benefit
of his health to Harrowgate and Xnaresbro' Mrs.
Bullock had during his absence abstracted from his
cash-box three sovereigns, and it would seem that
Mr. Mortier had returned home earlier than she
had expected him, and before she had replaced the
money ; and the fear of the discovery of this cir-
cumstance appears to have been the cause of her
determining to commit suicide. On Sunday night,
she went to the shop of Mr. Fullham, chemist and
druggist, Myton-place, purchased some drops of
sweet nitre, and afterwards asked Mr. Fullham if
laudanum was a good thing .to rub the cheek with
for the "tic," to which the latter replied that it
was used for the "tic" by some persons, when Mrs.
Bullock then said she would take six pennyworth.
Mr. Fullham said she would not require six penny-
worth to rub her cheek with, when she said it was
for her mother, who had taken laudanum for a great
number of years ; and the laudanum was ultimately_
served to her, the bottle being labelled " poison,'
and Mx. Fullham cautioning her to be careful with
it. Mr. Fullham knew the woman, and noticed no-
thing suspicious in her demeanour. Her husband
is second mate of the St. Petersburg steamer, and
went with that vessel to sea this day (Thursday)
fortnight, and the other inmate of the b ouse, besides
Mrs. Bullock and Capt. Mortier, was a son of the
former, aged 11 years, and this son slept with his
mother whilst his father was at sea. The nitre
which she had procured was to put into some gruel
for the son, and he and his mother went to bed at the
usual hour, shortly after 10 o'clock. Capt. Mortier
arrived on Saturday, but Mrs. Bullock did not
appear to be any way different than usual intil
Sunday after tea, when Captain Mortier, who had
been asleep on the sofa, on waking found Mrs. Bul-
lock crying, but she would not state what was the
matter. Mr. Mortier afterwards went to bed, and
was awoke about 11 o'clock by hearing the boy
crying. He went to Mrs. Bullock's bed room, and
the boy told him that his mother had drunk some-
thing out of a cup. He (Mr. M.) asked her what
she had taken, and pointing to a bottle upon the
table she said it would tell. On looking it was found
to be labelled "poison," and the lad was at once
sent for Dr. Bell, returning shortly afterwards
with that gentleman's partner, Mr. Soulsby. In the
interim between sending for the doctor and his arri-
val, Mrs. Bullock stated as the cause for taking the
poison that she had been to his (Mr. M.'s) cash box,
and could not make it up ; and on examining it after-
wards it was found that £3 had been taken out of
the box. On Dr. Soulsby arriving two emetics
were administered. The stomach pump was after-
wards applied. The laudanum, however, appears to
have done its deadly work before the arrival of me-
dical aid, and death ensued about half-past eight
o'clock on Monday morning.
The jury after having been locked up for upwards
of an hour could not agree—nine of them were for
a verdict of temporary insanity and the other three
for a verdict amounting to felo de se. Ultimately
they returned an open verdict—namely, that "She
died from the effects of poison administered by her-
self, but whether she was then in a sane state there
was no evidence to show."—Eastern Counties
_Herald.