The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-19 00:00:00

SUICIDES; BY POISON AT HAMPSTE.ID. shl

Yesterday afternoon Mr. Wakley, the coroner for ;West
Middlesex, held inquests at Hampa'ead Workhouse, on the
bodies of two gentlemen, who died by poison, administered
by themselves, on Hampstead-heath. Both cases were of
.1,1 very distressing character. The first case was. that of
'lr. Edward Prior, who has for some years past carried
ea the business of a hosier, in Finsbury-place North.
Mr. Edward Prior, the father cf the deceased, said he last
sa4v.his son alive at his own residence No. 22, Manchester-
terrace, Liverpool-road, Islington. He was then poorly, and
witness sent for a medical man. On the Friday previously,
the mother of the deceased went to his house In Finsbury-
Place, and offered to mind his business, as was her custom
on a Friday, when the deceased usually went out. Ile
declined tc avail himself of his mother's services, and after-
wards wrote her a letter staring that he knew his family
intended to betray him, and that he had at last discovered a
safe way of putting an end to his miserable life. He men-
tioned the name of a young lady, which the coroner very
Properly refused to make public.
I Policeman 413 S deposed that he found the deceased
!hug on the heath al,ont two o'clock on Monday
nestling, near the Spaniards public-house, in a state of
Insensibility. At first he thought he was intoxicated,
the
he immediately afterwards found that be was on
re point of death. He removed him to the workhoase,
sJut he was dead before be arrived there. He took from
she person of the deceased three half-sovereigns, B'.
in silver, 131 d. in coppers, a small bottle full of tincture
myrrh, and a Testament, the ribands which pointed to
Lee fith chapter of St. Malls and the 9th chapter of St. John.
The jury returned as their verdict that the deceased de-
strLyed himself by poison while in an unsound state of
/13s and passed a eulogium upen the chemist's ass:stant,
r the discretion he had exercised in refusing to serve the
deceased with the large amount of laudanum applied for.
The second case was that of Mr. William Ashcombe, sur-
neon, of No. 5, King street, Cheapside.
health
Frederick Mountford, of Woodbine Cottage, Vale of
flealtb, Hampstead, said he was a wine-merehant, and an
L'lltituate friend of the deceased, who called upon him at about
"alf-past seven o'clock on Tuesday night, and purposed
teturning by the last OMD ibus for London, which left H amp-
tilit'ati at half-past nine. Witness offered to accompany
Int as far as the starting place of the omnibus, and had
proceeded as far as his garden gate when he fuund that
ilii—friend was not following him. He went back and
'Und him sitting in a dying state in the easy-chair.
tit.. Richard Gossett ritrown, the medical gentleman whO
ra, sent for, said he found that the deceased had taken a
Cite close of prussic acid, and this was confirmed by the fact
I:,tpoliceman on searching the lace found an eturty
Itle, labelled " Acidum hydrecyauup
rn."
that the uecet.sed
insist appeared from subsequent evidence
F,'" had an execution put in his house for £3l, and that this
I.°l)Ably preyed upon his mind. At Mr.
to`nfo house,
°,!ever, be was merry, and appeared be very happy.
tr 4.4 jury returned as their verdict that the deceased de-
eb°3'ed himself by taking poison but that there was not
"'levee to lead them to a conelLion as to the state of his
kind.

The Countess of Antrim and Lady Helen Mae-
-014101 have left town on a tour of visits.
,The Lord Chancellor left town on Tuesday, to
i°La Lady Chelmsford and family at l‘lalvern.

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