The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-06 00:00:00

DOUBLE SUICIDE.

Last evening Mr. J. Humphreys, coroner for East
Middlesex, presided over a jury at the Three Crowns
Tavern, East-road, City-road, for the purpose of in-
quiring into the circumstances connected with the

death of Edmund Shirley, a photographisi, aged 24,
and Rosetta Greenwood, aged 18, who died from
the effects of poison.
Ellen Mills deposed—l assist Mr. Simmons in his
business at the Railway Coffee-house, City-road.
On Wednesday evening last, about half-past 10, the
two deceased came to my master's house and en-
gaged a bed. They had nothing to eat or drink.
They had engaged a bed on two other occasions,
and retired as soon as they came. They brought
nothing with them. On the Wednesday night the
young woman appeared very lively, but the young
man not so. They gave no instructions as to when
they required to be called on the following morn-
ing. I showed them upstairs to the room in which
their bodies now lie. In consequence of what Mr.
Simmons told me I went up to their room about a
quarter to 12 on Thursday morning and knocked
at the door, but obtained no answer, and I then
tried the door and found it was locked on the inside.
A policeman was then sent for by Mr. Simmons.
Mr. Simmons, proprietor of the Railway Coffee-
house, corroborated the evidence of the witness
Mills. He added—On the arrival of a policeman the
door was forced open by Sergeant Harvey. We en-
tered, and found the deceased gill lying on her back
with her arms over the bedclothes, with a white
handkerchief in her right hand, as though she was
asleep. The man was on his right side, with his
right arm round the woman's waist. There was a
white foam on his lips. The clothes were slightly
disturbed, drawn to the right side. On the man's
side of the bed was a tumbler and a bottle labelled

" poison." Those now produced are the same. The
stopper was not in the bottle, as now ; it was on
the dressing-table, with two letters. The bottle was
nearly empty, and the tumbler quite so. They were
then left until the doctor came. Both were lying
apparently asleep in their night clothes. Their day
clothes were in the room.

Police-sergeant John Harvey, 9 G, produced the
letters, which were read by the coroner. The first,
addressed to the deceased man's father, was as fol-
lows

"Dear Father,—l must now say farewell to the world.
Your dutiful wife has driven me mad, and as to live to be
so unhappy I cannot. If I had not made up my mind to
destroy myself I should hare shot Sarah out of revenge
for my sister's death, which she was the cause of. I know
she has been the cause of another deed too frightful to men-
tion. You may think I hare lost all my senses, but I can
tell you that I am as sensible as you are at the present mo-
ment. Ido not die alone, but the one I lore dies with me.
My last wish is that we may be buried together. If you
wish to find us it will be at —. I remain, your disobe-
dient son, "EDMUND SHIRLEY."
The next letter ran thus :

" Thursday.
"Dear Aunt,—By the time you receive this I shall be
no more for this world.—Frorn year most affectionate,
" ROSETTA. GICEENWOOI)."
I searched the clothes of the deceased, and found
nothing in those of the woman, but in the clothes
of the man I found 2s. 4d., two purses, a bag, and
several minor articles.

Charlotte Swain—l reside at 40, Praed-street,
Paddington. The deceased woman is my niece. She
came to me when she was about seven years old,
but has left me occasionally to visit other friends.
The last time I saw her alive was on Tuesday after-
noon last, when she left by my consent for an hour
or two. She did not return again. Her parents are
now living, but being in humble circumstances she
was allowed to remain with me after coming on a
visit. She was allowed to get her own living by
dressmaking. On the Tuesday, the day my niece
left, the male deceased called upon her, and re-
mained with her for about two hours. He did
not come into my private room. Their meeting
was by my sanction, and has been carried on for
the last five months. About three o'clock in the
afternoon she had leave to go out for an hour or
two. About 6 o'clock in the evening a person
named Strickland came in, and laying a razor on
the counter asked if I knew it. I said "No ; how
should I?" He then said '• You ought to. Rosa is
at my house ; there were two razors, and Shirley
has put one in his boot and gone away." She
gave Strickland ls. 6d. to go to Kingsland to find
Shirley's friends, but was unsuccessful. On the
Wednesday, about 6 o'clock in the evening, Strick-
land's wife came with the razor, saying that Shir-
ley had sent it, and that he (Shirley) had sent
word that he should not be seen again, but that
Rosy should come home. I did not notice that my
niece was unhappy. I thought she was unwell,
but I did not perceive that she was depressed. She
went upstairs before she went out, but I cannot
say that she brought down the razor. I cannot
say whether my deceased niece was at all privy to
the taking of the poison.
Mrs. Jane Booty, No. 2, M'Dougall's-place, Hox-
ton—l was not acquainted with the deceased young
woman until last Wednesday evening, when she
canto to my place in company with Shirley. On
my asking Shirley how he was, ho said " I am
almost mad. Jenny, take this portrait to my
father, and tell him it is the last thing I have to
give him ; and I shall never again see him alive."
Rosetta was by his side. "Look," he said, "here
is the bottle of poison." I gave the portrait into
Mr. Shirley's own hands, and I told him I believed
that his son, having no shelter or home, would de-
stroy himself. Mrs. Shirley was also told the
same thing, when she said " Oh, we have heard of
that sort of thing before." Mr. Shirley then wrote
a note to the young lady's aunt. The last words
made use of by the young lady were that she would
never leave him—she would die with him. When
they left they said they should not come again
until this business was settled;

By the Coroner—The young lady took the bottle
of poison from his hands and put it to her lips.
He took it from her, saying "It is not dissolved."
She kissed Edmund Shirley two or three times,
and said she would not leave him upon earth,
but would die with him. She said she
would not go home to be disgraced ; but if her
aunt fetched her she would go. By being disgraced
she alluded to having been out all the previous
night. That is the bottle which I saw, but there was
then something in the liquid undissolved. The
bottle was much fuller. Before they went away I
gave them some envelopes and paper, and Edmund
wrote two letters—one to his father and one to the
young lady's aunt. Those letters were taken away