The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-20 00:00:00

THE ;SUICIDES IN THE .REGENT';9

CANAL.

On Monday Mr. John Humphreys, the Middlesex
coroner, held an inquisition at the Green Man Tavern,
Hoxton Old Town, respecting the death of Mary Jane
Haycock, aged 17, and Esther Watts, aged 18 years, who
were drowned on Friday morning in the Regent's Canal.
Before, however, taking the evidence in these cases,
the learned coroner went into the circumstances attending
the death of a third woman, whose body was found in
the same canal near the spot where the above two were
recovered. Verdict: "Found drowned, but no evidence
to show how the deceased got into the water."

The inquiry into the double suicide was then gone into.
John Haycock, a dish-cover maker, living in the Cale-
donian-road, said that the deceased girl Haycock was his
daughter. She was a servant out of place. On Thursday
night she sent her little brother in to witness to say that
she had got a place. He never saw her alive afterwards.
On Friday a policeman brought witness her portrait, and
he identified it. She had a will of her own.

Esther Watts, 1, Whitby-court, St. Luke's, the wife of a
stonemason, said that the girl Watts was her daughter,
and she was also a servant. On the Thursday she came
home from her place. Witness said to her, " Getting on
with your impudence again ? " She replied, " You believe
everything that they say." There was no quarrel, and she
went back to her place again. The next that witness heard
of her was that she had been dismissed for impudence. She
kept company with a young man. Witness did not know
that she was enceinte.

Caroline Booth, 50, Golden-lane, St. Luke's, said that
she was 16 years of age. On Friday morning, between
twelve and one o'clock, she saw the two girls together on
the banks of the canal. She asked them what they
were going to do, and they replied, "We are going to
make away with ourselves." Witness knew the girl
Haycock. She said to witness, " Take this portrait to
my father. When you see him you will see me." The
girls got up on the bridge and threw their arms
round each other. They then leaped from the bridge into
the water. Before they did so they threw their jackets
and hats on the ground. We looked at the water after
they jumped from the bridge, and the water was moving.
We were then frightened, and we took the clothes up.
It was cold, and we put the hats and cloaks on while
we were walking home. There was another girl with me.
When we got home to "Blind Con's," Golden-lane, we
sent for a policeman, and he took the things from us.
The inspector said that the witness had not stated that
the deceased girls had given her 4d. and a purse before
they leaped into the water.
The witness said that the deceased Haycock said, "The
money will be of no use to us now; give them 2d. each."
They did not intend to say anything about the girls until
the next morning.

Emma Fox, the girl who was with the last witness,
corroborated her statement.

Dr. Forbes said that the girl Watts was enceinte. The
other girl was not.
The Coroner said that the two girls, Booth and Fox,
thought more of the deceased's clothes than they did of
saving life.

The jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased girls
committed suicide while of unsound mind, and the jurors
request the coroner to censure severely the girls Booth
and Fox for their conduct."