The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-28 00:00:00

SUICIDE.

Yesterday afternoon an inquisition was taken be-
fore Mr. GELL, at the sign of the Marquis of Granby,
South Andley-street, on the body of a young matt
(name unknown), apparently about 25 years of age,
who shot himself through the head with a horse-
pistol, in Kensington-gardens.
William Everard, gatekeeper of the Grosvenor-
gate, Kensington-gardens, stated that on Monday
afternoon last, between six and seven o'clock, he
heard the report of a pistol, about 100 yards front
his gate. On going to the spot, he found the de-
ceased lying on the ground, bleeding and quite dead ;
he had a small foreign horse-pistol lying on his
breast. He immediately called for assistance, and
Lord Grosvenor came up, and saw the body. His
Lordship said he would give orders at Mount-street
workhouse to have the body removed. Witness
never saw the deceased in his life before.

The beadle said that every inquiry had been made,
but they could not discover who the unfortunate
man wag. He was dressed in shabby black. The
only thing found upon him was a cotton pocket
handkerchief, and some snuff in a paper, and a book
and pencil.
The pistol and the book were produced ; in tlic
book was written in pencil,/ " Thomas Colbeck,
aged 25." It was entitled the " Book of Fate,"
translated from the German, a silly catchpenny for-
tune-telling book, stated in the preface to have been
obtained from the cabinet of curiosities belonging to
Buonaparte during the confusion at the battle of
Leipsic, after the defeat of the French army, and
also affirming that the Emperor always consulted
this oracle before he determined upon any enter-
prise. Directions are given how to work the dif-
ferent problems, and it was evident on a blank leaf
in the book the unfortunate man had been consult-
ing this oracle, from the marks he had been making,
according to the directions.
This being the whole of the evidence, the Jury
returned a verdict—" That the deceased shot him-
self in Kensington-gardens, but whether he was
sane or insane at the time, there is no evidence to
prove."

THIEVING EXTRAORDINARY.—We have
all beard of the wonderful magpie, that had an unconquer-
ablepenchant for appropriating to itself the property of
others; for which an innocent "maid was made to hear the
blame; which constitutes the ground-work of a ver:• tole-
rable drama. The jackdaws of the now roofless monas..
tery of Helyrood, appear to bear some resemblance to this
celebrated magpie, for they have also their thieving pro-
pensities. A few days ago one of these " bold outlaws"
actually carried off several yards of lace; which being oh-
served, a toldier undertook to scale the walls and recover
the lost property. To his surprise he found the following
articles in the nest :—One black worstead stocking, one
silk handkerchief, one frill, a child's cap, and the iden-
tical piece of lace which was the cause of this discovery.—
Several other articles were also found ; but in such ,e
mutilated state, that they baffled even antiquarian re-
search to give them " a local habitation and a name."—
Caledonian Mercury.
About a month since a man named JOHN
LAwt.xss, a herd on the demesne of Loan CLIFDEN, it
Gowran, in endeavouring to catch a cat which had got
into a lime-kiln, was bitten by the animal on the index-
finger of the left hand. The wound, which appeared
trifling healed in a few days, and excited no concern.
However, at the expiration of a month, LAWLESS waa
seised with a pain in the fore arm, which afterwards ex-
tended to the shoulder. The poor man being subject to a
rheumatic affection, supposed it to be merely an attack of
that nature; but on the second day the pain became vio-
lently acute, and he sent for Surgeo❑ NY.WELL, the medi-
cal attendant of the Dispensary in Gowran, who, on ex-
amination of the case, found it to be of the most alarming
kind. In the evening symptoms of hydrophobia began
to appear, and at an early hour next day, a medical prac-
titioner from this city was called in, who, on seeing the
patient, agreed in opinion with the former gentlemen
as to the nature of the disease, and that no hopes could
be entertained of the man's recovery. Every effort which
medical skill could devise was resorted to, and with the
effect of producing a consi,lerable diminution of the
dreadful sufferings which afflicted the wretched patient.
He expired on the third day (Wednesday), and has left,
we understand, a wife and six children to lament his loss.
Itigcrerator.