The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-09-11 00:00:00

INQUEST ON THE SON OF MR. STANYNOUGHT,

We briefly noticed this melancholy murder in the last
Sr Nll.l D. Au inquest was held on the body of the boy on
MotidaN.

Mr. John Finch, a schoolmaster, and one of the witnesses
examined, said that he was sent for by Mr. Stanyuought's
shopman. He ran up stairs into the back-room ou the second
floor. lie found tha door a little open. He knocked, and Mr.
Stanynought, in a very agitated tone, of voice, said, " Don't
come ill—pray don't come in. I shall shock you! " These
words he repeated several times; upon which he said, "Pray
let me come in—are von ill, what is the matter?" He then
went in the room, and found him in bed, with his son beside him
apparently asleep. He took hint by the hand, and begged hint
to tell him what was the matter. He said,'" I can't tell you, I
dare not tell :you, I shail shock you so." He entreated him to
tell him, than he might relieve him, and asked him if he should
fetch a medical man. He said it was of no use, that he had killed
his poor boy, that he had wounded himself, and that he was
dying. Witness said, " Whom shall I get? " He then pointed
to a knife and three letters w,hich lay on a chair, and said that
was the knife with which he had done the deed. He begged
witness to take the letters, and give the one to Mr. Barker, the
surgeon, and the other to his wife. The moment he saw the
knife he snatched it up, and also a razor, and put them both into
his pocket. He immediately ran for Mr. Backer, and gave him
the letter.

The witness produced one of the letters addressed to Mrs.
Stanynought, who was from home, which was read by the
coroner's clerk. Its contents were as follows :
"My dearest Locv,—l pause in my last moments to beg of
you not to give way.to despondency. This is the happiest mo-
ment which I have ever known. My poor little boy is doomed
to suffer all the misery of his father, his grandfather, his great-
grandfather, and•his great-great-grandfather, before him. This
has been the chief cause of my misery. I never knew what it
was to be happy, but have always suffered from desponding
misery. It is my own nervousness, beyond what I ever saw,
that has destroyed me beyond redemption; and you never knew
the hundredth part of my sufferings.
• "Adieu, adieu, my dear, dear wife,
- •
" H. STANYNOUGHT."
The witness ccuitinUed, that Mr. Stanynought was a man of a
most extraordinary nervous temperament. The unfortunate
man sometimes justified, and then the next moment would la-
ment what he had done, and exclaim, " How could I do it; how
could I kill my poor boy ? " He said he had,,never recovered
the death of his poor girl. Witness had hirkself observed a
great change in him since that event. His daughter died about
four months ago. _ •

The jury re—turned a verdict of " Wilful murder," but added
that they, entertained a strong belief that at the time of com-
mitting the. act Mr. Stanynought was labouring under mental
delusion. •

The death of the boy Stanynought has been followed by the
awfully sudden death of a Mr. Bales, an auctioneer, who lived
next dootto Mr. Stanynought, and had been for many years on
very intimate terms with the family of this unfortunate man.
lie had gone down to Dartford to bring up a brother.of Mr.
Stanynought, and had been so affected and excited by the mur-
der of the child of his friend, as well as the attempt on his own
life, that death was tha consequence. He expired about ten
on Sunday morning. An inquest was held on his body on
Tuesday.