The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-11-19
ion of his frauds became inevitable, death had

that his recollection of what ii cost him to be
elected for the borough of Sligo used to make
him shudder, and he was not man easily ap-
palled at the expense of anything be wanted.
Levers description of him, under the soubri-
quet off, Davenport Dunn" does him, think,
injustice. His manners generally were quiet
and imperturbable, and you were led to wonder
at the influence he exercised over every one
who approached him but it is not true that
bis eyes never sparkled with fun. have seen
him when his whole face was lit up, and heard
him tell story in which various characters
were introduced and initiated with admirable
point and vivacity. For a man in his position,
and with his wealth ard influence, he was the
least OBSERVATIONS person / ever met Although
on the most intimate terms with many of them,
he was no ssrvile adnirer of the aristocracy.
Perhaps he knew them too intimately for any
excessive admiration. I have seen him chat
ting and laughing Familiarity in his own Office
with such men as the present Duke of Buck.
ingham, then the Marquis of Chandos, whose
Irish estates he managed; with the present
Lord Portarlington, over whose fathers estates
he was appointed receiver by the Lord Chan
cellor; and with the present Lord Clifton, the
man who Lost seven hundred thousand pounds
before he was twentyfv years of age, and one
hundred and fifty thousand pounds in three
nights play at a private table at Brighton-and
paid it, too! In the years l854-'5, John Sad
her was large purchaser ct the sales under the
Encountered Estates Act" Much of this
property was os' ensiby purchased as trustee,
but it was well Understood among his friends
that he was the real owner. His success in
the management of the London and County
Bank" made him much sought after by bank
ing and railway companies in London.
In the year 1855 he was intimately connect
| ed, either as president or leading director, with
the following great institutions, having their
offices In London: the 6 and Junction R abroad,
the East K-nt r abroad, the Swiss r abroad
the Rome Ralr oad, the Swedish Railroad, of
which he was the chairman, besides several
coal and mining companies, with enormous cap
itals, whose names l do not remember. He
was, besides, large speculator, and was quite
| Indifferent as to the article he speculated in.
AS an instance of this, he is said to have lost
J 100000 III sugars on three days. fall. His
losses at this time must have been immense.
and doubtless preciptated the terrible catss.
trophe of his suicide. IL has been discovered,
since that event, that his brother James, who
was the manager of the Tipperary Bark, allow
ed him TO overdraw his account f230 900, or
over million of dollars, and be forged Sweden
railway and other shares to the amount of
G200 900 more.
| Inc VVUtcuGue cause Oh nlS SUICIDE was the
certainty of his being detected as forger of
deed of the q" Eucumbered Estates Com mis-
sions." On Saturday, the 18th of February,
1856, he sold to Mr. Wilkinson, a solicitor of
London, an estate in the County Limerick, Ire
land; received from him the purchase-money,
| les, 000,) and gave that gentleman what pur
ported to be the original deed, with the usual
assignment.
Upon calling at Mr.. Wilkinson's Office later
| in the day, be learned, to his dismsy, that he
had just started for Ireland, taking the deeds
with him. Detection, he knew, was now in
evitable, and death had no horrors for him
equal to the shame of discovery. With that
stern composure that only such men are cana.
bic o., be calmly prepared for the worst. He
called upon his solicitors-the Messrs. Norris,
of Bedford Rowland made some arrangements
for taking up liabilities of the Tipperary ank,
that would mature on the following Monday.
At half past ten O'Clock that night, he appeared
at bis club, (the Reform,) and spoke to his
| friends as usual
On tbs. inscrutable face, no eye could dis.
cover the hell that ragged within, or the deadly
purpose that lay close to his heart. A few
minutes past eleven, he reaches his house in
Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, and, still calm
and composed, orders coffee. A few minutes
past twelve, the servants hear the hall door
close, go up stairs, and find on the hall table
an extinguished candle and two letters-one
directed to Mrs. James Sadier, his sster.in
law, and the other to his intimate friend, Rob
ert Heating, member for Waterford.
On Sunday morning, at half past eight
O'Clock, all that was mortal Of John Sadlier
was found by a keeper of donkeys on Hamp-
stead Heath, one of the widest spots in the
suburbs of London. 10 his pockets were
found some gold and silver, a piece of paper
with bis name and address written in bold
and legibie hand with pencil and by his side
was a silver cream pitcher, with his crest and
arms engraved upon it. There was also
vial, labelled Essential Oil of Almonds
which would contain two or three ounces
This was empty.
On the examination made at his house after
his death, Taylor on Poisons" was found
with the leaf turned down at the chapter head
ed Essential Oil Of Almonds" On Mon.
day morning, the l7th of February, the world
OF London was startled by the announcement
OF this suicide, and all sorts of coniectures
were rife as to the cause. His friends, upon
being applied to, could give no explanation to
this terrible event, but it was soon to be known
to all. MIR. Wilkinson, upon the presentation
of his assignment at the office Of the Commits
sioners for the sale Ct Encumbered Estates"
IN Dublin, found to his establishment and hor-
ror, that the original deed was q forgery, al
though 80 perfectly executed as to require a
reference to the book Of records to detect it,
Filled with indignation and alarm, he hurried
back to London, and arrived in time for the in
quest. His testimony On that occasion was the
frat revelation to the world of the guilt of the
unhappy suicide.
He tina. few days since stood so high and
proud in the estimation of the highest and
proudest was now the cursed and execraied of
thousands. Of the many hundreds who fawned
upon and careased him, there stood by that
stark and rigid body only one weeping and
faithful friend-he who received the last lines
he ever wrote. From that letter, directed to
Robert Heating, M. p, will select one pas
sage, which viii show that remorse, at least,
was not dead within him. After speaking of
bis gull, he says:
~, that had never Quilted Ireland O,
that had resisted the iirst attempts to launch
me into speculatons If had less talents of
a worthless kind, and more frmness, might
have remained as 1 once was-honest and
truthful-and l would have lived to see nv
fuher and mother in their old age l weep
and weep now; but what can that avail?
1t may be said here, that the verdict of the
coroDer's jury in this case was the very rare
one of telo de Sc, or that the suicide was com.
mitted while the deceased was in the full DOS
session OF his senses, and not under the inau
enoe of temporary insanity. I.
This verdict would, up to the time Of the
fourth George, have vested all the goods and
chattels of the deceased in the Crown, besides
subjecting the body to the senseless disgrace of
being buried in the highway with a stake driven
through it, and even now, besides forfeiture of
goods and chattels, deprives the body of Chris
tian burial. The authorities in this case vorv