The Sun. — 1842-09-12 (London, England)

DISTRESSING SUICIDE.  On Saturday evening, at half-past six o'clock, a Jury of the inhabitants of Knightsbridge and Kensington were empannelled before Mr. Higgs, Deputy Coroner for Westminster, at the Half-way House inn, on the Kensington-road, to inquire into the death of Mr. George Colebatch, jun., silk broker in the City, residing at No. 1, Upper Kensington-gore, who was found in bed in a dying state, with a pistol. shot wound in the head, on the morning ()I:Friday last. The Jury having viewed the body, which was lying at the residence of the deceased's filther, the following evidence was adduced :  Mr. Edgar Barker deposed that he NVIIS a surgeon, and was in partnership with Mr. Loader, in the Edgware-road. Mr. Loader was a relative of the deceased, and had attended the family for years. Mr. Loader, who was at present out of town, had attended the deceased about six months ago for an attack of insanity. It was an attack of delirium tremens, a particular form of insanity, under which the unfortunate patients are subject tofurious paroxysms. Witness saw deceased when he was in a state of convalescence about four months ago. Deceased, during the attack, required personal restraint. Prom that attack the defendant got apparently quite free, and resumed his ordinary occupation in the City, and had not been under medical treatment since that period, although he believed deceased had since laboured under some singularities of !hind. On the morning of Friday last the mother of the deceased came to witness's house in a fly, about half-past nine o'clock, and told him'that she had found the deceased that morning lying in pistol lying by his immediately got into a fly to side,bed coveredan dthat isheth bhlac do d wit apprise him of it. Witness instantly returned with her, and reached the house in about three-quarters of an hour after the discovery. On entering the bedroom witness found the deceased in the state that had been described to him by Mrs. Colebatch. He was covered with blood, and was sensible, but incoherent. Ile was about to examine the source of the bleeding, when he found a small pistol-shot wound (as it appeared to him to be) at the deceased's right ear.---(The pistol was produced—a very small pocket pistol, not above four inches long.) Witness believes it to be the same that he saw lying on the bed. The hammer was down, and it appeared as if recently discharged. Witness asked the deceased how it had, nappened, but deceased was too incoherent to give any account. Witness, finding that to be the case sent to Dr. Phelps's Lunatic Asylum at Kensington for one of the keepers, who had attended deceased before, who came, and witness, having done everything for the deceased to make him as comfortable as his condition would allow, left the deceased with his mother. No one was in the house when deceased was first found but his mother and the female servants. By the Foreman--Did not seek to trace the ball, and had no doubt but that it was in deceased's skull at that moment. Two hours after witness left deceased a fresh attack of heemorrhage occurred, and he rapidly sunk until he died. Witness's opinion was, that it was the deceased's own act, and that at the time he was in a state of insanity. He thought the ball had penetrated to the centre of the skull. Some of the Jury said, in their opinion, in a case of such emergency, a medical man residing close to the spot ought to have been fetched, instead of waiting to send such a distance.  Elizabeth Markham deposed that she lived in the service of the father .of the deceased, who resided at No. 1, Upper Kensington-gore. She had known the deceased, who was twenty-five years of age, from his childhood. He Was a silk broker. During the last tbhereene to or thei four days on theyshehadday previous to his death,looked moodily. He had and dined with his mother alone. He was then moody, and scarcely spoke. He went to bed that night about ten o'clock, his usual hour. On Friday morning, about half-past eight o'clock, his mother, not hearing the deceased up, went to his room. She, however, immediately returned down stairs, and told witness to go up with her. Witness did so, and found deceased as has been described. Witness stayed with deceased while Mrs. Colebatch got the fly and went for the doctor. While she was gone, witness had great difficulty in keeping the deceased in bed. He wanted to ge.: up and go to town. By the