The Warwickshire Herald. — 1887-06-16 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SAD CASE OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.  At the Mansion House Police Court, Alfred Allen has been charged on remand with attempting to :!ommit suicide at Blackfriars-pier. The publicity given to the case had elicited a great number of .7.ontributions for the defendanfand his family from the benevolent. When the defendant now appeered, a letter was handed in from the prison loctor stating that the defendant had shown no signs of insanity while in gaol.---The defendant said the chaplain had talked to him and shown him the enormity of the offence he had contemplated, sad, with the Almighty's assistance, he would promise never to do anything of the kind again. In reply to the Court, the defendant said the letter Found upon him was of his own composition and writing. He was a self-educated man, but had 'ravelled a good deal. The accident to his sight happened at the gasworks three years ago, while .re was engaged in drawing off acid from a tank for Lesting purposes, and was caused by a defect in a valve or tap. The injury was known at Beekton at, the time.—Mr. C. 0. Humphreys, solicitor to he Gas Light and Coke Company, said he attended oy their direction to give the Court what informa:ion he could. The defendant entered their service 12 years ago, but lo or 11 years ago his sight :egan to be defective. As to the alleged accident iie company had searched their books, and there was no record of it either there or in the memory xf the officials ; neither did they find that the deFendant was away from work for a single day, or drat he had made any application for help from his slub. The defendant mentioned the accident for the first time last March. He was then dissharged by the company with a great many others in March, when, on the approach of summer, the work always got slack. The defendant was an twellent swimmer and diver, and he had swum across the river from the Beckton Works on two or hree occasions, the distance being half a mile across and the current there running very strong. The attempt at suicide was made in the height of the lay, when a great many people were about. The Court would gather what was in his (Mr. Hum. phreys') mind in stating those circumstances. --Sir A. Lusk said he was much indebted to the company for sending Mr. Humphreys to make that statement, for it had struck him that there was need of some explanation. At the same time, all t hat defendant had stated might be perfectly true, 7tnd there was no doubt that he was insensible when he was recovered from the water. He begged the pablic to desist from sending ally more money. About £l5O had been received, and no more was %%anted. After all, the defendant had committed .1 cowardly act in attempting suicide and leaving his wife and eight children to shift for themselves in the world. He proposes' to make further inquiries into the matter, and he hoped that the defendant's character would come out all right. The ttttt ney would not be expended unless it was a de:wiling ease.- Mr. Humphreys said the defehdant had always born Is good character.- Defendant : Ily lord. I desire to say that I do not want money. am willing and anvious to work, and all I isk for is work, by which I may natintain my wife and children. I seek for nothing else.- The Alderman Mita that the money would not he lumalcal over to the defendant or his family in the total unless the or)', as he (the Alderman) hoped it. would. turned out to be true. -Defendant thea enteretl into his own reetignisanue to appear after inquiries bad been made.  Swine feter i reportol t ha% ehi itoat 31 RP'. (Tat centres.iii J)erby.shi The Archbishop of Canterbury M I ~ have issued invitations for garden parties lit. Lariitiet,h Palace on Ssturdny June 25 and July 9,