Weekly News. — 1891-03-26 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ROMANTIC SUICIDE OF A MEDICAL STUDENT.  A POOLE MAN TAKES PRUSSIC ACID.  On Wednesday night, Mr. Coroner Wyatt held an inquest at the Crown, Lambeth Road, on the body of George Francis Beresford, aged thirty-two years, a medical student, who committed suicide under sad circumstances.  The deceased took the name of Beresford on becoming a medical student. Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, who lives at Poole, identified . . .  the body as being that of her son, whom she last saw  alive abut severc weeks ago. He was rather delicate in health, but was in no difficulty that she knew of. Witness understood that he was very fond of a young lady who died some short time since. Ho had never threatened to commit suicide.  Charles Cooper, of 93. Lambeth Palace Road, stated that last Friday evening deceased took apartments at his house, saying that he was a student at Guy's Hospital. Previous to going to bed deceased asked for a tumbler and some warm water, which were given him. About nine o'clock the following morning, as deceased could not be awakened by repeated knocks at his bedroom door, witness became alarmed and called in a police-constable, who forced the door and found deceased lying on the bed, fully dressed, apparently dead, with a small bottle lying close to his left hand. A medical man was at once sent for.  Dr. E. K. Houthin, of High Street, Stepney, stated that deceased had been in his employ, as assistant, since the 2nd tilt. He (deceased) went out last Wednesday, the 11th inst., and cever reterned. In witness's opinion, although deceased put on a bright exterior, he had some trouble which he would not divulge. Dr. R. C. Brooks, of Westminster Bridge Road, who was called in, having stated that death was due to prussic-acid poisoning, the jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst of unsound mind.  The following is a copy of two letters found in -  deceased's room, the former to his sister and the latterto Dr. rik.H. o cannot t bear my grief any longer. It is too hard to be compelled to put on a smiling face, and go about the world as it nothing had happened, while I am secretly in the deepest trouble at the loss of my darling. It seems too unkind to her memory to ever appear to be happy. My health, too, has been so bad since I have been with Dr. Houchin. though I have tried to conceal the fact. I have been suffering from phthisis for a good long time now, a chromic condition with occasional acute attacks. Even at the present moment I have hemoptygis. I feel under the circumstances that life is not worth living : that if I try to go on living I shall sooner or later be compelled to cease working and become a helpless invalid till death ends the scene. So it seems better to me to try and bring about the end before in the nature of thine it would take place. It may be a wicked act, and I pray God to forgive me for it; but, whate,er the world may say, it requires some courage to take such an absolutel3 'irrevocable step. lam going take prussic acid, a most deadly poison. It will onbtless do its work only too well, so that once swallowed there is no hope whatever of recovering if one should at the very last moment desire it. . . . . . . .  I have no such desire, however, and only hope it will prove speedily fatal, as it should do, and trust that by God's mercy it may he the means of restoring to me my poor lost darling. I have only one request to make, and that is, that you will have me buried at Woking, and if poesible, in my poor dear girl's grave. She was not buried in her proper name, but it is tco late to alter all that. I have visited her grave every Sunday I could, and have placed flowers on it, and carved her pet name on a rough piece of wood. I wish I could have done more. God only knows how I loved her, and do to still. It seeing 80 hard that mother should have kept us apart as she has done, but I for,:ive her, and pray God to, for it; It does not seem right. If we had only been married how different things might have been. And now, dear Flo, I must say good e, for, as I have said, I cannot endure existence any longer. If only my darling had been alive now I would have struggled on cheerfully enough, and have bidden defiance to the phthisis for some time to come, perhaps; but it was not to be, Kismet ruled It otherwise. Mine has been a sad life and wasted career. Still, I hope it has not been all bad; a very great deal of it you know nothing of. Poor mother, and all of you ;itis a dreadful blow for you, but I feel I cannot help it. Good-bye, dear Flo, to you, mother, and everyone, for I bear no one any resentment now, and may we meet under happit.r circumstances in the other world, for, scamp though I have been, I feel there is some other world,—Your affectionate frere,