The Sun. — 1851-11-19 (London, England)

SUICIDE IN TOTTENHAM COURT-ROAD.—(THIS DAY.) This morning a jury was empanelled before Mr. Bedford, the coroner for Westminster, at the Malpas Arms, Charles-street, Grosvenor-square, to inquire into the circumstances attending the death of Sarah Turpin, whose body was on Sunday morning found floating lifeless in the Serpentine. Tho first witness called was Esther Waite, who proved that she nursed the deceased during her confinement, at 17, Robert-street, Grosvenor-square. Ann Macarthy, with whom deceased lived up to the day of her death, repeated the evidence she gave at the inquest on the b3dy of the child last evening. Elizabeth Turpin—Deceused was my sister, and was to the best or my belief 28 years of age. She was not married. I last saw my sister alive on Thursday week. I had seen her previously whilst in her situation at Black • heath. She told me she was going to leave, as she was in the family-way, but she would not tell where she was going. She said she would try to get a situation as wet-nurse after her confinement, and if she did not obtain one soon, she would "go into the water." I told her to have patience, and she smiled, and. I supposed she was joking. This was before her confinement. When I last saw her, on Thursday week, in the course of conversation she again said that if she did not get a situation she would "go into the water." I told her she would soon get a situation, and did not take any notice of is hat she said, as I thought she did not mean it. The first time she talked of the water she said she would take the child too. My sister was quite a sensible person, and there never was anything extraordinary in her behaviour. Since the birth of the child she always seemed very melancholy. She never complained of the bad conduct of any person towards her, and never told me the name of the father of the child. William Macarthy, the eon of the second witness, repeated the evidence he gave at the inquest last evening. Mr. Edward Shepherd Symes, 77, Grosvenor-street, M.D., deposed that he saw the body of deceased on Sunday last at the St. George's workhouse. There were no external marks of violence, except in the throat, on which there was a deep wound to the right of the median lino five inches in length, extending from the right angle of the jaw, rather obliquely downwards, to about an inch and a quarter from the left angle of the jaw. There appeared to be several incisions, as if the instrument had been thrust several times into the throat, and there were several slight inoisiens externally about the throat. They were such wounds as might have been inflicted by herself. The great vessels had all escaped, and even without attention she might have walked about some time after the wounds were inflicted. The witness then minutely described the appearance of the body internally. The membranes of the brain were in an inflamed state, end generally the brain appeared diseased. That would very probably affect the mind, and a person with such a brain would probably bo subject to great excitement. It was his opinion that death was produced by drowning, after the wounds had been inflicted. Police-constable 154 A proved that on Sunday morning, about half past six o'clock, he saw the deceased floating in the Serpentine. The CORONER then summed up, and the jury returned a verdict —" That the deceased, Sarah '.iurpin, had drowned herself whilst in a state of temporary insanity; and that she had previously inflicted the wounds which had boon found in her throat."