The Express. — 1866-01-27 (London, England)

SINGULAR AND DUTPRIESING DOUBLE SUICIDE.—• Some weeks ago a French gentleman, with his mother, took furnished apartments at No. 2, Norfolk-road, Paddington, stating that he was a French noblemen, who, from political motives, had been compelled to leave his country. He gave an references some of the high dignitaries of the Roman catholic church, and the inquiries proved satisfactory. The apartments were let at 25e, per week. Several weeks elapsed and the landlady received no rent from her lodgers, and she further discovered that they were living in a state of semi-darvation, although they motionally received visitor', the majority of whom came in their carriages. Lest week she gave them nodes to gull. The gentleman asked her the latest hour be would be allowed to remain, and was told eight o'clock on the Thursday evening. He then informed hie landlady that on that day be should be certain to receive some money from France, through his friend the French consul in Leedom when be would pay her all the rent due. In the interim he wrote• great many letters, but received very few in return. On Friday morning Mrs. Connor, the landlady, went to the door of the rooms occupied by her lodgers, and after knocking for several minute*, receiving no answer, she sent for the police, who effected an entry Into the room, when they found the Frenchman and his mother su-peoded by cords from the opposite ends of the window cornice roller, both of them quite dead. The man was hanging by a piece of window cord, and his mother by a small rope pulled from the bed sacking. There were indications that, after the nooses were affixed, both mother and son stood on a high footstool at the centre of the window, and threw themselves off simultaneously, but that the end of the cornice pole to which the mother was attached splintered, and that the feet of both parties touched the ground ; so determined, however, were they to commit suicide that both of them bad drawn up their legs, and thus consummated their purpose, On %iota near the window ware found the man's coat, cravat, and collar, and the woman's cap and neck ribbon ; on an adjacent table were several articles of antique jewellery, and letters from several &shah and French noblemen. Close to where they lay were two sheets. One was marked with ink, "This for myself ;" the other, " This for my mother." On the table was found a letter written by the deceased lady, giving directions as to disposieg of their bodies, making a division of the remains of their property. pawotickets, kc., and stating that they had committed suicide because they could no longer bear am against their misfortunes. THa Naw PRISON Acv.—On Thursday next the New Priam Ant will come into operation, when sevensprison! will be discontinued, and considerable alterations made in the management and discipline of those establishments io England and Wales. Although the statute was peened to "amend and consolidate the law" relating to prisons it does not embrace the whole law on the subject. Under the new law there will be two kinds of hard labour— of the first and second class—and an efficient discipline introduced. Already Mr George Grey has called the attention of the visiting luatioes to the new regulations to be carried out and various improvements will take place. Among the numerous provisions are two, to the effect that when the imprisonmect expires on a Sunday the liberation is to be on the preceding day, and when a prisoner is discharged a sum of money is to be given Ito him, or for his benefit. There will now be carried out in the several prisons uniformity of regulations, PNEUMATIC DISPATCH COMPANY (LdMITED),—.• The report of the directors of this compeer states that the tube to Holborn was completed, and the scenes worked, as the 7th November last. There was good reason to hope that the early completion of the Holborn Viaduct would have enabled the tube to have been carried over it to the City, but it now appears that the plane even are still unsettled. The tube from Holborn towards the City is now laid as far as the corner of Hatton-garden, with the excep. tion of the brickwork curve out of the Holborn Statioa. The directors found it impossible to negotiate the debentures of the company except at exorbitant rates, and the board and the contractors, having perfect confidence is the ultimate succor of the undertaking, have therefore taken up debentures to the =oust of 20,0001., and advanced 12,0001. on the security of the company's property. The delay in the carrying out of the Holborn Viaduct will car it necessary for the tube to be carried nadir the - streets and over the Fleet sewers, which it was would have been avoided by the construotion of ; and pending the consideration and final of these points. the directors have determined ant sod facility of working by a series of can. recorded experiments, which are now in progress,  I  t reader it 0111 nosing etre hoped wail the viaduct settlement co to test the • fay records 1'