The Sun. — 1850-12-28 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY AND DETERMINED  SUICIDE. BOSTON, DEC. 23.—An inquest was held in Butterwick Allotment by Mr. Walter Clegg, Deputy Coroner, on view of the body of James Richardson, aged 66, who had committed suicide by hanging himself on the previous Saturday. From the evidence it appeared that he had been for some time in a low desponding state of mind, in consequence of a dread lest he should be deprived of his situation, that of ground keeper at Mr. Porter's farm. On the day of his death he left his house at three o'clock in the afternoon, and was never again seen alive. At half-past five o'clock the men cams up from work in the field, and great surprise was expressed that Richardson's work was still neglected, as he was a very steady man, and remarkably attentive to his duties. It being dark, lanterns were lighted, and the fields were searched, but without discovery of the missing man. At length it was suggested that the barn should be searched. There are two doors opening into the barn, one from the crew-yard, and the other facing the road. The door in the crew-yard was locked, and it was well known that the deceased always kept the key in his own possession. The large doors on the ether side of ' the barn were discovered to be fastened from the inside, and fastened so securely that considerable delay ensued before they could be broken open. As soon, however, as an entrance to the barn was obtained, the body of the unhappy deceased was immediately discovered. He was in a kneeling position, with his legs on the ground and his knees all but touching the ground. He had effected suicide by means of a small new plough line, and the method employed evinced a suicidal determination probably unparalleleo. Having first doubled the cord, he had formed a noose at one and which encircled his neck, he had then passed the line over a hook in the wall of the barn at a distance of about six feet from the ground. The cord was not fastened to the hook but merely passed over it as over a pulley ; then firmly grasping one end of the line in each hand, the wretched man had made an effort as if he would throw himself on his knees. Thus he was found, after being suspended in all probe • bility three hours, the only hold of the rope by which he was hanging, being the grasp of his own hands ! These facts were depoied to on oath by several witnesses, Mr. Clegg remarked to the jury that even supposing corroborative evidence were altogether wanting, the condition in which the body was discovered, proved self-destruction beyond all doubt. Cases were recorded in which after the commission of murder, the weapon or instrument by which the crime was accomplished had been placed in the hand of the victim, in order to induce a belief that death had resulted from suicide. But in none of these cases was the hand ever found firmly closed upon the weapon ; whereas in cases of self-destruction, it was sometimes necessary to employ even some little violence in order to remove the instrument of death from the grasp of the dead. The present case afforded remarkable prima facie evidence that the deceased was suspended during life, and that his own hands were alone concerned in his destruction. Tthe jury returned a verdict of "Temporary Insanity."—Boston Herald.