The Sun. — 1864-06-18 (London, England)

THE CHAMPION'S BELT.—Jem Mace requests us to state that as ho cannot claim the belt unless he again fights for and wins it, and then holds it three years, he must give up all hope of retaining it. He cannot (he says) expect to remain as fresh as ever for another three years, and will therefore resign his claims in favour of younger men. His battle with Coburn will be his last appearance, and all challenges will in future be useless.  Melancholy Suicide.  '4  An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at the Bridge House Hotel, London-bridge, before Mr. Payne, on the body of Mr. Wm. Sloman, aged 40, of the Ship Hotel, near the Dockyard, Woolwich. Lucy Hetherington, the chambermaid at the above ho' el, said she supplied deceased with pen, ink, and paper, which be used in writing several letters to his friends, which were found in deceased's coat-pocket by the coroner's officer.  When the door was burst in deceased was in a state of coma, but spoke to her, and died shortly afterwards. Mr. Lacy, surgeon, Woolwich, deposed to making a postmortem elimination, and said he found that deceased died from opium pills, the box which they were in being also swallowed, to evade traces of his having committed suicide. Deceased's head was peculiarly formed, and the brain was fella! in an excessively diseased state, indicative of unsound mind, The brain when touched almost crumbled to pieces. Mr Prest, of High-street, Woolwich, brother-in-law to deceased, deposed to Mr Slonan being of an excitable temperament. He appeared to have been very much annoyed at the recent police prosecution, and had never been right since.  Lieut. Brown, R.N., residing with the deceased, was also examined.  Inspector Unveil, of the Woolwich police, said the deceased was recently summoned to the police-court on four offences. He (witness) had nothing to do with it, except the summonses being taken out in his name. Sergeant Seymour was the chief witness, toll deceased was fined 40s on one count, the others being dismissed. He entertained no personal enmity towards Mr Sloman, and had always been on friendly terms with him. Deceased's trade had lately fallen off. His music-hall had also been closed lately. The letters wero then produced, and their contents showed that deceased was in a very disturbed Etate of mind. The following is the letter to his wife :  "Dearest Wife,—l show the strong love I bear you and my darling child by no longer casting a shadow upon the brightness of your life by my presence. I feel sure your strong sense and pure heart will guard our pure, good child. Be careful of hollow friends, and if, in the deep mysteries of the great world I am about to enter, I can in any way communicate with the earth, it will be to my darling wife and child. Oh ! God guard and protect you and Lilla. Never fall into drinking, I know its curse, and feel its baneful effects. Oh I Christ, who died on Mount Calvary—thy end, 0 Lord, was better; but mingled with much love in thy grief. In Ley end, 0 God, I desire to find pardon, trusting the Divine mercy of a kind, long-suffering God. Oh I Nelly, pray for me sometimes. 1 feel my good child will often think of her poor heartbroken father, and she will pray for my soul. Oh I God, the bitter cup of life is full." In a letter to Mr Harrington the deceased expresses his gratitude, and says,—  I am killed by police villany. Oh -- and -, I leave you both to God's judgment. Oh I bad wicked men, you have killed me."  In a letter to Lieut. Brown, he says : " Great Heaven I hear my cry for mercy. Oh ! God, pardon my hostile, bitter enemies. Oh 1 brutal --, you ingrate 1 Oh --, why such swindling deceit ? Oh 1 brute—oh cruel perjurer, --, why perjure yourself to injure me, who have so often kindly treated you ? Oh 1 foul man, thy end will indeed be miserable. I will not curse thee, —; but you must all feel in your own minds the misery your falsehoods have brought upon me. You have destroyed my life, and to God I leave your punishment. --, you base conspirator, you have joined with -- to destroy me to exalt who—why, dirt and filth, which my house would never hold."  In one of his letters he speaks of his wife thus : " Oh I God, where is her equal in great goodness and virtue ?"  Mr Reed, clerk of the local board ; Mr Barnett, surveyor; and Mr Harrington, Mr Brown, Mr Prest, and Mr Pidcock, he requests to bo "Kind to my darling, pure wife." _ _ _  To Mr Vincent he mays i  "Dear I Dear Vincent, my honest boy, I am going—my heart is broke by the villany of --- and --. They had their plot laid with the tailor -- to dishonour my house, which I have tried to keep up so respectable. God bless you! God bless you I—your1—your heart is good and may God keep it so.—Good bye. W. S." In another letter he says : " Oh I that Dr. Butler was alive to see fair play. God in mercy bless all who knew me. I ask them to deal honest in their judgment of poor William Sloman, whose whole heart was with the working classes. To the common honour of all I ever knew I beg their help to my poor dear wife. She is good and virtuous—God bless her." Of his private affairs he says : "My debts are to Barclay, Vickers, Bass, Edwards, &c., in all about £9OO, The lease of the improved property is worth £B,OOO, with furniture and fixtures. The stock is worth £2OO. I have only one child—my darling Lilla. All is now darkness, and my soul is eager to take its flight Grant, oh I God, mercy to thy ungrateful servant; pardon my enemies, and save all I love. Heaven bless m y wife and child. They are both too good to linger in Woolwich, where I have suffered so much." The Jury returned a verdict of—Committed suicide whilst labouring under temporary insanity.