Weekly News. — 1892-10-06 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

THE BROMPTON MYSTERY.  INQUEST UPON DR. HERON.  The inquest on the br,dv of Dr. Heron was held on Thursday afternoon, at the St. Martin's Town Hall, by Mr. E. Barnes, deputy-coroner for the Westminster district. The jury having viewed the body, evidence as to identification was given by Mrs. Williams, of 2, Lillie-road,at whose house the deceased had lodged for three weeks, and by Gertrude White, bookkeeper at Craven's Hotel, Strand, where Mr. Heron committed suicide last Sunday morning. The hotel servants having described the finding of the body, Mr. James E. Jameson, assistant to Dr. Lloyd, said he believed Mr. Heron to have been dead for some hours. He examined the stonia:ll, and found morphia in it. He was clearly of opini n that death was due to the wound, and not to the morphia poisoning. Dr. Georee 'Danford Thomas, coroner for the Central Division of the County of London, said that on Saturday last he commenced an inquiry relative to the death of Marion Fanny Sharpe, and the deceased gave evidence before him. He then made the statement that not only the deceased woman, bat he himself had contemplated suicide. He ap'pared at that time somewhat excited, sorrowful, and depressed. He was of . pinion that Mr. Heron was then perfectly sane, and lee did not give him th, impression that he in any way induced the girl to commit suicide. Witness received a letter purporting to come from Mr. Heron on Monday evening. It had evidently been written on Saturday night, and he presumed was laid in the post-lox on Sunday. It was addressed to the coroner, Fulham, and was forwarded to witness. It appeared to be written from the Westminster Aquarium, and to be in the handwriting of other letters known to be his. It was as follows:  London, S.W., Saturday, 24th September, 1892. Sic,—As I informed you to-day, there was no intention of separation between the late Miss Russell and myself. I therefore go to rejoin her as quickly as possible. There can be no doubt that the death was not due to natural causes, and existence to me is not worth having if, through myself, my promised bride took her own life. Apart from this, however, owing to the unfortunate circumstances attending the death of my wife in Jamaica, suspicion must attach itself to me in this last terrible hei pavement. It is not worth while to stay and light out the whole horrible course the affair must now take, so I go. If any residents in Gambia will take the trouble there will be overwhelming evidence that Mi‘s Russell and the writer lived a he of such happiness as is rarely met with on this planet. Any passenger or officer on board the steamship Niger on her last homeward voyage will be able to testify to the same effect. Dr. Adams, of Liverpool, who attended us at the North-Westi rn Hotel, could nl,n certify as to the perfect accord there was b tw:?en the late unfortunate child and myself. Now that it appears that death must have been due to poisoning, it comes to me that had I noted more carefully, not what was said, but the manner of saying it, my poor darling might have been alive now. I presume the case will be carried on to a conclusion in the usual way, and there is thus every hope that all suspicion against the writer will be shewn to have been unfounded. As before stated, however, now I am alone it is out of the question I should go through any more horrors for the paltry privilege of continued existence. I shall, therefore, take an overdose of morphia as soon as some other matters have been satisfactorily settled.—l have the honour to remain, your obedient servant, A.