The Sun. — 1842-01-26 (London, England)

THE LATE RAILWAY SUICIDE. It appears that Mr. W. Jupp, one of the officers of the Sheriff of Surrey, and who also has for some time kept an inn at Reigate, recently exhibited considerable despondency, and his melancholy and altered appearance was a subject of general remark. On Saturday afternoon be went to visit a sister, and remained there until about dusk on Monday evening, when he left, saying that he was going to Horley, and that ho should be back to tea. It appeared that he proceeded almost immediately to the cutting for the railway near the Redhill station, and just as a train was approaching, he rushed down the bank, and although every endeavour was made to stop the train, it was impossible to do so. The engine came in contact with the unhappy man, and the greater part of the train passed over him, dragging him to a considerable distance, and inflicting most frightful injury upon his person. The deceasedwas immediately carried to the Somers Arms, where a surgeon promptly attended, and he immediately discovered that life was extinct. An inquiry subsequently took place before Mr. W. Cartar, the Coroner for this division of the county of Surrey, when the driver and guard of the train were examined ; and from the evidence of the former, it appeared that when he was within a short distance of the Redhill sta tion he saw the deceased standing upon the bank, and when the train was about ten yards from him he darted down the declivity, and appeared to throw himself across the rails directly before the train. He sounded the alarm whistle, and put on the break, and the guard did the same, but it was impossible to save the deceased, and the train passed over him before it could be stopped. They went back and found the deceased lying on the line, with his coat dragged over his head, and covered with blood, and he appeared to be quite dead. The other persons attending the train were also examined, and it appeared that there was no path across the line at the spot where the deceased was seen, and it was stated that he was in the habit of frequently travelling by the railway, and that he was well acquainted with the locality, and was not likely to have accidentally got upon the line. The medical gentleman stated that he was called in to see the deceased, and found him quite dead. The scalp was lacerated most severely, a portion of the skull was gone, and the brain protruded; the left foot was almost entirely ground away, and there was also a compound dislocation of the right ankle. Some of the deceased's relatives were next examined, and they proved that the deceased had been in a melancholy state for several days before the occurrence took place, but they had not the slightest idea that he meditated selfdestruction, and they expressed their opinion to be, that he did not wilfully throw himself under the train, but  that it was the effect of accident. The Jury, after a searching inquiry, returned a verdict, " That the deceased was killed by being run against by an engine, in consequence of his running on to the line when the engine was running, whereby he might be killed, being in a state of mental aberration." The Jury, at the same time, expressed their opinion that no blame was attributable to any person belonging to the railroad.