The Sun. — 1860-10-12 (London, England)

SUICIDE IN BULL.  On Monday morning, considerable excitement was caused in liingsvon-street, Hull, in consequence of the report that Mi,s. Ann .Bullock, wife of a seaman, and for a long time resident in Kingstonstreet, had committed -4-oicide by poisoning herself with laudanum. Being- well known by the neighbours, the event caused various conjectures as to the reason which induced the poor woman to commit the rash act to be made ; and the chief opinion amongst Lhe parties was, that it was pecuiniary difficulties which hanl operated upon the woman's mind, and had rosult ed in the melancholy circumstance which we have to record. From the evidence deposed to at the in q test, which was held on Tuesday afternoon, at the kilt:nor House Tavern, it appears that Capt. Mortier; of the steamer S wanland, had lodged with her co r the last 17 or 18 years, and that she had frequoi fitly borrowed money of him whilst her husband wit s at sea, hut he having been away a few weeks fo.r the benefit of his health to Harrowgate and Krim •gobro' Mrs. Bullock had during his absence abstraett'd from his cash-box three sovereigns, and it would s.stsm that Mr. Mortier had returned home earlier tilk-I.n she had expected him, and before she had replac,g,'l the money ; and the fear of the discovery of this' circumstance appears to have been the cause of ,ber determining to commit suicide. On Sunday nig,11.4, she went to the shop of Mr. Fullham, chemist anti, druggist, Myton-place, purchased some drops of' sweet nitre, and afterwards asked Mr. Fullham if laudanum was a good thing to rub the cheek with for the " tic," to which the latter replied that it was used for the " tic" by some persons, Wien Mrs. Bullock then said she would take six penny worth. Mr. Fullham said she would not require six peenn9worth to rub her cheek with, when she said it was for her mother, who harl taken laudanum for a g r eat number of years ; and the iludanum was ultimat,q served to her, the bottle being labelled " poison,' and Mr. Fullham cautioning her to be careful with it. Mr. Fullham knew the woman, and noticed nothing suspicious in her demeanour. Her husband is second mate of the St. Petersburg steamer, aid went with that vessel to sea this day (Thursday) fortnight, and the other inmate of the house, besides Mrs. Bullock and Capt. Mortier, was a son of the former, aged 11 years, and this son slept with his mother whilst his father was at sea. The nitre which she had procured was, to put into some gruel for the son, and he and his mother went to bed at the usual hour, shortly after 10 o'clock. Capt. Mortier arrived on Saturday, but Mrs. Bullock did not appear to be any way different than usual intil Sunday after tea, when Captain Mortier, who had been asleep on the sofa, on waking found Mrs. Bullock crying, but she would not state what was the matter. Mr. Mortier afterwards went to bed, and was awoke about 11 o'clock by hearing tho boy crying. He went to Mrs. Bullock's bed room, and the boy told him that his mother had drunk something out of a cup. He (Mr. 111.) asked her what she had taken, and pointing to a bottle upon the table she said it would tell. On looking it was found to be labelled "poison," and the lad was at once sent for Dr. Bell, returning shortly afterwards with that gentleman's partner, Mr. Soulsby. In the interim between sending for the doctor and his arrival, Mrs. Bullock stated as the cause for taking the poison that she had been to his (Mr. M.'s) cash box, and could not make it up ; and on examining it afterwards it was found that £3 had been taken out of the box. On Dr. Soulsby arriving two emetics were administered. The stomach pump was afterwards applied. The laudanum, however, appears to have done its deadly work before the arrival of medical aid, and death ensued about half-past eight o'clock on Monday morning. The jury after having been locked up for upwards of an hour could not agree—nine of them were for a verdict of temporary insanity and the other three for a verdict amounting to felo de se. Ultimately they returned an open verdict—namely, that " She died from the effects of poison administered by herself, but whether she was then in a sane state there was no evidence to show."—Eastern Countiu _Herald.