The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1843-05-26 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

POVIS  MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.—On Sunday last, Miss Collins, aged 30, the daughter of a distinguished naval officer and. sister-in-law of Dr. Connlly, committed suicide by preipitating herself from one of the upper windows of the Middlesex Pauper Lunatic Asylum. She had been subject to various delusions hut was not an inmate of the institution ; and, had come on a visit in order that her friends might determine what. to do with her. She had not been placed under restraint as there was no apprehension of danger to her. At the coroners inquest Dr. Conolly said that about 3 o'clock on Sunday morning, he was awoke by the deceased coming haitily into his bed room, which was situate a story lower than her own. She asked if that was his (witness) bed-room, and if he had a. light ? It was then dayligt. She then asked witness if he could explain to her " the prediction ;" and added that she thought it meant that she must burn herself, and that she had been thinking of jumping out of the window. In order to gain a little time, witness asked her if she had not slept well, and what was the matter ? Deceased answered, " Oh, yes, I have had a sweet sleep." Witness then began to get out of bed, and the door having been left wide open by the deceased, she instantly ran quickly away and up-stairs again. Witness waited a moment to put on a dreasing gown, and. then foliowed her to her .toom. Having knocked at the door, and hearing no answer, he went in, and then saw that the window was wide open. He would there mention that the room he was speaking of was a private part of the establishment in which the windows had been all altered during his absence from the asylum, and did he not recollect that they were not secured until he saw it open. Almost immediately after entering the room, he heard a movement, and'instantly saw the deceased spring upon the window sill. He immediately ran ronnd the bed to the window, and caught her by the left hand with his left hand, and by her night dress with his right hand. At that time she had sprung from the ledge of the window, and seemed to rest on a broad (spring) ledge of the wall, about 9 or 10 inchos wide, and about four feet below the window. Her dress shortly gave way, and she partly tore it away with her disengaged right hand, and immediately threw herself of the ledge, when the whole weight. of her body rested on the rist of her left hand. While so situate, the deceased kept up a continued wrestling to get away, in order to throw herself off. He, however, continued. to hold her by the wrist, or rather above it, and called and. cried out for assistance for, he should say, for full 20 minutes,. and was heard in different parts of the building, but the persons who heard him could not tell whence the cries proceeded. Witness then felt her wrist slip through his hand, and he had then only bold of her by the hand, and eventually her fingers, and at last, being completely spent with his exertions, he could no longer hold her, and she fell to the bottom. Du-ring the time he held her, whenever he renewed his hold the the deceased renewed her struggles to get free. Her eyes. were shut, and appeared determined on effecting her object. Witness immediately hurried to the bottom of the building, and found the deceased in the area. She was lying on her left side, and was nearly doubled up, and in witness's opinion, was then quite dead.  0 n • C c: ON 0 M a. .0  •L• • V a .I. • V V 1 2: ... 2 w›4 x • ~,,_. Q• ... z , -..— Z T ... .., cm ~. 6---- in eSZ X  • • •gi ' 4 ,;• .4 V E...  • ti 0  0 X eti ••= 1„, , E 0c es ed  L, M. .- 0 ..;', t«  C iii cs 0-. . T.,. 2 a .... .1 ;''