The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1854-02-28 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

EXTRAORDINARY AND MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A YOUNG LADY, YESTERDAY.  AMONG the inquests held before P. F. Curry, Esq., the borough coroner, yesterday, was one of a very distressing character. A respectable jury was empannelled to inquire into the cause of the death of Martha Gandy, daughter of Mr. Gandy, solicitor, of this town, which took place under the circumstances which will perhaps be best gleaned from the evidence. Elizabeth Gandy called, said that she resided with her parents at No. 9, Castle-street, Kirkdale. The deceased, who was her sister, was 36 years of age. She had met with a disappointment in love, and had become lowspirited in consequence. It was observed more particularly on Sunday. She (witness) was in her bed-room yesterday morning about seven o'clock, when she heard a report of fire-arms. On this, she went down stairs, into a spare bedroom, when she found the deceased lying on' her back on the door,- with her head much injured as if from a pistol shot. The window of the room was broken. Mr. Johnson, surgeon, was immediately sent for, but he pronounced the deceased to be dead. The note produced was found by him lying upon the table of the room. Mary .Alaheroft said she was a widow, living. near' to the last witness, and was sent for by her yesterday morning. On going to the room alluded to she found the-deceased, upon her back on the floor. Her head was dreadfully mutilated, and it was her (witness's) opinion that she had' discharged the pistol into her mouth. Both of her hands were covered.with powder, and in one of them were some lucifer matches, one of which had been lighted. Henry Gandy, a young man, said that the deceased washis sister. He was in bed when the occurrence took pFace. The pistol was his: He had placed it in the kitchen drawer six weeks since, and missed it a' fortnight ago. That morning he was directed into the'garden near the house, and opposite the broken window he found the pistol, which' heproduced. It was lying stock upwards, and the mouth in the mud. It appeared to have been'recently discharged. The hammer was at full cock, so that he inferred that the deceased had not had strength to pull the trigger, and had therefore used a match• tee set it off instead of a percussion  By a juror—l do not know where the powder and shot were got from; we had none in the house.' When I put it by it was not loaded. The Coroner then stated that Mr. Gandy, the father of the deceased, had sent' him a note, requesting that he would get a letter from the young man who had disappointed deceased, and which she had forwarded to him, which would disclose some• important things. Now he (the Coroner) had the greatest possible desire'to carry out any wish of Mr. Gandy in the matter, but he questioned how far it would do him a benefit to do so, because there might be things in that letter which should not be stated if the poor creature was out of her mind. Besides, they could not take it without his consent, because-being sent and delivered to him, it was his property. He might be summoned as a witness,. but they did not know how far those questions might wound the feelings of the relatives, to prevent which was all that they (the court) could now effect. The Coroner then called attention to the lega view of suicide,. and read as follows the note whieh had been produced, and which was deposed to being in the handwriting of the deceased:— " My dear father,. forgive me the rashact I am about to commit. I cannot live in misery.. Adam -- will not come when he promised us. He never performs it. Whenever I. see him he treats me with the • greatest cruelty, and I have not had a happy hour for the last two or three years. Never mind. Grieve not after me. Until be far happier inheaven than beingin this-world. All that I have to name is not to allow Ned to follow me to•the grave. [Adam, the coroner explained, was her lover; Ned, her brother.] The Almighty- will reward him for his conduct to me. Adieu, for ever 1.--•31.