The Sun. — 1847-09-11 (London, England)

LAMENTABLE SUICIDE IN  CHESTER.  It is with regret that we have to record the suicide of a young gentleman, named Rowland Jones, son, we understand, of Lieutenant-Colonel Jones, of the Royal Enginoers, now resident at Malta, and nephew of Captain Jones, of Bryntirion, near Wrexham. The lamentable act was committed at the Green Dragon Inn, Chester, on Monday morning last. It appears that the deceased, Mr. Rowland Jones, who is about 27 years of age, formerly held a commission, which had been disposed of, in the 67th Regiment of Foot.  In the course of the day an inquest was held at the Exchange on the body of the unfortunate young gentleman, by John Hostage, Esq., Coroner, and a very respectable jury, when the following evidence was detailed :  Mr. Henry Melling—l am the secretary of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, and became acquainted with Mr. Rowland Jones about twelve months ago, when he joined the club. On the 15th of August last we went with the fleet to Beaumaris, to honour the Queen, and be present at the regatta. The yacht in which we sailed had been purchased by Mr. Jones from myself in April last, but it was not paid for. On Saturday night I slept on board with him, and yesterday morning we left Bangor by coach for Chester. On the Ist of September Mr. Jones gave me a cheque for 350/., on the North and South Wales Bank at Bangor, in settlement of my account with him. The money was to be paid by Lloyd and Co.'s bank at Wrexham, into the North and South Wales Bank, at Bangor, and I was then to get my cheque cashed. I understood that Mr. Jones had not that much money in Lloyd's bank, but he said he thought Mr. Lloyd would advance it for him. The money was not paid at Bangor as Mr. Jones expected, and he proposed we should go together to Wrexham, and get it there. We accordingly left Bangor by coach on Sunday, and arrived at the Green Dragon in Chester, about eight o'clock the same evening. I was to be Mr. Jones's guest, but he had not sufficient money to pay our fare with, and I lent him a sovereign for that purpose. We had tea at the Green Dragon, and Mr. Jones afterwards drank a glass of ale and a glass of brandy punch. Mr. Jones seemed quite cheerful, and read to me several jokes from the Man in the Moon, which appeared to please him much. When we were preparing for bed, the chambermaid inquired whether we would have a double-bedded room, and Mr. Jones replied that he would not. We had agreed to start on Monday morning by the ten o'clock train for Wrexham, I arose first on Monday morning, and told the chambermaid to call Mr. Jones. He did not get up, and I then went up stairs myself and told him if he did not get up we should miss the train. He told me to get my breakfast, for he did not want any himself. Having missed the ten o'clock, I wished to get away by the 11h. 40m. train, and I went up stairs two or three times to his chamber door to request him to make haste, or we should miss that train also. The last time I went up the door was ajar, and I heard him on the floor. I again asked him if he would take any breakfast, and he directed me to order some coffee to be prepared for him. As he did not come down stairs for some time I went up again, and perceiving that his room door was shut, I supposed that he had gone out of his room, and closed it after him. I therefore went to the boots, and requested him to go up and look for Mr. Jones ; he did so, but returned, saying he could not find him. I hardly supposed at that time he was in his room, but thought I would go up stairs and see. I did so, and knocked twice at his door, but receiving no answer I opened it. I was immediately met by a cloud of gunpowder smoke, and on proceeding two or three steps into the room, I saw Mr. Jones lying by his bedside, covered with blood. I was very much alarmed, and immediately went down stairs to request the landlady to fetch a surgeon. Whilst we were at Bangor I had seen Mr. Jones with a pair of pistols and ball which he kept in a pistol case, and are thosa now produced ; he amused himself there by shooting at bottles in the water, with a young gentleman named Todd. The last time Mr. Jones put the pistols into the case, I asked him if they were loaded ; he said they were not, after trying them with a ramroad. The pistol case was kept in a box in the cabin, in which there was also a daguerreotype miniature portrait of a young lady. He said it was his sister's. He took that out of the box and put it into his pocket, and then locked the box. I supposed he was going to leave the pistol case in the cabin, but just before leaving the vessel he said that he would take the case with him, as the pistols wanted cleaning, and he could get them cleaned at Chester. I never pressed him for the money he owed me for the yacht, but there had been a good deal of shuffling on his part respecting it. All I know of Mr. Jones's connexions is what he himself told me. I understand that he formerly held a commission in the 67th Regiment, but that he had sold it. He said his father was a colonel in the Royal Engineers at Malta, and that he had a sister also resident there. He also told me that the house in which his uncle lived near Wrexham belonged to him, and that he had some property in Devonshire ; he has given me endorsed bills on his agents in Devonshire. I never observed anything in Mr. Jones's conduct, to induce tnl for a moment to suspect that he was not in the possession of a sound mind. After some unimportant evidence, the inquiry was adjourned until Monday next.  It appears from a recent official return, that the total number of steam-engines in France in 1845 was 207. In 1840 it was only 109. Another return respeetini, the product) of th© iron mines states, that in 1845 the quantity of iron east was 439,000 tons, whereas in 1825 the quantity was only 190,000. The price of bar iron, which in 1825 was 48f. the 100 kilogrammes, was in 1845 only 34f,