The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1853-12-20 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SUICIDE AT GARSTON.—About three years ago the St. Helens and Garston Railway Company took possession of a portion of a garden at Garston, which was in connexion with a cottage occupied by a niarket gardener, Mr. Thomas Sidwell, who dwelt in it with his wife and family. Sidwell could not appreciate the wisdom of a law which enabled strangers to take a portion of his inheritance forcibly from him; and though, after receiving ample compensation, he yielded the loss of his garden, in which he had worked for nearly half a century, it preyed so much on his spirits that he took to his bed, and died about twelvemonths ago. His wife, after her husbands death, was seized with a settled melancholy, and her misfortunes, about six months ago, so affected her mind, that she attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself, but was cut down in time, and, by surgical aid, she recovered from the injuries she inflicted on herself. The daughter watched her carefully and closely till Thursday afternoon, when she went out, about three o'clock, for a few minutes, leaving her mother alone. On her return her mother was hanging from a beam in the ceiling, to which she had attached herself by a strap. She was immediately cut down, and, though she breathed for a few seconds, she died almost immediately.  A PUBLIC TRIAL OP MILNER'S FIRE•RESISTING SAFES took place on Monday, at the works of Messrs. Porter Brothers and Stuart, Berkeley-street, Birmingham, in the presence of a large number of scientific, professional, and mercantile gentlemen, including the Mayor, the Rev. L C. Barrett, Rev. D. Ledsam, Lieutenant Hopkins, Captain Ranie, D. Maths, Esq., R. Martineau, Esq., Mr. Alderman Rateliff, Messrs. Charles Rateliff, Thomas Goodman, J. V. Solomon, R. F. Sturges, R. Prosser, A. Bird, B. Baldwin, Marshall, and many others. Two fires were made, in one of which was placed a Milner's fireresisting safe of the smallest dimensions, filled with papers, books, and a Bank of England £lOO note. In the same fire was also placed a common iron safe, filled with papers. After the safes had been subjected to the action of the fire for two hours and a half they were withdrawn. On being opened, the contents of the ordinary safe were found reduced to black ashes, while the contents of Milner e safe were entirely uninjured. In the midst of the second fire was placed one of Milner's double bankers' safes, containing a quantity of books, papers, three gold watches, and a £lOO note. After being subjected to the action of the fire for about five hours, during which time measures were taken to make the heat as intense as possible, the safe was withdrawn and opened, and the contents were taken out entirely uninjured, the watches indicating the correct time of day, and exhibiting no signs of injury from the trial to which they bad been subjected. As the result of these experiments, we can have no hesitation in expressing our opinion that Milner's patent fireproof safes are capable of preserving uninjured, from the ravages of any ordinary fire, any books or papers which they may contain.-Bermingham Adve) tiser.