The Sun. — 1834-07-16 (London, England)

DREADFUL AND DETERMINED SUICIDE. Yesterday morning, about half-past three o'clock, as John Mason, police constable No. 121 of the D division, was on duty in Upper Charlotte-street, Fitzroy-square, he observed a female in her nightdress make her appearance at the thirdfloor window of the house of Mr. Thorpe, No. 10, chairmatufacturer, and opening it, commenced getting into the window-sill. Suspecting that she was about to throw herself into the street he called to her, begging of her to desist ; but by this time she was standing upright on the sill, outside the window, and waving her hand for him to stand out of the way she bent herself forward, and plunged headlong into the street from a height of between fifty and sixty feet. She fell on her head on the curb-stone of the foot pavement, narrowly escaping being impaled on the spikes of the. area railing. On the policeman running up to her assistance a most dreadful spectacle presented itself: the unfortunate woman was writhing in the agonies of death, covered with blood, and the right side of the skull smashed in so shocking a manner that a person's doubled fist could be introduced into the brain. The police " stretcher" from the Albany-street station-house was procured with as little delay as possible, and the poor creature was placed on it to be conveyed to Middlesex Hospital, but expired before it had proceeded many yards. It appears that the name of the deceased is Setter, a widow, in respectable circumstances, who lodged at Mr. Thorpe's house ; latterly some domestic afflictions preyed heavily upon her mind, and she became in a very low and desponding way ; it is supposed that in a paroxysm of grief she had got out of bed and committed the fatal act. The deceased was forty-three years of age.  ANECDOTE OF CuRRAN.---A farmer attending at a fair with one hundred pounds in his pocket, took the precaution of depositing it in the hands of the landlord of the public-house at which he stopped. Having occasion for it shortly afterwards, he resorted to mine host for the bailment ; but the landlord, too deep for the countryman, wondered what hundred pounds was meant, and was quite sure no such sum had been lodged in his hands by the astonished rustic. After ineffectual appeals to the recollection, and finally to the honour, of Bardolph, the farmer applied to Curran for advice. " Have patience, my friend," said the Counsel, " speak to the landlord civilly, and tell him you are convinced you must have left your money with some other person. Take a friend with you, and lodge with him another hundred pounds, in the presence of your friend, and then come to me." We must imagine, and not commit to paper, the vociferations of the honest dupe, at such advice - however, moved by the rhetoric or authority of the worthy counsel, he followed it, and returned to his legal friend. " And now, sir, I don't see as I'm to be better off for this, if I get my second hundred again ; but how is that to be done ?" "Go and ask him for it when he is alone," said the counsel. " Aye, sir, but asking won't do, I'ze afraid, without my witness, at any rate." " Never mind ; take my advice," said the counsel ; " do as I bid you, and return to me." The farmer soon returned with his hundred pounds, glad, at any rate, to find that safe again in his possession. " Now, sir, I suppose I must be content; but I don't see as I'm much better off." Well, then," said the counsel, " now take your friend with you, and ask the landlord for the hundred pounds your friend saw you leave with him." We need not add, that the wily landlord found that he had been taken off his guard, while our honest friend returned to thank his counsel exultingly with both hundreds in his pocket.