Star. — 1826-05-11 (London, England)

RAI. nier had been afflicted with one of the most awful of human maladies—insanity. He had been at one time a partner in a firm, which in 1810 stopped payment, and involved him in considerable difficulties. He lost his mother, who was a most tender and affectionate parent, and atter that time (1817), he began to show symptom, of mental derangement. Five years after the death of his mother he had the misfortune to lose his wite,and was again deprived of reason, but never showed any disposition to injure either himself or others. He resided at Highbury, and on the 15th of March, between five and six o'clock, he quitted Iris house unknown to his family, and called at some places where he doubtless exhibited strong symptoms of agitation and excitement. At Mr. Williams's house at Homerton, which was the first place he visited, he asked for a glass of water. The Lady prevailed upon him to take wine, after which he asked her for a bed; this accommodation he could not get, upon which he went to a public-house, where he was also disappointed in his application for a bed. In going from one place to another he had to pass the New River, and if he contemplated suicide, it was natotal to suppose he would have drowned himself there. He then passed on to the house of Mr. Cavanagh, where he took refreshment, and after another call in the same neighbourhood, he ran into the City, and asked a friend for some money, but disappeared suddenlywithout taking it with him. He was afterwards seen by the patrol running rapidly along the road to Finchley, and he came so roughly in contact with a bricklayer, that both tumbled down on their backs. Upon being questioned as to the cause of his violent journey, he said he had been robbed and murdered I Upon searching his pockets, however, he said that he had lost nothing, that he had unfortunately dined out, and got in liquor. He was anxious to get upon the patrols' boxes, but could not prevail upon the person who accompanied him to allow him. He then took the road to Finchley, and upon reaching a pond on the premises of a farmer was d; owned. It was probable from the state in which his eloes and stockings were found, that he had walked into the pond with his clothes on; that he then returned, undressed himself, laid his clothes in a convenient place, and in such a manner as p oved that he intended to dress himself after he hed cooled the fever under which he had evidently laboured. The defendants 'alleged that he had committed suicide, and refused, on that ground to pay the demand. If he had intended to drown himself he would have thrown him-' self in, clothes and all; but it was to be inferred from all the circumstances, that he did not go into the water for the purpose of destroying life. but merely to allay the excessive fever with which he was afflicted, and that he had died from apoplexy or accident. He had acted in a manner that was not reconcileable with the idea of destroying himself in passing-by that part of the pond where he would have been immediately drowned if he had thrown himself in, and selecting that part which was not so .seen. The weather was most inclement. There was a b'a:k frost upon the ground, and it was natural to suppose that apoplexy teas produced by immersion, as the deceased had a great tendency to that disorder ? Supposing he was insane, what was there in the circumstances to show that he had committed selfmurder? The Jury would doubtless be of opinion, that in going to the pond to allay the fever with which he was tortured, he died an accidental death.  After two witnesses had corroborated the statement of the Learned Counsel as to the conduct of the deceased. _ _ _  Mi..l3iewster, the farmer in whose pond the body was found, stated, that upon going out early on the morning of the 16. h of March, he saw the body in the shallow part cf the pond. The deceased must pass the deep part to arrive at that which was shallow. It a person who had the power of rising had fallen in the part where the body lay, he could easily have got out, as the bottom was firm.  Dlr. Stracey, a surgeon, who had examined the body, was de• cidedly of opinion that the deceased died of apoplexy. . . . . .  , . . Mr..learts asked, whether immersion of the extremities in cold water might not ere.iteapolik-sy with a person in a state of fever? Wimess—".No doubt of it."  Mr. Banuonsat asked the witnev, whether a man who was hanged might nut die of apoplexy u well as a person who was  Witness said, that when a person died from sufincatioss, there wu generally a rupture of the blood-vevels of the bead. Witnesses vi ere called to pore that the occasional insan ty of the deceased was not of such a nature as to lead him to commit suicide. He was perfectly harmless both to himself and others; and his general character was such that he would be the last man suspected of such a tendency. Dr. Armstrong gave evidence to this effect ; and another medical man was of opinion, that the deceased might have died by an apoplectic fit, produced by immersion in cold water whilst in a state of fever.  The Cmsr BARON said, it was one of those cases in which there was no knowing how to decide. It reminded him of a case of property in which it was to go one way, if the daughter survived her mother, and another way, if the mother survived her. It happened that they both perished in one ship, which was sunk; and a Jury bad to deter mine which died first. The Jury decided on the presumption that the greater strength of.the mother would be able to struggle the longest against death. The Jury retired for about a quarter of an hour, and returned a verdict for the plaintiff for £3,480, and stated that they-considered that the deceased did ndt enter the water with the Intention of drowning himself.