The Sun. — 1844-07-27 (London, England)

SUICIDES IN LEICESTER.—The frequency of suicides in this town by young people, would appear to fully justify the remark, that sympathy is a principal cause of them. It was but in April last, that we announced the death of a highly respectable young man, a druggist, by shooting himself with a pistol, in consequence of the receipt of a note from a young lady with a hom he had kept company, disclaiming all further acquaintance with him. At the latter end of that month, a fine young woman poisoned herself by taking arsenic, simply because she had been told by some one that a young man, who had paid his addresses to her, was about to be married to another. A few weeks after that, another girl took a dose of arsenic from a somewhat similar cause, and narrowly escaped with her life. On Saturday week a girl who worked in Messrs. Bedell's factory, put an end to her existence under peculiarly distressing circumstances. her namewas Matilda Jones, and having kept company with a youth named George Potter, carpenter and joiner, but not yet out of his apprenticeship, for some months, she became pregnant ; on the discovery of which by the girl's parents it was agreed the couple should be married, Potter expressing his perfect willingness to make the girl his wife. The banns were published, the ring was purchased, and Monday, the 15th instant, was fixed for the wedding. Alas ! on that very day the poor girl was a corpse. The mother of the youth, hearing of the intended union on the Saturday previous, expressed her intention of throwing every obstacle in the way, and threatened to forbid the banns the next day (Sunday); declaring she would sooner see her son hanged than that the match should take place. The girl was wrought to a dreadful state of excitement, and, having ing gone up stairs Some time after her intended motherin-law's departure, took a dose of arsenic, which was kept on the premises for the purpose of destroying vermin ; but as she declared she should get better, having taken various remedies administered by her parents, they, wishing to avoid additional exposure and disgrace, neglected to send for medical assistance, until a great and sudden change appeared in their child on the Monday morning, and it was too late. She died in a few minutes after the arrival of the medical officer, and at about the time when, in all probability, had the course of true love run smoothly, the marriage ceremony would have been performed. There is now another added to the above dismal catalogue. A girl named Mary King, aged 18, of a somewhat profligate character, the daughter of a widow living in the Wharf-street, a low part of the town, having been out all Monday night until three o'clock the next morning, was reproved by her mother for her conduct, and a fierce quarrel arose between them, the daughter declaring that her mother should have reason to remember it before the day was over. She at down for a short time, but went out with her work (gloves) in her apron, apparently to her employers, but really to a druggist's where she purchased twopenny.. worth of arsenic on pretence of cleansing the bedstead ; went to a neighbour's house, and drank it off in a cup of water. She died in about four hours afterwards. An inquest was held the next evening, and a verdict to the effect that she died from the effects of poison administered by herself with an intent to destroy life was returned. She was buried the same evening, and although it was nearly twelve o'clock at night, there were seine thousands of people assembled to witness her interment