The Commonwealth. — 1867-07-13 (London, England)

DETERMINED SUICIDE BY A YOUNG LADY AT YORK.— An act of suicide of a most determined and mysterious character wss committed on Thursday last at York. In the afternoon of that day, an exceedingly goodlooking young woman, apparently between 20 and 30 years of age, and presenting a ladylike appearance, went into the "White Swan" hotel, Pavement, in the above city, and asked for a glass of sherry, which was supplied to her. In a few minutes it was perceived that something had evidently been put into the wine, when the lady said that she was delicate and in the habit of taking medicine, and that the sherry contained quinine. The observations lulled suspicion, and the female drank the contents of the glass, it is asserted, in the presence of two or three ,other persons. After wbile considerable alarm was created in the house by the young lady falling upon the floor of the room, it was believed, in a fit. Mr. Marshall, surgeon, was consequently sent for, and on smelling her breath he at once came to the conclusion that she was suffering from the effects of the essential oil of almonds. A bottle was found in her pocket containing the same kind of poison. She was quite unconscious, and although every remedy was used to restore her, it was perfectly unavailing, and she remained in a state of insensibility until her death, which took place in about three hours after she had taken the deadly draught. From a letter which was found on her person, it was believed that her name was Emily Hawkes. It also transpired that at two o'clock that morning she had come from London, and in the first instance had gone to Scawin's Hotel adjoining the railway station. Beyond this nothing was known respecting her. The description of the girl is as follows :—Age, 25 or 26, fair complexion, dark hair, of middle statue, slender in build, attired in plaid silk dress, brown sealskin jacket, and a purple velvet hat with white feather. She wore ..old earrings, a, gold Geneva watch, and had upon one of her fingers a gold ring set with pearls and emeralds. In her dress she had also a gold brooch containing light hair. In her pocket, and in a small leather bag which she had left at Scaw;.n s Hotel, were also found a variety of articles, and some, it is thought, may lead to her identification. They point to the leaving Scarbro' for Southampton, and having there seen some person away, a return to London, an assignation at the waiting room of the Great Northern Hotel. There possibly a disappointment, and a return to York on her way back to Scarbro' which her suicide prevented her reaching. The inquiry was resumed on Monday afternoon at the White Swan Hotel, York. It was shown from the communications which had been received that she was very respectably connected, that her friends reside in Dorset-street, Southampton, and that both in Scarborough and York she had been living in different hotels with Ensign Bell, who was stated to have sailed from Southampton on the 2nd inst. At Scarborough she had represented herself as his wife, and at York he called her his wife. On Sunday last two small bottles, which had contained essential oil of almonds, were found in the grate of the room in which the deceased had taken the dose, and it was thought that out of these she had poured the contents into a larger bottle, which was found in her possession nearly full of the above-named poison. The jury returned a verdict "That the deceased poisoned herself during a fit of temporary insanity."