The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1887-11-12 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

BUU.KDIAKEB.'S SUIUIDE. FELO DE SE.  On Monday afternoon Mr. Carttar, West Kent coroner, held a lengthy inquiry into the death of Charles Sinclair Middleton Cox, aged 43, a bill discounter, of Rose Lawn, Southend-road, Lewisham, who on Friday of last week shot himself in the head with a gun, he at the time awaiting his trial at Stafford Assizes on charges of conspiracy and perjury. The widow having identified the body, the evidence showed that on Friday last the deceased,after writing for some time in a book, went upstairs to his bedroom, telling his daughter Lilian, aged 14, that he wanted her directly he was ready. She shortly after heard the report of a gun in the room, and called the cook and gardener, and on the latter opening the door he saw the deceased lying dead on the floor. The gardener went for a doctor, who came with a constable. Police-sergeant Rogers, 23 P, the coroner's officer, said he found the deceased in the back bedroom, lying on his stomach, with his head under him. Lying under him was a double-barrelled gun (one chamber of which had been recently discharged and the other was loaded), and a steel for sharpening knives. There was smoke in the room. He picked up deceased and laid him on the bed, and found the back of his head was blown completely away, and there was a wound on the front of the forehead, where he had been shot, On examining the room he found a book (produced) and some memoranda. He should say Mr. Cox was sitting on the bed when he shot himself, and fell forwards. In a drawer he found some cartridges. Deceased would be too short in the arm to reach the trigger of the gun the way he was sitting, but could reach it with the steel. He had heard there were criminal charges pending against Mr. Cox. The widow, recalled, said her husband had said if his troubles lasted much longer he would destroy himself. The Coroner read from the documents paragraphs in the deceased's handwriting, in which he referred to an action tried at Shrewsbury, in which he was plaintiff, and amongst other things be Wrote that he was smarting too much under injuries done him to wish to quarrel with anyone. In another place he spoke of wanting money for his defence at Stafford. A letter, c ipied by his daughter, spoke of his determination to raise £lOOO by Monday, but he must put up with high terms if he could not get it otherwise. In another place he wrote that he did not conspire to get money from Mr. Wood (the defendant in the action), as he could have got it upon certain horses he named without getting into trouble. Wood's solicitor had offered him his claim in full. In another place he said Mr. Baron Huddleston had been " squhred." He would swear it on his dying oath. The jury, he also said, was packed, and now he was asked to take on another packed jury. By the miserable affair he sacrificed his life and £2,5,000, or equivalent to it. If he had put his money into Consols instead of being lured into discounting bills he would have been a rich man; bat now he was "broke." George W. Whitfield, chief constable of Shrewsbury, said he saw deceased at Shrewsbury Assizes on July 20 last, when he was plaintiff in an action against a Mr. Wood. On the second day of the trial the action was stopped by the direction of the judge, Mr. Baron Huddleston, and a verdict given for the defendant. Cox and four others were then given into witness's custody on charges of conspiracy and perjury. Witness charged tbena at the M .yor's Court, and they were remanded in custody with the exception of Cox. They were brought up again and committed for trial with the exception of a man named Slack, who gave evidence. The magistrates refused bail for Cox, but nearly a month afterwards he was -admitted to bail—himself in £lOOO and two sureties of £5OO each. The assizes at Stafford, at which the deceased was to have appeared, were arranged to commence on the 14th inst. Thomas Roots, detective-inspector, from Scotland-yard, said he had had the case of Cox in hand by direction of the Public Prosecutor. He was present when the deceased wan committed for trial at Shrewsbury, and had seen the body and identified it as that of the man Cox who was committed. After the coroner had summed up the jury deliberated for nearly an hour, and then returned a verdict that the deceased came by his death by feloniously shooting himself with a gun, which verdict, the coroner said, was one of felo de se.