The Express. — 1867-02-22 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY PROPOSAL OF DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE AT CAMBERWELL.  Mr. W. Carter, the Surrey Coroner, held an inquest last night, at the Duke of Wellington Tavern, Wyndham-road, Camberwell, on view of the body of Frederick Dunton, a man 30 years of age, who cut his throat, after an ineffectual attempt to compel his wife to poison herself and her child. Elisabeth Dunton, the widow of the deceased, said that he was a hairdresser, carrying on business at No. 18, Wyndham-road. He had formerly been in very prosperous circumstances. His business in the Wyndham-road was complete failure, and ail months ago witness had to go out to service at Dulwich. A fortnight ago she had to return from service, because it was necessary that she should, out of poverty, go into Lambeth workhouse to be confined. This circumstance gave him great digress of mind, and he became much excited. On WednesoLty weekhe proposed to her that she should poison the little boy (the only child living out of four), which was just aged three yearn. Heproduceil a bottle of prussic acid, and asked her to administer some to the child. He said dud when she had done so she should take sonic herself, and that be would drink some also. He urged her to destroy herself and the boy, saying, " We are in such poverty we cannot live together, and therefore the best thing we can do is to take prussic acid." She replied, 'lf you choose to take it. I shall not do so, neither shall the child." He became very angry, and when he found that he could not argue her into it he struck her. He also proposed to kill her father, because he would not let them have money. She was in great fear for her life ; she remembered that shortly after her marriage he had made a proposal that they should drink poison together, and she was afraid that finding her stubborn be would kill her himself. He used to keep getting in and out of bed and walking about in a state of great nervous excitement. On Saturday last she became so alarmed that she pretended 4. him that she was going that day into the Lambeth workhouse, to be confined, and she went next door to Mrs. Chapman, and slept there that night and Sunday night. The Coroner asked the witness whether she was not aware of the fact that the proposal of her husband was one to commit two murders as well as a suicide?  The witness, who was in tears, said that she knew the real nature of his project, and that moreover she believed he intended to murder her himself as she would not consent The Coroner—Then why did you take no precautions to save the life of your little son? Witness—Because I thought that his object was to destroy the lives of the whole of the family, and that he was too fond of the child to kill him unless he could also kill me ; and I never believed he would commit suicide, unless we all died together. I thought he was determined to destroy us if he could. He made the proposal formerly in Holloway. lie was formerly given to excessive smoking and drinking, and I believe that was the first reason of his not being able to control his mind. He was quite sober when he proposed the poison, however. On Monday ramming last I went into the house to see if the child was alive, and I found him safe asleep on the bed in a back room. But on the door of the shop my  husband lay in a pool of blood, quite dead. I was greatly t, rrified. and I iun out for help. Mr. John Chipman, a grocer, living at IN Wyndham. road, said he gtve Mrs. Dunton a ,loinicilo bilause he had once heard Mr. tiunton say to her " I will cut your throat, and do for you." That was said, no doubt, when she refused to poison the child and herself. The deceased's business was a hairdresser, and did not succeed, and be did not know what to do to make out the rent. He was never seen to snide.  The jury rrturned a verdict " that decoased committed suicide by cutting his throat while in a state of unsound mind."  LO.V.OOtV