The Sun. — 1862-08-04 (London, England)

THAMES.  ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—For a great many years suicides and attempts at suicide had been committed by drunken prostitutes in the waters of the London Dock from the several bridges in New Gravel-lane, Shadwell, and Old Gravellane, St. George-in-the-East, and occasi, nally from the swivel bridge near Wapping Church, and the swivel bridge which passes over the Hermitage Lcck, Lower East Smith • field. In almost every ease the magistrates have remanded the women rescued from the waters for a week, and the spiritual advice and exhortations of the Rev. Mr. Jephson, the pious and excellent chaplain of the Clerkenwell House of Detention have met with the happiest effects. A few have, notwithstanding, relapsed and attempted suicide a second time. About 30 years ago the late Mr. Ballantiu9 committed several prostitutes who had attempted self-destruction in the waters of the London Dock, for trial, and the body of another woman of the town, who had drowned herself, was given to the surgeons for dissection, after a verdict of felo de se was returned. The practice has latterly become so common that something more than mere remands for a week and a kind lecture (which the frail sisterhood call a ' " blowing up") from the magistrates has become necessary, in the way of example to deter others from the commission of a crime contrary to all divine and human laws. On Friday evening, after Mr. Humphreys and a Jury had held an inquest on the body of a woman named Emma Hammerton, who precipitated herself from the Old Gravel-lane bridge, and was drowned, the Coroner remarked that if the Jury were to return a verdict offelo de se, it might be productive of some good, for it generally happened after a case of suicide by ono prostitute that nearly a score acted in a similar manner.  -Thies morning Margaret Scott, aged 21, of No. 31, Angelcourt, Shad well, where none but " fallen angels" are to be found, was charged with attempting self-destruction. She was observed by a butcher's boy, named Nicholas Hornsworth to "throw herself over" the Old Gravel-lane swivel bridge into the water. The boy halloaed out for the drags. There was some delay in bringing them, and a young man jumped into the dock and dived after her. He brought her up and she was saved. The brave fellow did not give his name and address, nor did he attend to give evidence of his gallantry in saving the unfortunate and misguided woman. She stated in answer to questions put to her by the magistrate that she had been a gay woman for 13 months and came from Clapham. She was very sorry for what she had done. She was drunk when she did it.  Selfe said these repeated attempts at suicide were quite to humanity. lie remanded the prisoner to-itie shockingr. h a prostitute, Clerkenwellas prison fora w week.as Jane charged by John Bryan, a police constable, with attempting self-destruction. t..he was in a state of intoxication, and shouting and bawling, d in the midst of her wild delirium she an went OD. the ne Gravel-lane swivel bridge, and said she would drown her •w self. She made a pretence to climb ONer7 and was arrested. Mr. Selfe committed her to the House of Correction as a disorderly prostitute for 10 days, and to be kept at hard labour. In the month of July there were 17 attempts to colloalt suicide from the London Dock swivel bridges.