The Express. — 1852-08-20 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF A CONVICT IN NEWOKIE. Yesterday afternoon an inquiry took place in the dinner hall in the gaol of Nowgate, before Mr. W. Payne, the coroner for the city of London, and a jury, into the circumstance@ under which • convict, named Joseph Hunt,' committed self destruction in the course of Wednesday night. The under.sheriffi, Messrs. Millard and Hopwood, and the governor of the gaol, Mr. Cope, were present. The deceased, it appeared, was tried in the Third Court on Wednesday foe robbing his uncle, Mr. Mathews, of 11, High-street, Deptford, of a coat and some money, end it appearing that while in the capacity of servant to the prosecalor, he had robbed him to some extent, and that he had heen previously tried, the e sum primed upon him the sentence of seven years' transportation. From the evidence of a prisoner named Dunn, it would seem that the deceased complained, altar 'avian the dock, that his sentence was very severe, and he said he certainly should never do " the term. lie cried very much for some time afterwards, but as the evening wore on he became more cheerful, and went to bed at lock, having tint attentively read the Bible. There were a number of bells, or bunk. ," in the ward, and deceased preferred the one at the lower end, near to the water-closet. The witness' entertained his fellow prisoners by telling stories and setting conundrums, end the deceased remarked that he was • rum chap, and proceeded to relate something be had sten In print about tvansportation. At about a quarter past two the witness got out of bed, and went to the closet, but he found an obstruction to his °peeing the door, and on putting down his hand to ascertain what it was, he felt the cold flesh of some one. He t d back and mimed the deceased, and he called up • prisoner, named Moore, and told him that Hunt 43, asleep in the closet. Moore replied he believed deceased was not asleep, but had hung himself, as he recollected that when he went to the closet lie took the braces off his trowsera. They then called on the whole of the prisoners to turn out, which they did, an alarm was given, and assistance arrived. Prom the evidence of Mr. Humphreys, the principal °Meer of the gaol, it appeared that on hearing the alarm be went to the ward, and on entering the closet he found the body of the deceived stiff end cold, lying on the door. He had evidently 11. en dead some time, and he had committed seltdestruetion by banging himself. He appeared to have stood on the closet seat and fastened his shirt to the bars of a window about tight feet from the ground, and then tied his braces to it, placing a slip knot round his neck, and then jumped off. It was supposed that by hanging some time, the braces had broken with the weight, end he had fallen and pitched over, as he was found lying across the floor with his head against the opposite wall. Medical aid was procured, but he had been dead some time. The prisoner Moore alluded to was examined, and ho said he all at once recollected when Dunn called him, and said Haat was asleep in the alert, that he bed repeatedly talked of having attempted to kill himself, and that he hid cried and rolled on the floor with grief after his sentence, and that was the reason be had at once expressed a belief del he bad hung himself. Mr. Mathews, the preeecutor of the deceased, his (deceased's) wife, and another person, gave evidence which showed that there existed in the deceased's mind a strong predilection for seltdestruetion. He had attempted his life twice. His grandfather destroyed him-elf, and his mother was subject to fits of insanity. Mr. Mathews said he had brought him up from a child as his own son, and had kept him and his family, but though he bad been a good friend and • kind master, fur he acted as his servant, he had, by drinking and getting into had company, spent so much of his money, that at length, to save himself from ruin, he had been compelled to prosecute him. He ezeected the deceased would make some attempt of the kind, and he had kept • sharp watch on him, and when he was given into custody et the Greenwich station he told the inspector to watch bins, or he would do it. The deceased, said Mr. Mathewir, had a comfortable wife and a comfortable home, but he was a desperate drinker and spendthrift, and he had often thought the drink affected his mind. The jury found that the deceased destroyed himself in a At of temporary insanity. The deemed wise • line built young man, not unpreposessing in features, and was described as twenty-nine years of age. His wife, a young woman, about his own age, is left with two infant children.