The Sun. — 1832-01-30 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.  Early on Saturday morning the inhabitants of Chelmsford were alarmed by the report that a man was lying dead in the church-yard, with his throat dreadfully cut, which, on proceeding to the spot, was found to be but too true. It appeared that the unfortunate man committed the fatal act in the porch, and, from the quantity of blood therein, must have remained there some time before he went into the yard, where he was found by the sexton, quite dead, more than twenty yards distant from the porch, with his head lying on a grave, upon which he had fallen, no doubt, from exhaustion and loss of blood; and it would seem that the act must have been committed on the Friday evening, as the porch doors are not open till nine in the morning, long before which the body was found. A gentleman of the registry-office (which is over the porch) heard some person enter it a little after six the previous evening, and afterwards stagger out as if intoxicated, but he heard no groan or other sound of distress, although itt all probability it was then the deed was done, There was found, at a short distance, a knife with a blood-stained razor blade. He was a stranger at Chelmsford, where he had been begging a day or two previously, and was in distress. He was advanced in years, and, from his personal appearance, seemed to have been in better circumstances, but nothing was discovered upon his person, that we have heard of, shelving either his name, calling, or where he came from. Monday morning an inquest was held at the poor-honse,when, amongst other evidence, the following by John Harold was given:— " I am assistant to Mr..J. Cremer, silversmith. I have seen the body, and recognise it as that of a man who came to Mr. Cremer's shop about eleven or twelve o'clock on Wednesday last. The front part of his head was bald, and he had on a speckled waiscoat. He begged alms. I asked him where he was going. He said to Edinburgh. I asked him where he came from ; he said America, and that he had been living in Canada. He also said that that he had been a Writer to the Signet at Edinburgh, and there saved a considerable sum of money. That he went out to Canada, and speculated largely in the corn and timber trades, and that he had an establishment at Montreal. His address was very good indeed, and he was evidently a person who had had a very superior education. He had, he said, lost his money by speculating, and could not work—all he could work at was his pen. He also told me that he had arrived at Devonport about a month ago. I asked him why, if he was going to Edinburgh, lie came into E cie money,%e him,ari butd dis edncot?k referrednHe o wh is%ar'ilditeorhetehtleo' aogd:en.ros efleired}iini(di not the churchyard. odue, whattorthe ansihi come m he to v I sawelduphishattd r aAirOdmshaaeride of :'''eOntOh ar, him after that. My belief at the time verye good."eased s h oTuhl d be stripped, and his clothes closely searched, to seee the manlier of • was that he hadhisbeeanddaremssa,nanodf riersispecctloaltrhileitsy,,wfhroicmh Coroner ythetl appeared hteorehigtvaevebeoerndeorrsigtii)naatll if anything could be discovered respecting, him ; but only a few blank papers were found. The Coroner then remarked upon the evidence ; and, after a short consultation, the Jury returned a verdict that the deceased destroyed himself in a fit of temporary insanity.—Essex Standard.  - Sir RozERT PEEL, has evidently relinquished his former position of leader of the House of commons to 3lr.