The Sun. — 1862-10-14 (London, England)

LOVE AND SUICIDE.  Last evening Dr. Lankester held an inquest concerning the death of a young woman named Mary Martin, aged 22 years, who was found dead in one of the Highgate ponds on Saturday last under the following somewhat extraordinary circumstances :—Anne Hill, of Alpha-terrace, Kilburn, was examined, and stated that deceased was her sister, and had been living with her for nine months previously to her death. She left her home at six o'clock on Thursday evening, after which witness never saw her alive again. She had been in the habit of leaving home at night when a policeman with whom she was in love was on night duty. When he was on day duty the deceased never went out at night. The policeman and deceased quarrelled sometimes. Witness did not charge the policeman with having thrown her sister into the pond where she was found. Michael Maddigan, a labourer, said he was going to his work at Hampstead on Saturday morning. On passing near one of the ponds in the direction of Highgate-rise he heard two or three loud screams. He looked and saw some person in the water. He gave the alarm to another man and to a police-constable. When he heard the screams he saw no one near the pond. It was nearly 7 o'clock when he heard the screams. Police-constable 51 S stated that he was on duty at Highgate at 7 o'clock on Saturday morning. In consequence of information received from last witness he and some other constables went to one of the Highgate ponds, and after dragging it for about au hour and a half they recovered the body of Mary Martin. There were the footmarks of a woman at the water's edge, but there were no indications of a struggle. The centre of the pond in which the body was ound is about 20 feet deep and the body lay at a distance of 60 feet from the shore. There was a woman's mantle lying on the bank, Police-constable William George Bundy, 138 S, was the next witness. He stated that he had been acquainted with the deceased. He saw her during the greater part of Thursday night and the greater part of Friday night last. It was ten minutes after six on Saturday morning when she parted with him. She did not then threaten to make away with herself, but he had often heard her threaten to do so, and she had often asked him to kill her. She wanted him to marry her, and he would have done so had she conducted herself properly. He had never approved her coming after him at night. He had taken her home when she did so. She had attempted to destroy herself four times before within the last 18 months. The last of these attempts took place about four months ago, and at the sane pond as that in which she was found on Saturday. She asked him some time on Friday night for the loan of a sovereign to buy clothes. He refused, but stated that he would give her one if she procured a situation and showed an inclination to earn her bread. She became so excited sometimes that she lost herself. He thought that was because she had been a long time out of employment. She had been a servant. When he refused her the sovereign she did not threaten to destroy herself. She said she would buy clothes and get a situation if he lent it to her, and he now thought she would have done so. He had rescued her from drowning on two occasions, and he thought she supposed him to be near her when she threw herself into the pond on Saturday. He parted with her at the end of the Aland-road, Kentish-town, a considerable distance from the pond. Mr. W. D. Saul, one of the medical officers of St. Pancras Workhouse, proved that the deceased had died from drowning. There were no wounds on her person, except a slight abrasion on the cheek, which might have been caused by a fall or by the face hay.. ing been rubbed against the bottom of the pond. This was the whole of the evidence. The jury found that the deceased had committed suicide while in an unsound state of mind.