Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1861-03-13 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SHOCKING CASE OF SUICIDE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER IN LONDON.  On Monday afternoon Mr. Serjeant Payne, coroner, held a long inquiry respecting the circumstances attending the death of Thomas Richardson, aged 37, in the White Dog Tavern, Widegate-street, Bishopsgate. Inspecters Mitchell and Harding attended to watch the case for the police. The following evidence was adduced : Mr. Fowler, surgeon, of 145, Bishopsgate-street,Without, said he was called upon to are the deceased at halfpast 3 o'clock, p.m., when he found him on a bed, and dead. There was a woman in the same room in charge of a policeman. Ui assistant had attended before him, and brought away a bottle which contained tincture of bitter almonds, coloured with opium. The female said that the deceased left the house for the purpose of, as he alleged, posting a letter. He w.— absent some time, when he returned with a bottle containing what she believed to be essential oil of almonds, anti some opium in a lump, which he broke up and mixed with the oil of almonds. He gave her half of the mixture, and took the remainder himself. She also added that the deceased was her own brother, and that she was a married woman, but had been separated from her husband for two or three days. Mary Ann Hall said that she lived at No. 2, Unionstreet, Bishopsgate-street, and kept a coffee-house. On Wednesday last the deceased, accompanied by a female, applied at her house for a bed. She asked him if the female was his wife, and he ieplied, " Of course she is." The next morning the deceased came down into the shop and partook of breakfast, and they went out together. On Friday morning he came down stairs and asked witness which was the nearest post-office, and she directed him. He returned in a quarter of an hour, and asked , witness whether he could have a chop, and she told him ' he could, and asked whether she should send it upstairs or would he have it in the shop. He replied that he would rather have it upstairs, as his wife was not so well, and he did not think she would get up that day. Some time afterwards, about 12 o'clock, he came down and asked for some salt and water, which was given to him. About 2o' clock, upon, sending for the dinner things, the servant came down and said that she had better send  for the police. Mr. ()Antall, chemist, of Union•street, said that on Thursday last he sold the deceased two pennyworth of opium in a lump. He said that he had been in the habit of smoking it in India and was recommended to do so in this country. He inquired how many doiwe he had given him, and he said that depended upon the quantity he had been in the habit of previously taking. He said he had been recommended to take a piece about the size of a pea, when he told him to confine himself to the same quantity. Mr. Fowler, the surgeon, said that the young wcman distinctly told him that her brother had given her, in the first instance, half the contents of the poison, and that he swallowed the remainder himself. The jury eventually returned a verdict of "Febo de se" against the deceased, rhomas Richardson, and the coroner made out his warrant for the interment of the body between the home of 9 and 12 0'0194 M night.