The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1839-09-13 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.)  Yesterday morning, at a quarter-past 10 o'clock, a young person, aged 23, named Margaret Mayes, daughter of a master baker carrying on business at No. 3, Hemming's-row, Charing-cross, committed suicide by throwing herself off the top of the Monument. About 20 minutes before the time just mentioned, she accosted Thomas Jenkins, the person who admits visiters, on the payment of 6d. each, to inspect and ascend the Monument. She inquired if two ladies and a gentlemani ad not been there, describing their persons, and being answered in the negative, she expressed her surprise at their absence, adding that she and the persons inquired after had just arrived from Gravesend by a steamer, with the view of seeing London from the Monument. She then asked permission'to sit within side the railings that encircle the base of the Monument, adding that she was sure her party would arrive in a short time.. The keeper, Jenkins, complied with her request, and she sat down on a stone slab inside the railing gates. She then entered freely into conversation with Jenkins, and among other remarks observed that the morning was rather cloudy, and she hoped that it would clear up, so as-to enable her to have an advantageous prospect. Her manner was apparently perfectly calm and collected. After the lapse of about 20 minutes she rose up, s lying she would not wait any longer, but would ascend the Monument without her party. After paying the accustomed fee and ascending a few steps, she turned back and said to Jenkins, " If they come tell them to come up to me, but if they decline ascending detain them till I come down." After this she ascended, and nothing more was seen or heard of hoe until elia had committed the extraordinary and fatal act. On inspecting the terrace at the summit of the giant column, her bonnet, shawl, veil, waist-band and gloves were found lying on it. A piece of spun rope, about half an inch in diameter and about ten feet in length, was found tied to the top rail of the iron palisade that encircles the terrace. There was a loop at the bottom of this rope somewhat in the shape of a stirrup-iron, which served her as a ladder to climb over the iron palisade and get on to the projecting cornice that runs around outside it, It is conjectured that when she got upon the cornice she allowed herself to drop backwards, without making a spring. This conjecture is founded on the fact, that her body fell within the railings at the base of the pillar. The body was seen in its descent by several persons, who say that it did not strike against any of the upper part of the pillar, and that the first obstruction it met with was from a bird-cage hanging on the right side of the door of the stone steps by which she bad ascended. She then fell on an iron bar which runs as a support from the side of the door to the iron palings, which was very much bent by the concussion. Her left arm, near the shoulder, came in contact with the bar, and was so vio.-, lently severed that the part cut off flew over the iron railings several yards into the square. After striking against the iron bar, the body fell so heavily on a tub containing a lilac plant, that it broke it in pieces, as well as several flower-pots placed on the right-hand side of the door. Of course not a sign of life, except some contractions of the muscles of the legs and arms, was discernable in the body when it was picked up. A shell was procured by city constable Bradley, No, 6, and conveyed by him and Jenkins to the dead house under London-bridge. In a short time two surgeons arrived, whdexamined the body, and found, besides the injury to the left arm already mentioned, that the spine and both thighs were broken in several places. Neither the head nor face presented any exterior marks of injury. The unfortunate young person's dress was a black silk one, white silk stockings, and  japanned shoes. A wedding ring was on the middle finger of her left hand. In figure she was above the ordinary height, her features were regular, and altogether she must have been a fine and handsome woman. The police circulated a description of her person, but no clue to her identity was discovered until about seven o'clock in the evening, when the lord mayor, on visiting the Monument for the second time, was told that a gentleman had a communication to make to him. The Communication was to the effect that the unhappy girl was the daughter of Mr. Mayes, of Hemming's-row, that she had quitted her home at an early hour in the morning, and had left a letter behind stating that her family shoulu never see her again.