The Cotton Factory Times. — 1888-01-27 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

THE TERFIBLE SUICIDE OF AN ADHMAL.—The inquest on the body of Rear-admiral Versturme was held at the residence of the deceased, Arwenack Mansion, near Falmouth, on Saturday. —Mrs. Verstrume, who was greatly affected when giving her evidence, deposed that she and her husband dined together on Thursday evening. They were very happy, and the deceased was in good spirits. After dinner they went into the drawing-room. Having a sore throat, she asked her husband to excuse her singing to him, as was her custom, and said that she would play the piano only. She went to the piano, and her husband at the same time walked over to the fireplace and put the small brass poker into the fire, as she snpposed to make a blaze. Shortly afterwards, as she was in the act of opening the piano, she heard a " stuttering " noise, which caused her to look round. She then saw that her husband had the red-hot poker in his hand. Something in his face alarmed her, and she rushed across the room and seized the poker. In the straggle which ensued for the possession of the weapon she burnt her hands, and then she fainted. After that she remembered nothing more. She always lived on the best of terms with her husband. There were, however, some family troubles which had upset her husband lately; and at the dining-table, when she was trying to cheer him up, he remarked, "You are the most cheerful companion any man could have." Witness added that in the desperate struggle for the poker her husband seemed bereft of his senses, and seized the lamp, the shovel, and, in fact, anything he could lay his hands on.—Ellen Davis, the only servant in the house at the time of the tragedy, said she heard groans proceeding from the drawing. room, and hurried thither. She foand her mistress on the floor in front of the fire, and unconscious. A little distance from Mrs. Versturme lay her master, with a poker in his hands, "struggling and banging himself about." She took the poker from him, and threw it to the end of the room. A lighted lamp was also on the floor, and this her master was " hugging " to him. She threw a rug over the lamp in order to put it out. She could not hear her mistress ceiling her, as the kitchen was too far away from the drawing-room.—Dr. Bullmore deposed that on his arrival he found the deceased on the floor of the drawing-room in a perfect state of frenzy. He was, in fact, suffering from a paroxysm of suicidal mania. There were four punctured wounds in the abdomen, two of them going through the integuments, and all with the appearance of burning. The heated poker had penetrated to the peritonium. Blood was flowing from his mouth, caused by his swallowing broken pieces of glass and china. Witness knew Admiral Versturme had been in a despondent frame of mind owing to family troubles, but he had never shown any sign of suffering from mania or delirium tremens.—The jury returned a verdict that deceased died from the effects of wounds self-inflicted while in a state of tompry inanity.  A CHINESE Dweinr.—China has produced another dwarf—by name Si Fuh. He is now at Shanghai. 'Well advanced in middle life, he still only measures 30 inches.  Tun