The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1889-02-02 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

THE TIMES, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1889.  SHOCKING SUICIDE OF A CHILD.  On Friday night Elizabeth Chandler, an eleven year old daughter of Mr. Chandler, jeweller, 4, Victoria Terrace, Leamington, committed suicide by drowning in a most sad and tragic manner. The child had been a pupil of the Warwick High School for Girls since May, 1888, and last week commenced her third term at the school. It has been the child's custom to go to Warwick by train in the morning, taking her dinner with her in a srcall basket, and to return home after school hours in the evening. On Friday she left home as usual, apparently cheerful and happy without trouble of any kind. The child did not return home in the evening, and the parents, becoming anxious, sent to various places where they ' thought she might be staying. As the hours sped on without her return, the parents became more anxious, informed the police of her disappearance, and went over to Warwick to institute enquiries. At Warwick Mr. Chandler also informed the police, went to several houses where he thought she might be staying, and returned without the child, , in the hope that she might by that time have returned home. About half-past nine a man named John Edmonds, living at the Cape, took a blue and white striped dress skirt which he had found on the canal towing path near to Guy's Cliffe to the police station. Inspector Hall went to the place indicated by Edmonds and found under the bridge which crosses the . Coventry Road, the bodice, jacket, and felt hat of the dead child, together with the basket in which she carried her food. Inspector Hall then sent Police-constable Williams to drag the canal. Williams with the assistance of Mr. Attwood, dragged the canal from the Cape side of the bridge to the Emscote Road side, where he found the body of the child, about a yard from the towing-path. It was about midnight when the body was recovered, and the officer put it on a barrow, and wheeled it along the Coventry Road to the Railway Inn. While .they were standing outside the public-house, the father, who in his anxiety had again walked over to Warwick to look for his child, came up and was horrified to see her dead body lying before him on the barrow. The body was theu carried into the house to await an inquest. On Saturday the news of the suicide spread rapidly over the town, and Miss Fisher, the head-mistress of the Girls' School, searched the desk of deceased to see if there was any letter or any evidence of the child's intention to destroy her life. Miss Fisher found in the desk a letter, commencing "My dear mother," in which the child spoke of her "misery," and said she was going to die. This is one of the most painful incidents of a sad case. It appears that the deceased child had been suspected of obtaining stationery from the shop of Messrs. Cooke and Son in the name of a girl named Elson, and from remarks made in the school ground at midday on Friday it is evident that she believed Mrs. Elson would call upon her parents and make a complaint. No evidence was given at the inquest which carried this charge beyond the point of suspicion, but whether true or not, it is evident that it was this charge working upon the child's mind which caused her to commit the terrible act of self-destruction. The deceased was a bright, lively girl, but high-spirited and self-willed. Miss Fisher spoke in kindly terms of her general character at the inquest, and she appears to have been on good terms and respected by her schoolfellows. The deceased was a pretty-looking child with pale face and dark hair. The tragic manner of her death cast a gloom over the school and much sympathy is expressed with the parents in their sad bereavement.  Friday night. I commenced about a quarter to twelve o'clock on the Cape side of the Coventry road bridge. I dragged through the bridge until I got about five yards on the Emsoote side where I found the body, about a yard from the towing path. The head was towards Emsoote Mills. With the assistance of Mr. Attwood I got the body out and brought it down here. The body was quite dead and partly dressed. It had the appearance of having been in the water some hours.