The Sun. — 1848-06-20 (London, England)

DREADFUL SUICIDE. Saturday forenoon, Mr. Bedford held an inquiry at the Cavalry Barracks, Knightsbridge, touching the death of Henry Robert Pearcock, aged 23, a private in the 2d Regiment of Life Guards, who destroyed himself while under confinement in the black hole. The jury, having been sworn, viewed the body, which lay in the black hole, a place twelve feet by eight, and so ill ventilated, as to call forth remarks from the Coroner and the Jury. The deceased was lying extended on his back, on a kind of bench, which served him for a bed ; the whole of the front of his shirt was burnt, and exposed a pistol shot wound on the left breast, over the region of the heart. The bullet had passed completely through the body, and was found fixed in the wall behind the bed. Charles Adkins, lance-corporal in the 2d Life Guards, deposed that he was a private in the same regiment. At ten o'clock on Tuesday night last, he posted the deceased on sentry in the stable-yard, and it was his duty to have remained there two hours ; but at a quarter-past 11 it was discovered that deceased had left his post, and had broken out of barracks, which ho effected by scaling a wall. At a quarter past one the following morning, deceased returned to barracks in a state of excitement, when, acting according to regimental orders, he placed him under arrest, and confined him in the black-hole, where he remained until six o'clock, when he was removed to the guard-room, and a sentry placed over him. At noon the same day deceased was conveyed before the colonel, who sentenced him to be confined in the black-hole for 168 hours, and to be afterwards confined in barracks for three weeks. The deceased was marched back to the black-hole, and his mattress and bedding were brought to him, and before he was left witness examined the whole of the place, together with his clothes and bedding, to see that deceased had nothing improper in his possession; he even searched under the mattress to see that he had no lucifer matches concealed, in case of accidents. He visited him again at a quarter-past two, accompanied by Corporal Read, in whose custody he left him. The deceased, did not alas pear at all depressed in spirits on account of the sentence, which was an extremely mild one; there were no firearms in his possession when ho left, nor could he at all account for the way in which he got the pistol, as none but non-commissioned officers and trumpeters are allowed that kind of arms. The pistol found in the accused's place of confinement belonged to the trumpeter of the troop to which deceased was attached, and was kept in a rack in the barrack-room, accessible to any one. Corporal Sweedy deposed that at one o'clock at noon on Friday, he accompanied the orderly officer to the blackhole, and on opening the door locked in, and seeing the deceased lying on the bed, he remarked, "All right —ho is asleep," and left. In about five minutes afterwards the person who entered with the deceased's dinner exclaimed, "That he had cut his throat." Witness went in immediately, and saw him in the position he was seen by his officer. He had a pistol-shot wound on his left breast. Mr. M'Cullogh, the assistant-surgeon, was sent fmHe dei aeteeul yl d, nweht o ,a eoene ehnits fora rr theiv pa yr o ni no un whichc d him the pirsatdiel n.l got there, nor had he or any of the guard which was on the spot heard the report of the pistol. After some further evidence had been given, but without elucidating any fresh facts, The CORONER summed up the case, and The jury returned the following verdict:—" That the deceased died from a pistol-shot wound, inflicted by himself whilst in a state of temporary insanity."  LECTURES at the