The Sun. — 1862-10-09 (London, England)

EXT.RA.O.RDINARY ESCAPE AND SUICIDE  OF A LUNATIC GENTLEMAN.  Yesterday an inquiry was held by Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the deputy coroner for East Middlesex, at the Grove Hall Asylum, Bow, respecting the death of Mr. Benjamin Ward, aged 40, who committed suicide through mortification at being recaptured after an escape, which he effected with singular address and determination. The jury having been shown over the asylum and grounds, John Hill, an attendant, said that the deceased was a private gentleman, and had been an inmate of the Gentlemen's Ward for some time. He had great conversational powers and spoke quite rationally. On Thursday evening he watched his opportunity, and contrived to squeeze himself through a ventilating aperture in the dining-room window, only a few inches in width. He then dropped down into the flower-beds, and by some means got over the lofty walls surrounding the grounds. An alarm was immediately raised, but he got clear off. No trace could be discovered until next day, when he was seen quite accidentally by the barber of the establishment in Mile•end walking into London. The barber, recognising him, came out of his shop, and to his dismay accostea him, and asked him to return to the asylum. Though overwhelmed at the sudden upset of his plans, he made no resistance, but allowed himself to be brought back, and was given into witness's charge. Witness, to amuse him, took him into the garden, and he there said that after he had escaped over the wall he determined to throw his pursuers out of their reckoning by walking to Woodford, which was about 7 miles in the opposite direction to London, and thus avoid the road they would be almost sure to suppose he had taken. When he got to Woodford he took lodgings, where he spent the night. The next morning, however, he considered that if he could get into London he should be more likely to escape notice, and he accordingly set out early to enter it unobserved, and he should have succeeded perfectly only for the accident of Gilbert, the barber, spying him from his shop as he was passing in the morning. He said that he had set his heart on accomplishing his escape. Shortly after this conversation witness turned his back for a moment, and directly afterwards missed the deceased. Supposing that he had again tried escape witness had the grounds searched, but without avail. Upon the house being searched, however, he was found hanging to the cornice of his bedstead by a new rope, which he must have bought while in Woodford. The body was warm, but life was quite extinct, and all remedies proved of no avail. George Gayton, another assistant, having given evidence, Dr. A. Stocker, medical superintendent, said that the deceased when brought back by the barber from the Mile-end-road seemed extraordinarily agitated. He said that he was led to make his escape by a vision which told him his wife was dead. Witness took from him a small penknife of his wife's, and gave instructions to have him carefully watched, which the attendants appeared to have done, except for the instant in which he gave them the slip. The Coroner remarked that it ought to be rendered impossible for any lunatic to commit suicide in an asylum. Dr. Stocker said that if precautions of an extreme kind were carried out the place would partake of such a prison-like aspect that the curative treatment of the patients would become impossible. There were 100 or 200 patients in the establishment who had been admitted as suicidal, but the cheerful unrestraining system had such an influence on them that the present was only the second instance of suicide that had been accomplished.  The jury returned a verdict of suicide while of unsound mind.