Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1872-01-06 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE CLERKE!;TWELL TRAGEDY.  On Saturday evening Dr Laiikester, coroner, held an inquest at the John of Jerusalem public house, Clerkenwell, on the body of a man named William Young, who, on the morning of Boxing Day, attempted to kill his wife, and afterwards committed suicide. Mrs Young, a strong, vulgar-looking woman, dressed in deep Mourning, about 50 years of age, was the first witness called. She said: Sophia Young is my name, and! reside at 24, John. street, Penton-street, Clerkenwell. I am the widow of the deceased. I do not know what his age was—at least, not exactly. I believe he was about .50 years of age. My husband was a writer for various publications. Last Monday night I went into the room where he usually wrote, and noticed a pistol in a drawer. I asked my husband what it was there for. He replied that he wanted it in case of emergency. I said, " What emergency ?" He said he knew. He then asked for a shilling, which I gave him. He soon after went out, having previously locked me in the room. When he came back he seemed to be under the influence of drink, and he had some drink in his pocket. I asked him for the change out of the sh'lling. • He said he had got it stowed away somewhere. His head being bad I knew that he would spend all the money on drink if he was allowed to keep it, and the driuk was not good for him. That night he was very uneasy from the effects of drink. I laid beside him all night, so that I could attend to him. The next morning he asked for Gd for drink, which he said he wanted very mud], as he did not feel well. On his going out I asked hint to bring in some milk to make tea. When he came back he had some tea, and I took a portion of it. As semi as I did I went to sleep again, and did not wake till I was aroused by a blow on the head. I saw a life-preserver in his hand. I screamed out "Murder," and he continued to strike me on the head. He tried to hit me with all his might. I found that the dour had been locked. After a great effort I succeeded in taking the key of the door out of his poeket. He contiaued to strike me, although he promised he would not if I remained Where I was. I got out on the landing. and made my 1%.03r,d0wn stairs. He followed me. • I met Mr Deverell on the stairs, and told him of what hail occurred.. I was not long down stairs when I heard a pistol shot, and I called out "Oh, he has shot himself. "rhe body I have seen in the parish mortuary is that of my husband —Police-constable W. Odell, Inspector of the G Division, stated that he searched the room in which deceased was found. In a drawer he found three letters. One was addressee' to ''All it may concern," another to the American Minister. Deceased was an Irishman, but brought up in Canada. In the document addressed to the American Minister deceased found fault with the American nation for not having provided him when there With a "shanty," or a "cottage by the sea," censured the whole world for not having appreciated his great genius, declared himself in ernßhatic terms to be "the second Messiah," and 'Wished to make it known that he put an end to the existence of himself and " bosom friend," his wife, so as to get rid of the troubles and general ingratitude of this world, and substitute for them the peace and happiness which he was certain of in the other world, inasmuch as he was born for the benefit of mankind, and he died for their good. He laid particular stress on what he left as his last words. They were to the effect that a certain publication was the sole cause of his destruction, that its abuse of him kept him from going to America, that it placed him before the world as an unclean animal, because he would not commit an unclean action. The wind-up of his last words were, " God forgive them; they know not what they 110 !" The other letters were written in the same wild straiu.—The jury, without any consultation, returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had killed himself when in an unsound state of mind.  AN