The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1825-01-28 (London, England)

SEDUCTION AND SUICIDE.  Yesterday evening an inquest was holden at the Three Cups public-house, Oxfard-road, on view of the body of Christina :Bark liriscolie. aged 19 years, who put a period to her existence by poison, on Tuesday last, under the following distressing circumstances :  Louisa Morcani, of No. 7, Drew's-place (with whom the deceased had resided for the last three or four months), stated, that the deceased was niece to her husband, Carlo orcani, &manufacturer et artificial flowers, at whose instance deceased came over to England about a year and a half ago, to assist him in his business. The deceased having received a liberal education, and being a young woman of extremely insinuating manners, was much noticed by the various persons for whom Morcani did business, and finally was offered an eligible situation in a very eminent florist's house in New Bond-street, which she accepted, and where she had the misfortune to attract the regards of a gentleman ranking high in life, who ultimately effected her ruin, and took her with him into the country, where she remained until the birth of an infant, which dying soon after, the deceased was abandoned by her seducer, and in the month of last October she returned to London, her spirits quite broken, and her whole appearance betraying the utmost wretchedness. During this interval, she had occasionally as, sisted witness in the management of the business, Morcani being in Italy, but her constant wish was to return home to her native coJntry ; on this subject she bad repeatedly written to the person by whom she was seduced, entreating such pecuniary assistance as would enable her to quit England for ever, but only in two in. stances were her letters answered ; the one was a little before Christmas, conveying a direct refusal in harsh terms ; and the latter was about ten or twelve days ago, when deceased received a letter from him, enclosing a 101. note, with a few words of extremely unkind import ; one expression of which seemed to have peculiarly affected the mental faculties of the deceased. The letter was to this effect: " You say that the death of your child has tended to impair your health, and to incapacitate you from pursuing your business as hitherto. This is of a piece with the artifice of your sex. Who ever dreamt of meeting with such sublime feelings in the bosom of an Italian flower-girl ? I only regret that you did not accompany your brat (which I never believed to be mine), and then I should have been freed from both incumbrances at once. The enclosed will be the last assistance you can expect to ruche from me, and is more than I have any right to give you." IYitness stated that, since the receipt of this letter. deceased wept almost incessantly, both by night and day, and talked in so wild and incoherent a manner, that she (witness) began to apprehend her reason was fled for ever. On Sunday morning she appeared more composed than usual, and intimated a wish to attend the serf vice of the Mass at the Spanish Ambassador's Chapel, which she generally resorted, when so inclined. Witness could not accompany her, but she went along with a young Italian girl, who knew her when she lived at the house in Bond-street ; from that time until Tuesday morning she was quite calm in her manners, though extremely melancholy and averse to society of any kind. On Tuesday she went out under a pretext of visiting an acquaintance in Manchester-street, and did not return until near seven o'clock in the evening, and when questioned by witness and another person as to the cause of her staying so long, she replied in a hurried hut under-tone of voice, " I have settled everything this day, but it his cost me many tears." Witness thought that she alluded to her departure for Italy, and observed, " Christina, you must not think of going; there is no occasion for it, particularly as Morcani is away." Deceased sobbed bitterly, and said, " Yes, yes, but I must. Oh, God forgive him that forces me to such an act." She then said, that she had sone matters to arrange, and went up stairs to her room fur that purpose ; in some short time witness followed her up stairs, and found her sitting at table with the requisites for writing before her ; witness pressed her to come down to the sitting room, but she declined, and begged them not to disturb her until supper was prepared. She was naturally of a florid complexion, but at that time she was deathly pale, and appeared to labour under great distress of mind. Witness did not see her after, until the servant girl informed her that " Mademoiselle was in a fainting fit," and upon going up to the room, she found her lying on the floor, perfectly inanimate, and to all appearance dead. Not think. ing her really so, witness used various means to restore her, but without effect, and she then went for a surgeon, who declared that it was all over, the deceased having evidently swallowed poison. Rebecca Moore, servant to list witness, stated, that soon after deceased went to her apartments she wrote a letter, which she desired witness to put into the General Post receiver, which she did. The letter was sealed with black wax, and appeared to contain an enclosure. Witness did not read the direction of the letter. When deceased spoke to her she appeared very much enfeebled, and her eyes were red and swollen from weeping. Mr. Dubois, surgeon, was called to assist the deceased on Tuesday evening, about a quarter after eight o'clock, but readily perceived that his assistance was likely to prove ineffectual, as all pulsation had ceased for some timeprevirtualv. The symptoms being indicative of poison, he adopted the ordinary modes of treatment, such as administering emetics, ttc.., but without effect. The patent stomach-pump was then introduced, and a great quantity of black matter extracted; yet every attempt to restore animation proved abortive. On analyzation, the contents of the stomach proved to be laudanum, in a quantity of greater magnitude than he had ever witnessed in any similar case. Two young women, acquaintances of the deceased. spoke gene, rally to the disordered state of her mind during the last three months. The Jury expressed themselves in strong terms of reprobation at the unfeeling conduct of this wretched young woman's seducer; and concluded by saying, that they only regretted it was not In their power to couple his name with the infamy that attaches to it from this melancholy event, of which be was unquestionably the cause. Verdict--" That deaeued committed suicide by poison, whilst in a state of temporary derangement."