The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1882-08-19 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SERPENTINE.  In London, on Monday evening, Mr. S. F. Lang. ham, the deputy-coroner for Westminster, held an inquiry at the Board-room, Mount-street, as to the deaths of Albert Dickenson, aged 25 years, and Matilda May, aged 29 years, who were found drowned in the Serpentine with their hands tied together on Wednesday morning in last week under circumstances already reported. Alfred Dickenson said the deceased, who was a baker, was his brother. He lived at Chelsea. On Thursday week he called at witness's house in company with the deceased woman, and stayed till the following night, when they left, promising to return. Having heard that Matilda May had threatened to destroy herself, he tried to induce her not to do so, and asked them to remain at his house until his brother obtained employment. His brother had been keeping company with May about five years. Mr. William May, of Chelsea, a house agent, said Matilda May was his niece. She was a single woman, and the daughter of a tradesman. She had acted as housekeeper to witness for four years and a-half, and during that time had been keeping company with Dickenson. Could not say if they were married. On July 10 she went out, as witness thought, for a walk, but witness heard nothing of her until a fortnight later, when a neighbour of his wrote to say that she had seen Miss May and her young man on the sands at Eastbourne. Witness had not seen her since. He had heard her threaten to destroy herself, but he considered her too happy to do so. He believed she was right in her mind. Witness had never forbidden her to go out with Dickenson, but he had told her that he was not a fit person fcr her. Preparations had been made for her wedding, but when the day arrived Dickenson would not carry out his promise: Mr. Charles May, a cheesemonger, Chelsea, stated that the deceased, Matilda May, was his daughter. He last saw her alive on July 9, The next he heard of her was on the morning of July 11, when he received the following letter, which had been posted in London :  My dear Father and Mother,—l am deeply sorry and grieved to write this to you and caused you the great trouble you will have. We shall never meet again in this world. Pardon me, please, if possible, for the trouble I have given you. This will, lam sure, be a death-blow, but I feel I can't live any longer. It is a misery now. I know I shall have to suffer in the next world for what I have done. lam a most wretched creature. This is of my own will. I have not been frightened into it. Don't grieve for me. Think the best you can of me. Everyone has been so good to me. Please to keep it from the world; don't let anyone more than necessary know of it. You have lost a most wretched daughter. Thank everyone for me for their kindness. My uncle has been very good to me. Mother, take care of Mary, and let this be a lesson for her. We shall be found dead together. I went to church on Sunday and thought someone was sent to say I was coming. It seemed as if it was addressed to me. I hope you will live to see your daughter grown up. I trust she will never have the misery I have had.' The letter was in the handwriting of the deceased May, and was signed, " Matilda. ' She evidently posted it before she left London on the 10th. Thomas Drinkwater, boatman in the service of the Royal Humane Society, stated that on Wednesday morning in last week he was on duty in Hyde-park, and in the Serpentine, about thirty yards from the shore, he saw the bodies of the deceased. Their wrists were fastened together by a piece of braid. The woman had a piece of string tied round her waist. The bodies were removed to the mortuary, where they were ex-amined by Dr. Blackett, who found they had been dead some time. Dr. J. B. Blackett said from the condition of the woman's lungs he believed that she had fainted on reaching the water, and died immediately afterwards from syncope. He thought the man survived the woman. In Dickenson's case the death was due to drowning, Mr. C. May, re-called, stated that on the evening of Friday week, as he was shutting up his shop, the photograph (produced) was thrown over his fanlight with a letter addressed to his wife, in which the deceased woman renewed her threat to commit suicide. He searched the neighbourhood, but was unableto find his daughter. The Coroner, in summing up, said that when two persons agree to commit suicide and one survives, the survivor is held by the law to be guilty of wilful murder, and it was rather singular that the doctor should be of opinion that the man survived the woman in this case, However, it was entirely for the jury to decide whether the man did survive the woman. The jury returned a verdict of "Temporary insanity" in both cases.