The Express. — 1852-04-10 (London, England)

SUICIDE OP A BROTHER AND SISTER--A V(rY painful feeling has been created in the neighbourhood of Ilurnsantofts by two suicides in one family, the victim, of their own rash acts being two young persona, stanches of the relation of brother and sister. Mary and Juan Smith were daughter and son of a man named Smith, a h"" setter, of Burmantofts, with whom they lived. Both Were unmarried, and Mary was 23 years of ago. From some hidden cause, she had for a short period been in a desponding state, and on Friday night, the "sth ult., rile foil her father's house, without intimating where she was going, or leading them to suppose that she intended staying long away. Nothing being beard of her, and all inquiries respecting her leading to no result, the river .tire was, by order of her relations, dragged, as, from her previous despondency, they began to apprehend the worst. 02 Monday her body was found in the river, and conveyed to the Nag's Mead Inn, hfunslet. An inquest was held upon the body before Mr. Blackburn, on the same day. There were no marks whatever of slokr a upon the body, nor the slighted reason to doubt that the unhappy girl had thrown away her own life in a moment of aberration of intellect. A verdict was return"' of " Found drowned." But the painful eircuinstar.ces of this untortunate family do not end here ; for on Thursday rooming James Smith, brother of the deceased, was found hanging in his father's kitchen quite dead. An inquest was held upon the body, before Mr. Blackburn, coroner, on Friday morning, when the following facts were adilueid ia evidence:—The deceased was a eloth.dresser by trader 21 years of age, lived with his father at Iturmantoftsr and worked in the mill of Messrs. Booth and Co., Chorleylane. Like his sister, James had been in a state of despondency for several weeks, and lie appears to have been ray much shocked indeed at the melancholy death of be sister. She was interred on Wednesday, and the whole matter so preyed upon his mind that fears were enter. tamed for his reason. Early on Thursday !norm,: his father called him up to go to work. They started out together, and proceeded in company as far as Maligate,where his father lost sight of him. Here he must have retrsied his steps homewards, as ho arrived there in a very shot time. The only person then in the house wa: a youo brother, to when" the deceased said he Wall V) ill that be could not bear the thought of going to work. At sit o'clock the younger brother went out to his work, saddle deceased was left-in the house alone. About eight o clock a neighbouring woman went to the house for the purpose of washing, and on entering the kitchen was homheil at finding the unhappy young man suspended by the neck from • beam. She raised an immediate alarm, end the body was promptly cut down, but life was quite extinct. The hapless suicide had tied a silk kerchief round his neck, and with the assistance of • chair made the other end of tho kerchief fast to a beam extending nem,. the eeilinc.aod then completed the rash act by throwing himself oil act chair. No other reason can be assigned for these tailored@ than conatitotional despondency, acting alike upon tbe minds of both brother end sister. A verdict was returFtl in the case of Jaws Smith of " Temporary inanity. Leeds Times.