The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1848-09-12 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.  On Saturday an inquest was held before P. F. Calf, Esq., on view of the body of a man unknown. The case' from the extraordinary nature of the death, which peered from the first to be suicide, excited considerable interest. The first witness called was Richard Davine, who said—l am a sailmaker, and _,Lill6 in Preston-street. At present I am employed by Mr. James Clarke, who keeps a shooting-gallery in William" son-square. I was there last night, and saw dems°e; come in. He appeared to be a little in liquor, but vro7 quite capable of knowing what he was about. Thref gentlemen came in, and deceased had several shots with them, both with the rifle and pistol. I charged the riffe and pistol. After several shots, deceased said he was not the worst shot of the lot. At this time I had a loaded pistol by me. Deceased picked it up, and fired at th., target. Ite,mediately after, I took it out of his hand air reloaded it. Deceased then took up He then asked a rifle and fired it; The pistol was then lying on a form. for the pistol, to have a shot with it. I banded it to Into! It is that now produced—[a good pistol, about 13 ineri 1.0,-3 Jr, thc, It was eh ed. with gunP°t the a leaden bullet. He took it rom me, and I too. rifle which he had discharged out of his hands. while was charging the rifle, 1 noticed the deceased 110a1_11-' the pistol with the muzzle upwards, and pointed towsrus his head. Almost directly deceased discharged the pistol. and he fell down. I ran to him, and found a wound in his throat, just under the chin. I ran and called a police; officer. He came, and a surgeon was sent for. Decease!: was taken away in a car, and this morning I saw him dead at the Infirmary. When deceased came into the ptin he appeared to be perfectly collected, and aware of w 0,1!: he was doing. I did not observe anything to lead ate 1", think he was at all affected in his mind. It could 11?: have been an accident. He was standing right ()Ivor, the target at the time. Deceased had had fifteen sh°"' but had paid for only one. When searched, he had Wil l a halfpenny in his pocket. George Lloyd, who happened to be in the shootiec gallery at the time, corroborated the last witness in re. of his statement. Witness went out for two or tnr7 minutes, and on his return he instantly heard the repot', and saw deceased fall. Mr. Brown, surgeon of the Infirmary, said decesseti, was brought there on the previous night, and was deco insensible, with a gunshot wound in the throat, of ww., • he died at about half-past twelve o'clock, He found leaden ball, which had passed through the palate and,tro base of the skull, and completely through the brain. The ball was found on his taking off the skull-cap, arkar,he wound from it was no doubt the cause of death. ball, flattened on one side, was produced.] the The inquest was then adjourned to Monday, .° hope that the deceased might be identified, and 0°'"0 other evidence obtained as to his state of mind, but0 further clue could be obtained. Several pawn-tickets were found upon the body, o°l33es of them with the name John Watson, and others 'IOs Watson. He had on a blue short jacket, black Cl'co. trowsers, laced shoes, and grey stockings; dark c° plexion, dark hair, and small whiskers ; height sb°lit feet 8 inches.