The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1842-12-16 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

STANDARD.  MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A SURGEON.—On Thursday night last, Mr. Roger Rankine, of Accrington, surgeon, terminated his life while in bed, by opening the vein of the right arm usually opened by surgeons in taking blood from patients, and also by severing the main artery by which the arm is supplied with blood. The deceased had been at Haslingden on the previous night, transacting some important business along with his legal adviser, Mr. Bannister, solicitor, of Accrington. They returned together from Haslingden about four o'clock cn Thursday morning. The deceased complained, to his sister, during Thursday, of a severe pain in the head, and was much depressed in spirits, attributing his depression to an unfortunate business connected which he said he had formed in Haslingden, and also to other matters of a private nature. At bed time, his sister took leave of him for the night. In the morning, about seven o'clock, she knocked at his bed-room door, and was surprised at receiving no answer; on which she entered the room, and approached his bed. She called her brother by his name and shook him ; but still his voice was silent. She then screamed for the servant-maid, who came to her, and immediately ran for Mr. Bannister and Mr. Charles, who are neighbours. These gentlemen, and Mr. Popjoy, surgeon, immediately arrived, and on examination, found that Mr. Rankine was a lifeless corpse. The bed, under the left side, was covered with blood ; and there was a quantity of blood in a basin, which the unhappy man had taken into bed evidently for the purpose of receiving the blood from his arm. Mr. Popjoy ascertained that one of the principal veins, and the main artery of the left arm, was completely cut across. This had been effected with a penknife which was found clutched in the right hand of the deceased.—Blackburn Staxdard.  At a late hour on Wedneiday night the vicinities of the Minories and Goodman's-fields were thrown into a most painful state of excitement by the outbreak of a dreadful fire, accompanied by faarful sacrifice ofhuman life, in Little Prescott-street, Goodman's-yard, Alinories. he premises in which this deplorable event originated were situate at the west side of 'the street, within a few yards of the Black well Railway. They consisted of a dwelling-house, four stories high, the property of Mr. Cook, a soap-boiler, in Goodman'sfields, who lets them out to numerous families, to the nomher, it was reported, of no fewer than 25 individuals. The ground-floor was tenanted.by a greengrocer, named Shackleton ; the first-floor front room by a foreigner (a manufacturer of Dutch drops) ; the third floor by Mrs. Holland and her four daughters ; and the remainder of the rooms by other persons, the names of whom could not be obtained. The discovery was made at about a quarter past 10 o'clock ; and the parties instantly commenced knocking violently at the street-door, whilst others endeavoured to arouse the inmates by throwing stones at the windows, but for a length of time none of them made their appearance. At last the front-door was opened, and two females :rushed out across the street in a state of nudity. By this time police constables came up when an attempt was made to force a passage up the staircase, but it was found impracticable, in consequence of the smoke and heat, which were intense. A few minutes afterwards two females made their appearance at the windows of the second floor, in an abject state of suffering. It was evident the window was their only means of escape, and the mob, which had now increased to nearly 100 persons, shouted out to them to hold on until some ladders were baought, while others called to them to jump oct. One poor creature got one of her legs over the sills of the window, and after remaining in that position a second or two, threw herself out, and fell with awful violence upon the pavement, smashing, apparently, every bone in her body, the height being upwards of thirty-five feet. Directly afterwards the other precipitated herself in a similar manner; but, fortunately, her fall was in a slight way broken by alighting on the lead front of the shop window : before being picked up she was proved to be dreadfully injured, and as soon as the stretcher could be procured, she was forthwith conveyed to London Hospital. The other unfortunate sufferer proved to be dead. She was recognised to be Julia Holland, and the other, her sister, Nancy Holland, young women, under the age of three and twenty. In the interval, the terrible element had made rapid progress ; it had extended up the staircase to the rooms above, and shortly shot forth from the roof, attracting an immense concourse of persons to the spot. A body of the H division of police had previously blocked up the different avenues leading to the burning building, thereby affording ample space for the operations of the firemen, who speedily came up from the stations of the brigade in Jeffery-square, Wellclose-square, Watling-street, and other parts of the city. Shortly after the fire had been somewhat got under, Mr. Braidwood directed several of his men to discover whether any person was missing, and shortly after they learned from a poor man, named Proudfoot, who tenanted a room on the second floor, that three of his children were not to be found. He said he had saved his wife and two children, but whether any one had preserved the rest he was unable to say. The poorlman was running about in all directions in quest of them and appeared almost distracted. Upon this information Mr. Braidwood directed several of his men to ascend the scaling ladders, which had been placed against the wall of the premises, and if the ruins would permit, to search among them. At 1 o'clock in the morning, the bodies of two children were found by Carter, and another of the brigade, among the rafters of the flooring, on the second-floor, shockingly burnt and disfigured. These proved to be poor Proudfoot's children. Shortly after another body of a•child was found on the same floor, apparently a girl of about six years.