The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1872-08-31 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

ALLEGED SUICIDE 01, A GENTLEMAN.—MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.—ConsiderabIe alarm was created in the Ravensthorpe district on Tuesday afternoon, in consequence of a report being circulated to the effect that a well-dressed man, having the appearance of a gentleman, had committed suiride by throwing himself into the Broad Dam, a portion of the river Calder, lying between Shepley Bridge and RaYensthorpe. Enquiries were instituted as soon as the report reached the police, and we understand that the following circumstances were elicited by the police from the authors of the report—two young girls named Eliza Crowther, and Mary Ellen Patterson, who reside with their parents at Dawgreen, Dewsbury. They said they were on, the road near the Commercial Dining Rooms, which are kept by Mr. Marriott, about noon, and being in charge of some younger children, they were playing about the lane which terminates at the house in question. While thus engaged, a gentleman apparently about forty years of age, well-dressed, and wearing a beaver hat, a gold ring, and a watch guard, left the place, apparently the worse for liquor, and walking up to them he enquired the way to the water side. They pointed down the lane, along which the man at once proceeded to walk. Noticing something remarkable about his appearance, and thinking he was not perfectly sober, as he began talking to himself as soon as he left them, they determined to follow the stranger, to ascertain if possible his motive for wanting to know the way to the water. In the lane, according to the girls' story, they met a man they knew, and to him they communicated their impressions about the man's strange conduct, but when they said they thought he was going to drown himself, be laughed, said, "Oh, nonsense," and walked away. The females, however, determined to follow the gentleman, and they did so at a distance, while they got to the river bank. He then proceeded towards Shepley Bridge, while they turned into a field to watch his movements. Creeping behind a wall they saw him divest himself of his ring and watch which he threw into the river, and saying "One, two, three; here goes " he deliberately plunged headlong into the water, taking a running jump off the bank as he did so. He dived, and they saw no more of him. After witnessing this remarkable scene they screamed for assistance, but no one came, and, therefore, they hurried home as fast as they could to inform their parents of what had occurred. On the advice of Mrs. Patterson and others the girls proceeded to the police-office at Dewsbury, and they told their tale to Sergeant Sullivan at the borough offic.e. He directed them to the West-riding office, as Ravensthorpe is in the constabulary district, and on arriving here they were severely interrogated by those in charge. They strictly adhered to their first statement, and the police felt themselves warranted to take steps for the recovery of the body, if one was actually to be found in the water. Police-constable Senior, the officer stationed at Raveasthorpe, was communicated with from head-quarters, and he, along with several men, dragged the river for several hours, but without success, and although it was continued all the day the efforts to 'raise a body" proved fruitless. The girls are yet positive that their statement is true, and add that the gentleman observed by them to jump into the water talked a great deal himself while on the water side. He used such expressions as "I'll wait while this gets past" (alluding to a boat which was passing at the time), "I hope nobody sees me," "No one's coming," &c. Mr. Marriott, of the Commercial Dining-rooms, denies that any such person as that described by the girls had called at his house during the day in question. Notwithstanding that every possible enquiry has been made during the last few days as to the man alleged to be missing, no clue can be obtained by the police as to the truth of the story, and the whole report is now believed to be a canard, with no other foundation than the imaginative brains of the girls in question, who are aged eleven and 14 years respectively. A report gained ground in RavensthPrpe yesterday that the tale had been invented at the instigation of some rascals, whose aim was to keep the police engaged in order that the committal of robbery might be facilitated. This is sheer nonsense, as everyone giving the matter a minute's consideration will see. The affair still remains a mystery, and is likely to do so for some time to come, unless the girls should cottiess that they have invented the story, which at first caused quite a sentation in the district.  RE-