Glasgow Courier. — 1848-07-06 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE BY A LADY.  A case of suicide, under circumstances of a peculiarly painful nature (and connected with which rumour speaks of facts still more distressing), took place here on the afternoon of Wednesday last.. The unhappy victim is Mrs. Mary Madeline Bourmaster Douglas, aged MI, wife of Major Douglas, daughter of the late Gen. Mr Win. Dixon, and sister of Capt. Dixon of the Caledonia flagship, Plymouth. She had been married to Major Rau.* about 21 years; and the trots et Weir trim was tea I,d. et 1 whom survive their ill-fated parent. The deoessed bad been In India with her gallant husband al coat ever since their marriage, and only returned therefrom to her native shores about twelve months ago. Major Douglas (hastened home unexpectedly, it is said, by painful intelligence which reached him abroad), landed at Southampton some thr es weeks since, and posted immediately to Exeter, where he met the deceased, with whom he repaired to this place, and engaged a suite of apartments in the High Street, where they were lodging when the fatal event occurred. Nothing particular happened at all connected with the sad °atria-1 trophe until Thursday st.'unight, when the deceased lady called at the shop of Mr. Joce, druggist, and asked for a poison to destroy cats, mentioning prosaic acid. Mr. Jeer had not Reapply in stock, but Sent out to another di uggist from shorn he procured an ounce bottle, with which he furnished her, at the same time informing her, in answer to her questions, that it might be mixed in On this bottle (a small green one, with a glass stopper), there as the usual printed label, as it came from the manufacturer— "Hydrocianie acid: Scheele's strength. Should be kept In a well.. closed bottle and in a cold place." On the following Monday she called at Mr. Joce's, stating that aim had accidentally dropped the bottle and spilled it. contents, and asked to be supplied with a second quantity. Mr. Joce again sent out, and obtained a similar , bottle, which he sold the deceased. The deceased had appeared as usual up to the afternoon of Wednesday, although the person ' with whom she lodged deposed that she was frequently much dejected, and that her manner often suggested to her doubts of her perfect sanity. The family had all dined together (Major and Mrs. Douglas and three of their children), and deceased seemed in good spirits, and talked with her husband with appeetat pleasure of their proposed embarkation fqr India, in °stake. Soon after dinner deceased rose from the table suddenly, went up stairs to her dreseing-room, and after the lapse of about half a minute came hurriedly down, and rushed into the drawing-room, where she immediately fell senseless on the floor. Major Douglas called for assistance, and the domestics were instantly in attendance, and raised the wifortuuate lady to the sofa. M,sesengers were despatched for a surgeon, and within five manatee Mr. 'l'. Mackenzie Smith was on the spot, and found life to be I quite extinct, but death occurred within a minute of his arrival. The Mayor showed the surgeon a bottle which he had taken I from deceased's dressing-table, and on looking at It he immediately pronounced that it had contained prussic acid. It was almost emptied, although it. contents were sufficient to have destroy, d twenty lives. Smith applied the stomach pump, and the fluid dislodged from the stomach sufficiently indicated the cause of death, the peculiar odour of that deadly mixture bring strongly betrayed. On going to the dressing-room, Mr. Smith found on the platform of the looking glass upon the dresslog-table a pair eciseors, and the stopper and covering belonging to the bottle.—Deomuhire Chronicle.