The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1871-08-05 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SAD END.  On n.lay an inquest was held in the gaol of Newgate, London, on the body of Charles Jeanne, a Frenchman, aged 32, who had been confined there on a charge of defrauding the Alliance and other insurance offices of about £l,OOO by making fraudulent reKesentations as to the loss of his property by fire. , He hail been arrested on a warrant on Friday week, am! taken on the firth iwing day te the justice-room of the Mandianhouse before the Li inl May. ir, who after 'a short preliminary investigation ail). armed the hearing for a week. The prisoner, who haal carried on the business of a print-seller in Great James-street, Bedford-row, was removed from the court with other persons under remand to Newgate, and in the ordinary course would have undergone another examination on Saturday last. He had been remarkably cheerful throughout his confinement, and although a Roman Catholic, he attended voluntarily the esnal religious, services in the gaol. An examination in each cell is made by the warders daily, and care is taken that the prisoners do not contriveto secrete about them or to remove from the cell furniture or anything with the aid of which they might be tempted to commit suicide. Various visits are paid to the culls by the officials throughout the day, and one of the chief warders passes round the gaol between eight and nine o'clock in each evening to see that the primmer, are in bed. The man in question, Jenne, hail, as may be surmised, given no indication (if his intention to dostroy himself, and he appeared in his usual condition and health on Friday night when William Thomas, the principal warder visited his cell. He was then in bed. and the cell was in BO disorder. That Wadi the last time that he was seen alive. A watchman parules the passages throughout the night, anil although unable fnini the darkness to see the inmates of the cells until daybreak he is supposed to be in a isisition to hear any violent noise or movement made by any one of them. The prisoner, as has been stated, would have been brought before the Lord Mayor again at eleven o'clock on Saturday morning. No noise was heard in his cell either on riday night or early that morning, but the watchman at daybreak —which would have been about four rieffick —hoked as usual through what is called " the inspection hole in the door, and found the man hanging within a few feet rif it. He at once got hold of the rope through thc loophole, and cut it, earring the body to fall across the doorway. An alarm having been raised the warder Thomas ran to the slot, and with some difficulty opened the door, the prisoner's body and all the furniture of the cell, which had been ranged there by the deceased, blocking the way for the time. The body was examined by a surgeon, and it was found that the prisoner had been dead some time. The act of suicide had evidently been committed with the greatest determination. The prioonerseemed first of all to have twisted tightly his handkerchief, and putting it through some of the holes in the air shaft, which is 7ft. or fift. from the ground, to have formed a kind of loop, from which he hung, a short piece (if rope. The handkerchief had been dragged through the holes in the shaft by a piece of comb, and the rope had been taken out of the mile if his hammock. To prevent the movements being heard he had removed all the bed. coverings, and strewn them about the floor. Be must then have stood upon his stool, and tied his legs together firmly with a piece of cord. Having made a noose in the rope hanging above him he must have kicked away the stool, and thus caused his death. Another handkerchief hail been folded together and pressed into his ITS nab and nostrils. He was partly dressed at the tune, and it is supposed that he began his drculful preparations after the warder left his cell on Friday evening. Three letters, written in French, were found in the cell, addressed to relatives and friends, informing them of his arrest on charges of fraud, and expressed his in. tention to commit suicide, a 8 he could not bear the idea of the punishment he would have to endure for his crimes, which Inc ascribed to an uncontrollable desire to obtain money. There was also a written request to the Governor (Mr. Jonas) to allow the letters to be posted. The jury, having beard in evidence the circumstances of the suicide, returned a verclitt to the effect that the prisoner had committed the act while inn state of temporary insanity. The letters were directed to be forwanled to the relations to whom they had been addressed. 'Mere has been no previous suicide in the gaol for bet, en or eight years.