The Sun. — 1848-06-29 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF 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 at Bideford on the afternoon of Wednesday last. The unhappy victim of her own rashness is Mrs. Mary Madeline Bourmaster Douglas, aged 39, wife of Major Douglas, of the Royal Infantry, daughter of the :late I General Sir William Dixon, and sister of Capt. Dixon, of the Caledonia flag-ship, Plymouth. She had been married to Major Douglas about twenty-one years; and the fruit of their union was ten children, seven of whom survive their ill-fated parent. The deceased had been in India with her gallant husband almost ever since their marriage, and only returned therefrom to her native shores about twelve months ago (on the ground of ill-health). Major Douglas (hastened home unexpectedly, it is said, by painful intelligence which reached him abroad), landed at Southampton some three 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 114;h-street, where they were lodging when the fatal event occurred.  Nothing particular happened, at all connected with the sad catastrophe, until Thursday se'nnight, when the deceased lady called at the shop of Mr. Joce, druggist, and asked for a poison to destroy cats, mentioning prussic acid. Mr. Joce had not a supply in stock, but sent out to another druggist, from whom he procured an ounce bottle, with which he furnished her, at the same time informing her, in answer to her question, that it might be mixed in milk. On this bottle (a small green one, with a glass stopper) there was the usual printed label as it came from the manufacturer--" Hydrocyanic acid : Scheele's strength. Should be kept 'a welt-closed bottle and in a cold place." On the following Monday she called at Mr. Jove's, stating that she had accidentally dropped the bottle and spilled its contents, and asking to be supplied with a second quantity. Mr. Joce again sent out, and obtained a similar bottle; which he sold the deceased. This bottle was labelled as the other. 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 apparent pleasure of their proposed embarkation for India in October. Soon after dinner, at nearly five o'clock, deceased rose from the table suddenly, and went up stairs to her dressing-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 unfortunate lady to the sofa. Messengers were dispatched for a surgeon, and within five minutes Mr. T. Mackenzie Smith (who chanced to be at home when the servant came) was on the spot, and found life not quite extinct, but death occurred within a minute of his arrival. The Major showed the surgeon a bottle which he had taken from the deceased's dressing-table, and on lookin at it he immediately pronounced that it had contained prussic acid. It was almost emptied, although its contents were sufficient to have destroyed, not merely one, but twenty lives. Mr. 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 being strongly betrayed. On going to the dressing-room, Mr. Smith found on the platform of the looking-glass upon the dressing-table a pair of scissors, and the stopper and covering belonging to the bottle, so that there could be no doubt that the infatuated lady precipitated herself from her husband's presence, and instantly repaired to the fatal dose.— Devonshire Chronicle.