The Express. — 1847-10-30 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF A WEST INDIA MERCHANT.... INQUEST.  Last evening Mr. W. Payne held an inquest at the Fountain Hotel, Whiteeross-street, to inquire into the er,. enmstances attending the death of Mr. John Henry Boyfory. aged 70 years, lately residing at 3S, Upper liarleyome&—' and carrying on business es a West I adia merchant is Bil: later-court, City. John Richardson, assistant chemist, said about half. eleven o'clock on Thursday morning the deceased cm:seines Mr. Battley's shop, and inquired how Mr. Battle; was, sad whether he was at home. Withers replied that he was it the counting-house. The deceased said, " Oh, never wad-. pray don't distarb him. I have known Mr. Batley tun years ; my name is Dr. Rsndell." He then said Ito wanted an ounce of hydrocyanic acid of Scheek's strength, remarking that before witness gave it him he should wish to see the bottle, as the strenZh and qualities of the acid varied so much. Witness feelinglionfident that the deceased was medical man, reached down the bottle containing the oeict. The deceased asked witness to allow him to smell it. Wit., ness took out the stopper and remarked that the deceased would find the acid quite strong enough. At this moment the deceeled knocked the stopper out of witness's hand, and, seizing the neck of the bottle, said he knew well math what hydrocyanic acid was. Witness struggled hard to get the bottle back ; en observing which the deceased gave its sudden jerk, and in so doing scattered the acid about his tea and over witness's ann and clothes. The deceased thee left go of the bottle, and witness said, "My go sir, you have done for yourself." The deceased le. plied hurriedly, " I wanted! I wanted !" and lss toned out of the shop. Witness gave an alarm, soil various parties were instantly dispatched in different direr dons to seek the deceased. In a few moments Mr. Bettleye porter returned, having discovered deceased in a beltaii shop within a few paces distance. Witni es immediately went there, taking with him some solution of anima* which he administered to the deceased, under the dilutes of a medical gentleman. Witness could not ay that the de ceased ha i not swallowed some few drops of the arid, bathe believed that the sprinkling aver his face and inhalation of the vapour by the deceased would alone have been sufßeimt to cause death. The deceased was perfectly collected in be manner while talking to witness in the first instance. Mr. Edward Joliffe proved having accompanied the lea witness to superintend the administration of the aim:lona The deceased lived for 10 minutes or a quieter of an hoer, and from that circumstance witness was of opinion that , little, if soy acid had been taken internally. It there Dui been deceased could not have lived so long. Elizabeth Barrett, shopwoman to Mrs liendenon, balm, of Red-cross street, deposed to the tact of deceased ham! rushed into her mistress's shop. On doing so, he Mime. diately seized a chair, and sat down. Several :artin hot Mr. Battley's came shortly afterwards. Mr. Southwood, Fore erect, to whose surgery the deemed was removed from Mrs. Hendersou's shop, said that, 0,11 ro moving the contents of the stomach by the stomach-pump,s strong smell of prussic acid was perceptible. Oa analyst. tion, however, no poison could he detected, and witness wn of opinion that very little, if any, acid had been swallowed by the deceased. Witness had never heard of death resulting from the inhalation of the vapour of prussic acid, hut believed that it might do so under certain circumstances. James Alder, butler in the service of the deceased, said be last saw his master alive on Thursday morning, at half-pat 9 o'clock. He was then leaving Harley-strut for the City. Witness had noticed the deceased to have been in a wry nervous sad agitated state on several occasions lately, hat was not aware of any cause for it. Mr. William Charles Shams, clerk in the service of the deceased, said he had observed a vast difference in the ele ceased's manner during the past few weeks, and his aliens to business questions were such as frequently to excite wit. nese's surprise. Witness was not aware of anything homy occurred to vex deceased's mind beyond deprecation in colonial produce; and he knew that deceased nail a large balmier in his banker's hands. Ti e deceased was a man of my temperate and regular habits generally ; of late he bass peered completely bewildered while transacting business a the office. _ .  Mr. George H. Deffell, son of the deceased, said his Wm had been particularly afflicted by the commercial =barns menta and difficulties which bad prevailed fur some tine past. On Saturday loot be remarked to witness that "nun dreadful to think of the state of affairs." The failures which bad occurred among the deceased's friends and neighbours distressed him very much, and he himself, of course, suffer/1 from the general depreciation which had taken plate in es lonia! produce. On Wednesday last witness particululy observed that he wax very much changed in his manner, hi strength appearing to hive failed him altogether. There being no other evidence, the Coroner summed up, remarking ou the melancholy nature of the case, and the jury having consulted for a few momenta, returned a verdin of " Temporary insanity."