The Express. — 1864-10-11 (London, England)

INTELLIGENCE. NEW YORK, Sin. 30.  Money easy. Gold, 94 premium. Stocks depressed. New York Centrals, 115 f. 111:nois, 1181. Erie, 93f. 5-20 Bonds, 107 f.  The deceseed gentlemen was highly catenaed, sod both in the City and in the neighbourhood of his residence, Elmwood, Tooting, he wee most charitable to the poor. The jury, which was composed of the gentry of the district, having viewed the body of the lamented gentleman, which lay at the mansion, sod the damn into which he had fallen and perished, the following evidence was trken.  Sarah Barton rid—l was in the service of the late Mr. Gibbs, at Elmwood. It was my usual custom every morning to wte water into hie bedroom for him to one. I did so oa Friday morning, at hellion 7 o'clock. I expected to have seen him in the room. He wee not there, and I thought be had gone to the closet. Mn. Gibbs was in the bed. and she asked ms what I was going to give Mr. Gibbs for his bevakfut. I put the jug of water down and left the room. I came up again at a quarter-pant 8 with his tea to the bedroom, as it was my custom to do so. I found that he had not returned to the room. My mistress berme alarmed, and flew out of bed, and we commenced to search for him. We tried all the doors and found them right A felloweervant celled my attention to • sliding doer of a small apartment which contains a tank, on the second flight of stairs in the house. I was surprised to see the door open, and on looking up I caw my master's feet on the edge of the cistern. I knew it warn bis feet by his stockings. I screamed oat that my master warn in the cistern, sad the footman sod other WiAl. trice came, and he wu got out. He was lying with his face downwards in the tank. He only had on his night shirt, flannel drawers, and dressing-gown, and his clothes were wet. He was quite dead. yon account for his being found in the  d~Mzn!  Witw•F-No, I cannot, ezo•pt that if he went to the water-skeet and found that w►ter would not flow through the valve, he might have goo* to the cistern end endeavoured to remedy the defeot, and by doing so overbalanced himself and fallen in. I known him do that some short time ago. He Gould easily have got up from the slain to the framework which •upporte the tank. The top of the tank is about 2i feet from the stairs, and the depth inside is 5 feet. I don't think anyone put him there, and I think it very improbable that he intended to throw himself in. I last saw him alive at balf•past 10 on the previous evening, and he was cheerful and ippy. He had been to the City on the day previous, and he brmght a little medicine tram Jowl). He said he thought he was not so wall.  By the Coroiier--He had left a mentorandlutt, written in peoml, is Brown, go at troom. forltthweaa e to the following wu red : muter that did not wish to give much trouble to his servants, and if he found the valve wrong in the closet he was very likely to attempt to remedy it at ono* without calling for the servants.  Alfred Prior, the footman, spoke to having got the deoesaed out of the cistern. Saw the deceased oo the previous evening, and did not notice any change or peculiarity in his mind. He lived on very happy terms with his wife, and he was a very good master. If be could not have got any water in the closet, witness thought it very lately that he might have gone to the tank and have endeavoured to reach the valve or the plaos out of order. Mr. William Weston mid the doomed gentleman was his meteor portlier. and they carried on the business of tea brokers at No. 24, Rood-lane, Fenchorch-strest. He wits 74 years of age. Coroner—Do you think it likely that he was put in the cistern by anyone ? Witness -No, Ido not. He we a very powerful man, and no Iwo men could have put him in the well against hie will.  Coric—ier—You know of nothing that could have operated on his mind—no pecuniary difficulties ! Witness—Most certainly not. He was in very affluent circumstances, and I know of nothing in busker matters that could in any way affect his mind. I saw him in the City on the previous day (Thursday). He complained of • palpitation of the heart when be awoke, and he had con-suited Dr. Sewell._  --iioroie;-7How do you I,XOlllt for hie body being found in the tank._  believe, as stated, that he had attempted to adjust something in the cistern to make the water flow, when he overWanosd himself and fell in. He was an active energetic person, and if he found anythindwroug he was just likely to go at once with a view of putting it right without troubling the servants. He has dose so at air late place of busiome in White Hart-court. He is the last man, I should think, who would take his own life. Mr. W. Green said be had been in the service of the deceased is the City for 29 years, and he spoke of the general active habits of his late master, and of his &sin to remedy at owe anything that might get out of order. He was the last person whom be should think would commit suicide. He bad ample means at his command, and he delighted in going about end doing good. The jury, after • brief deliberation, returned a verdict to the effect "That the deceased had accidentally fallen into the cistern and was suffocated and drowned."  The iovestigetioo did not ter;Tfitet;tiota a late hoar.