The Sun. — 1845-02-20 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF MR. L. BLANCHARD  CORONER'S INQUEST.  On Monday evening Mr. Carter and a highly respectable jury assembled at the Spread Eagle Tavern, Canterbury-road, Lambeth, to inquire into the cause which led the late Mr. Leman Blanchard, the weß-knoWn contributor to the metropolitan periodicals, to commit suicide. • _ . . _  The jury, upon being sworn, proceeded to the late residence of the deceased, No. 11, Union-place, Canterbury-road, to view the body, which was lying in the bed-room. Upon the re-assembling of the jury, The CORONER stated, that what they had to inquire into would be the state of the deceased's mind at the time he committed the act of self-destruction, and upon the evidence adduced they would find their verdict accordingly. From the statement of the nurse, it appeared that about twelve months since the wife of Mr. Blanchard was attacked with illness, which, in the end, terminated in insanity. At different periods Mrs. Blanchard's disease became more confirmed, when, about two months since, while sitting in the drawing-room, she exclaimed to the deceased that she was afraid she was attacked again, and shortly afterwards her intellect disappeared. On that occasion Mr. Blanchard carried his wife up to her bed, from which she never rose. From the period of the death of Mrs. Blanchard up to last Friday &vetting, the deceased had been observed to labour under a great depression of spirits, and that to such an extent that he was afraid to be left alone of a night, so that when the nurse departed, his youngest child, a lad about eleven years of age, slept with him. The result of the loss of Mrs. Blanchard, acting upon the susceptibility of the mind of the deceased, created a disorganisation, which ended in the prosAration of the nervous system, and Mr. Blanchard became subjected to tits. In the course of last Friday he sustained two attacks, tt,iin both of which he recovered, and at the usual hour, which was between nine and ten, he retired to his bed-room, accompanied by his son, and attended by the nurse. The deceased, as was his usual custom, performed his devotions, which he concluded by the Lord's Prayer, and at that time he appeared to be in the full enjoyment of his intellects. The nurse, on the termination Of the evening prayers, lett the room, and within three minutes afterwards the deceased committed suicide. The boy, on seeing the blood gush from the throat of his parent, sprang towards him, and catching hold of his hand, exclaimed, " Oh, father !" when the deceased fell, and in all probability died. Medical aid was called in, but the deceased had ceased to exist. ,It was further stated that since the death of Mrs. Blanchard, the deceased had been most desponding, and, although giving existence to those charming pieces which pleased all uho read them, he was sinking under a most painful state of mind. The CORONER, at this stage of the proceedings, remarked that the sou of the deceased who, it appeared, had slept with his father sidce the death of Mrs. Blanchard, was in attendance ; but from what han come to his knowledge, he felt satisfied that no additional information could be arrived at.  The jury said they were perfectly satisfied, and returned a verdict, " That the deceased destroyed himself while labouring wider temporary insanity." It is to be regretted that the deceased has left four children to lament his untimely loss.  THE BISHOP or