Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1890-06-21 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

SAD SUICIDE IN LEEDS.  On Tweeday,st Leep Too-n MIL, before Mr.  Malcolm, the... Borough Coroner, auluqueet was held on the body of Sam Diver, chemist's assiitant, of no perreaneut abode. Policeconstable Arthur Thorpe said he was on duty near the Dark larehea is litanitiord-etreet, at 12-50 on Tuesday morning, when he ems across the body of a mao, EirICO identified as Sam Divers. There were two bottles by him and s number of papers, and a photograph of himself, together with other articles, in his pockets. Among the papers was a ticket for a portmanteau at the London and North-Western Hallway Station. This portmanteau be procured, and found in it a book with the address of Mr. Benjamin Divers, 9, WeHelm-mount, Blackman-lane, Leeds. The constable communicated with this gentleman, who identified the deceased as his nephew.—Mr. Benjamin Divers maid he had seen the body at the mortuary and identified it as that of no nephew, Sam Divers. He saw him last a week ago, when he accompanied him to Taylor's Drug Store, in Leeds, where be said be had been engaged to go to Harrogate. He knew be was in the habit of taking arsenic, but there waa as indication rif hie intending to commit suicide.— The Coroner then read ,o the jury one of the letters found upon the deceased. It was addressed by a Glasgow firm to an aunt of the deceased. It stated that upon being oluerged with misappropriating money the deceased admitted the charge, and confessed that he had systematically been taking money belonging to them for some time past. He voluntarily handed over to his employers a sum of money which he had in the savings bank. The letter continued, "We have been unwillin"; his whole life by entering upon s criminal prosecation, and have thought it best under all the circumstances to send him to his friends, after defining the expenses of his journey and paying his landlady's claim, together with one or two other items of expense. We think you ought to be made aware of the foot that he according to his own statement, in the habit of taking arsenic, and it would be well on this account, and also from the fact that he seems to feel bis position very keenly, that he should be closely watched. The incident is a moat painful one to us, as it must be to you ; and we sincerely hope that he may make an earnest effort to retrieve his character—a course which we most seriously urged upon him." He seems after this to have left on May 6th for America, but being unable to obtain a place as druggist's sesistant, owing to his not possessing a certificate, he returned to England.—Mr. Ward, surgeon, said be had examined the body and also the two bottles found by the side of the deceased. The larger bottle oontained, as it was labelled, spirits of camphor. The smaller was a blue phisl, labelled hydrocyanic acid (prussic acid). It bad been rinsed out with muddy water, and there was no smell. When he examined the body he discovered no odour save that of putrefaction, until he turned it over. There then flowed from the mouth a muddy fluid like that in the bottle. It smelled strongly of prassio acid. He bad no doubt death was due to prussic acid poisoning. He should say 'bat deceased had been dead about thirty-six bottle when he examined the body. The jury nsturned a verdict of "Suicide by prawn° acid while in a state of unsound mind."