The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1825-12-14 (London, England)

CORONERS' INQUESTS.  INQUEST AT ST. LUNE'S LUNATIC ASYLUM—WEL-4, evening an inquisition was taken at the above institution, 0:i. street-road, before J. IV. Unwin, Esq, the Coroner for Me dime,. and a respectable Jury, on view of the remains of Mr. Smut.. Russell, late a patient in that establishment, who had committal suicide on Monday last. The evidence adduced on the om. slim was as follows : IVm. Windmill examined.--. 1 am a keeper in the hospitaf. Saturday last, on my going into the room of the deceased, 1 youcd him with his throat cut ; immediate assistance was sent fur. and Mr. Dunstan attended and bound up the wound ; he heed until Monday : on the morning of that day I left him in his apartmert about half-past flee o'clock; he was then in bed, and the hand" were secure around his neck. I then went about my usual bug. nest, and was absent for a quarter of an hour ; on my reaan I missed him, and in consequence ran to my own room, and net. tinned the circumstance to another young man who deers with e, and In whole care the deceased equally was. Acromparded by him, I proceeded up the stud, and at its extremity we fotrnd him it.. vended by a small cord, fastened round his neck, and attached to the iron bar which crosses over the ward gate ; his feet were mute off the ground. 1 immediately broke the string, and had him to. moved to his own room, where he was placed on the bed. 31% Thomas. one of the medical attendants at the hospital, was at rr:: in attendance. I have no doubt but that the deceased rJnaciitett suicide. lie came here as an in-door patient, and attempted t, kill himself twice before. He was in the hospital about En months. After he made an attempt on his life on a former oar. sion, he expressed the greatest regret at having done so, and lAA that if he was so sensible at the time he attempted the act as h: then was, he would not have done so for a thousand pounds. The Coroner here remarked that, to call it by its very lighten appellation, it was die extreme of negligence in the keeper, Inviv an insane person, such as the deceased, for an time alone; ht the more particularly so as it was a fact of which 'he was aware, tin he had made several attempts at suicide, Mr. John Thomas, the house apothecary, examined—l have seen the deceased, and think that the wounds inflicted on his them would not have caused his death, and that he would have recovered from their effects ; the immediate cause of his death was strarga. lation. I conceived that he committed suicide, and his insanity was of a decided character. The ceritlicate, signed Benjamin Hall Symons, was here put in and read. The Coroner having briefly summed up, the Jury returned a ye. diet of " Suicide, committees while in a state of insanity." An Inquest was held yesterday afternoon, at three o'clock, at 20, Foley-place, before Thomas Stirling, Esq. Coroner, to kuire into the death of Mr. Charles Smith, who terminated his existence ' by hanging himself. The deceased, it appeared, about two months ago, lost his wife, and has since much declined in health, and become so excessively unsettled in mind, that a person named Dunning was appointed ta watch him. He was attended by Mr. Noble. a surgeon, but here. jeered that gentleman's medical care, and refused to allow the ope. ration of bleeding. He latterly became exceedingly irritab:e. and at times conducted himself very violently, and frequently drank to excess. It was found necessary to conceal his razors, sod hee+ without his reach of I every description knife, or edged tool, este more than once attempted selkfestruction. On Monday morning, during the temporary absence of the person who had the cued him, he ran down stairs, and Imaged himself in meet the kitchens, and was found quite dead, his knees nearly tonchiag the cmcod. The Jury, being satisfied, returned a verdict of `• Temporary derangement.