The Sun. — 1868-10-20 (London, England)

THE ;SUICIDES IN THE .REGENT';9  CANAL.  On Monday Mr. John Humphreys, the Middlesex coroner, held an inquisition at the Green Man Tavern, Hoxton Old Town, respecting the death of Mary Jane Haycock, aged 17, and Esther Watts, aged 18 years, who were drowned on Friday morning in the Regent's Canal. Before, however, taking the evidence in these cases, the learned coroner went into the circumstances attending the death of a third woman, whose body was found in the same canal near the spot where the above two were recovered. Verdict: "Found drowned, but no evidence to show how the deceased got into the water."  The inquiry into the double suicide was then gone into. John Haycock, a dish-cover maker, living in the Caledonian-road, said that the deceased girl Haycock was his daughter. She was a servant out of place. On Thursday night she sent her little brother in to witness to say that she had got a place. He never saw her alive afterwards. On Friday a policeman brought witness her portrait, and he identified it. She had a will of her own.  Esther Watts, 1, Whitby-court, St. Luke's, the wife of a stonemason, said that the girl Watts was her daughter, and she was also a servant. On the Thursday she came home from her place. Witness said to her, " Getting on with your impudence again ? " She replied, " You believe everything that they say." There was no quarrel, and she went back to her place again. The next that witness heard of her was that she had been dismissed for impudence. She kept company with a young man. Witness did not know that she was enceinte.  Caroline Booth, 50, Golden-lane, St. Luke's, said that she was 16 years of age. On Friday morning, between twelve and one o'clock, she saw the two girls together on the banks of the canal. She asked them what they were going to do, and they replied, "We are going to make away with ourselves." Witness knew the girl Haycock. She said to witness, " Take this portrait to my father. When you see him you will see me." The girls got up on the bridge and threw their arms round each other. They then leaped from the bridge into the water. Before they did so they threw their jackets and hats on the ground. We looked at the water after they jumped from the bridge, and the water was moving. We were then frightened, and we took the clothes up. It was cold, and we put the hats and cloaks on while we were walking home. There was another girl with me. When we got home to "Blind Con's," Golden-lane, we sent for a policeman, and he took the things from us. The inspector said that the witness had not stated that the deceased girls had given her 4d. and a purse before they leaped into the water. The witness said that the deceased Haycock said, "The money will be of no use to us now; give them 2d. each." They did not intend to say anything about the girls until the next morning.  Emma Fox, the girl who was with the last witness, corroborated her statement.  Dr. Forbes said that the girl Watts was enceinte. The other girl was not. The Coroner said that the two girls, Booth and Fox, thought more of the deceased's clothes than they did of saving life.  The jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased girls committed suicide while of unsound mind, and the jurors request the coroner to censure severely the girls Booth and Fox for their conduct."