The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1890-10-02 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

THE SUICIDE OF A YOUNG LADY AT HEREFORD. A BTBANGE CASE. The adjourned inquest relative to the death of Mies Gertrude Brown, the painful circumstances of whose death were recorded last week, was held at Pipe-cum-Lyde, near Hereford, by the district coroner (Mr. T. Lien w erne), on Tuesday.—Evidence was given by the uncle of the deceased, Mr. Benjamin Brown, of London : Mrs. Brown, wife of the Bev. J. Brown, Pipe-cuin•Lyde vicarage; and Dr. Gilkes, who acted as surgeon on the vessel by whill the deceased came over from Australia, a short time ago ; showing that the deceased had been suffering lions a complaint which caused great depression, and that she inns have committed suicide by cutting her throat when under a delusion. She left the following letter :—"l9th September, 1890. To anyone who Ends this. Please forward my letter written in pencil home to my dear ones, also the one addre,eed to Mrs. J. C. Read. Send , it to her, and I ask you to send all my things home for my darlings to do whatever they think best with them. And in care the news of my death should trill my darling father—but I pray God that it won't but in ease it does, send all my things to darling Emmie, care of F. G. Dockor, Boultharambo, Wangarratta,Victoria. At Dulwich, in one of my boxes, you will find four brooches—two mosaic, and one pansy and one violet. These I bought for my darling sisters when I thought I was all right. Tell tem when you write that if they care to have them to keep thern,but if not to do as they like witb them. Dear Uncle Ben has £147 of mine. After any expenses that my demise has caused any of you, I wish the rest all to be rent to my dear ones at home. It is the greatest grief to me that I should oause all this terrible morrow to everyone,but I cannot possibly help it. I assure you that I was perfectly innocent as to the time Shetland ruined ins, though noue of you believed me. Had I known the time when he did it, and could calculate when to expect my aocouchement, I never weuld have destroyed myself. I beg of you all to forgive me. You have all here been extremely kind to me, and I feel it terribly that I should come to such an end and give all my dear relstione here such trouble; but I hope you will all forgive me. I beg of you to write and comfort my dear ones at home to the best of your ability; and now all I say is—farewell, and love to you remain, your affectionate niece, G ELTlttiDli Bnowlr. I implore you to follow out all my instructions, which you will dud writtou in this and other li2tes."—Mr. Sharland, the gentleman referred to in the letter, also gave evidence, and denied that any impropriety had taken place between him and the deceased.— Dr. Matthews stated that on examination he found the throat of the deceased out, the incision extending from a point 2-1 inches below the left ear in a transverse direction across the front of the throat to a point about two inches below the angle of the jaw on the right. The incision was deep, and wounded the air-passage at the upper margin of the thyroid cartilage, and also the gullet, but neither of the main arteries were wounded. Thera was also a wound on the left arm, across the front of the forest m ; but here again only some minor bloodvessels and the muscle were severed, none of the main arteries being out. Lie had sluice Made a post-mortem examination, in respect more to the question of pregnancy, and found no indication whatever of coucertion having taken place. The young lady's ideas were therefore perfect delusions. Death was duo to inflammation, which set in several days after the deoeased inflicted the injuries on herself.—The jury returned a verdict of " Suioide while temporary insane."