The Herald of Wales. — 1890-03-15 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

FEARFUL TRAGEDY.  Consi.derable excitement was created in I rating circles in Swansea on Monday morning by the intelligence that Mr. Hibbert, a wellknown grocer of the district, had committed suicide at a Cardiff Tavern in the meet determined manner. The circumstances of a really terrible story are these : On Saturday night, about nine o'clock, a man having the appearance of being in comfortable circumstances arrivei at a c :flee tavern, in St. Mary street, giving the name of Howard, engaged, a bed, and retired almost immediately. F. e had no luggage, but this fact did not ulnae any astamiehment, and he was left to the privacy of the apartment, being apparently sober. On Sunday morning, shortly I after ten o'clock, one of the eervants went to the 1 room, and knocked for the purpose of announcing breekfarit, hut receiving no answer, the demerit° called the manager (Mr. Smith), and the hater knocked several times in vain. Thinking that, the visitor was sleeping a amdly, the manager wee loth to make any great noise, but availed himself of a window which looks on to the corridor, and he then saw the man was on the floor, and that the bed was bare of clothing. rearing that auraething serious was amiss, Mr. Smith hastened to the police office, and Detective Oxley returned with him to the pre:adios, meanwhile taking the pi rcaution of sending for medical aid. The detective's knocks were unanswered, and he then burst open the door, wnen a truly horrible eight presented itself. The unfortunate man was completely enveloped in the bedclothes, and lying face downwarde ; and upon lifting him up, it was found that he was perfectly blue in complexion from head to foot, the features were distorted in a ghaety manner, and the body posaessed the rigity conclusive of a terrible struggle between life and death. Dr. Downing wasproxiptiy in attendance, and pronoonein,g life extinct, remarked that the poor fellow must have endured awful agony, but that he had been deed some hours. Genendlyspeak• tug, the body vrasetrai,ght—indoel, when raised thin corpse appeared to stand erect tied perfectly steady—but the position of the arms and bands, as they rested on the chest, was truggnctive of nothing so much as a trussed fowl. It was found impoearible to restore the arms laths rides, and the fingers could not be straightened— evidence conclusive to the medical mind that the pair fellow had taken a heavy dorm of an irritant poison. On the side of the bed the toilet bade was noticed, but contained nothing more than, cold weterr and a handkerchiet which had -1 evidently fallen in. On the dressing-table, however, Detective Oxley found a glass with the dregs of a blue liquid; and on making farther search the wrapper of a vermin-killing powder was found in the man's trousers pocket, while in a pocket of his emit was discovered a packet of the powder intact—sufficient in the doctor's opinion to kill eeveral men—but something of a clue to tie identity of the man and the motive for making away with himself was found in another posset in the form of 30 or SO letters and accounts, in some of which payment was pressed for, al- "C. Herbert, groeer, Gereciaou," a small town rear Swansea. The deceased is . about 415 years of age, but, as indicated, the fee.. tures were sadly dietortel in the writhing, of death. Mr. rfihhert, as we have said, was very wellknown in Swansea. Some years ago he rutebaaed and carried on the large grocery estab, liehment in ligh-rdroet, known as the 'Arnericen Meat Market, bat he avet uneriethenful, and be . then went to • smaller shop in the district. it itfhprerantldiatthhe warn ree not re ag' he ziktty tate bniereu.it nose at Correinon. There can be :little doubt ' that financial diflicuhiee preened heavily upon , him, and drove him to perpetrate the &aspirate deed that ended hie existence.