The Express. — 1868-10-24 (London, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE ON THE METRO-I'ULIT.4.Y RAILWAY.  Yesterday, Dr. Lankeater held an inquest at the Braik of England Tavern on the body of James Howe, a Fanner, aged 45, who committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at the Edgware-road station of the Metropolitan Partway, whilst it was entering the station. 11. e case was rendered somewhat remarkable from the f:.et that the deceased, before dying of his injuries, re es, asserted that he was pushed down in the rush of the crowd at the station, and fell between the carriages and the platform, and just before ho expired, when reminded of his approaching death, he repeated his statement, and said, '• It is true, so help me (led *." Angelina Howe, the widow of the deceased, living at 4, Bromleyroad, Kensington, said she saw her husband at St. Mary's Hospital on Wednesday, the 14th mat. lie told her that he was at the Edgware-road station, when a train came in and stomied. He put his hand on the handle of one of the doors, when there was a sudden rush of people, and he was carried off his feet and thrown down between the carriages and the platform. The person who knocked him down looked like a working man. The Rev. Edward Jas. Bennett, of St. Clenient's-house, Lancaster-road, Nutting-hill, said on Wednesday. the 14th inst., at about 7 o'clock in the reining, I was sitting on one of the seats at the Edgwareroad Station, waiting for the Nutting-hill train. I heard the Hammersmith train called and saw it coming along. The deceased, who was close to me, walked furward, threw up his anns, staggered, and then jumped off the platform in front of the train. This was before the train stopped. I would not swear be did not fall in front of the train, but I am sure no one pushed him down. William Clark, a station porter, who was on the opposite or up platform to that on which deceased was, said, I saw deceased come acrees the platform and leap off in front of the engine. There was no one near him, and it could not be true that anyone pushed Lim off. This took place before the train had pawed me. If he had bad huld of one of the carriage door. 1 could not have Peen him, as the train would have been between us. The widow of deceased, recalled, said, in answer to the coroner, that deceased wag nut a drunkard. was not seriously ill, and had never been in a lunatic asylum, nor had any of his relations. Charles Clammy, a buy who had charge of the weighing machine kept on the up-platform, said -I saw the deceased walk from a seat and spring off the platform on to the line, between the narrow gauge metals. I dill not see a great rush of people on the down-side. There was a lot of people on my side to see the deceased gut out. The carriages had not stopped when he jumped. He jumped in front of the engine. If he had been trying to get into the carriages, I could not have sen him. Other witnesses gave evidence to the same effect. Mr. Smith, the surgeon who attended deceased at the hospital, described how completely smashed the leg and foot of the deceased was. It had to be amputated directly. 'There were other injuries, including the fracture of two rib.. Deceased gave the same version of the affair to Lim as he did to his wife. Ile died on the 20th inst. from the shock. The post-mortem showed a very lad state of the body, and a softened state of the brain. Deceameil did not appear to be drunk when received into the hospital. The jury returned a verdict of " Suicide whilst of unsound mind.- It was stated that the widow and child' en would be deprived of the money they would, under ordinary eircumstauees, have received from the benefit society.  THE MrHIIER IN Sl'