The Sun. — 1844-09-10 (London, England)

SEPT. 7.—The formal investigation relative to the suicides of two of Earl Stradbroke's gamekeepers hasterminated explanation of the motives which induced either of the deceased f- any authoritative estruction. Therefore, persons twithout r e sresort rt affordingtosself-destruction. beyond the reports already in circulation, the affair ro. mains involved in mystery. Pursuant to the warrant of Mr. Sparrowe, the coroner, a jury assembled at Henham, Lord Stradbroke's seat. The first inquiry related to the death of William Easy, aged fifty-four, the head gamekeeper, who shot himself in one of the coverts, on Saturday, the 31st of August. The only evidence adduced was that of the persons who found the body, and who described the mode by which he had effected the suicidal act. The same witnesses stated that for some time past he had been subject to fits of despondency, and betrayed evident symptoms of mental derangement, but no reason was suggested to account for the change in the man's manner. The jury accordingly returned a general verdict of insanity. The second inquest was on the body of John Cucksey, abed fifty-six, one of Lord Stradbroke's assistant gamekeepers, who shot himself on Sunday, the Ist of Sept. The evidence in this case was as follows : Richard Andrews deposed—l went on Sunday evening last to call on a person named Ludlow, whose cottage is close to that of the deceased. Whilst sitting at Ludlow's I saw Cucksey (the deceased) enter his own house. His wife and three children were with him. I thought they had been out for a walk. I think they had not been in the house above two or three minutes when I heard the report of a gun, and immediately after Mrs. Cucksey and the children screamed violently. I entered the house, and found the deceased lying on the floor. I saw that he had been shot. His waistcoat and shirt were burning, and his wife was kneeling on the carpet alongside him, trying to extinguish the fire. The deceased appeared to me to be quite dead. I saw a gun on the floor, which had just been discharged. I can assign no motive for the commission of the act. Mr. Long, of Wangford, surgeon, said—l was sent for on Sunday evening last to attend the deceased, who, I was informed, had shot himself. I got to the house about eight o'clock. He was quite dead. On examining the body, I perceived a gun-shot wound under the jaw. There was considerable hemorrhage. The shot must have produced instant death, for the contents of the gun ascended into the head. The deceased had been previously unwell, owing to a fall from his horse. I had attended that morning and the previous day, when he complained of being very low. lam of opinion that the death of Easy, the other keeper, had a very serious effect upon the deceased's mind. I saw that he was greatly distressed about it. Another witness stated, that when the deceased returned home, he complained of being cold, and asked his wife to get a fire. Whilst Mrs. Cucksey went into the yard for coals the fatal shot was fired. It was stated that the gun was suspended from a beam under the ceiling by two hooks or holdfasts, one of which was found on the floor, and from the ceiling being low a person of the same stature as the deceased would probably have touched the beam with his hat, which circumstance raised a doubt in the minds of the jury that the gun might not have gone off accidentally. They accordingly returned a verdict to this effect—" That the deceased died from a gun-shot wound through the head, but whether inflicted by his own hand, or the effect of accident, sufficient evidence thereof did not appear to the jurors." The Coroner granted warrants for the interment of the bodies, and the proceedings terminated. It is reported that another of the gamekeepers has since these disastrous occurrences been placed under restraint, cos ing to the alarming excitement which they have created in the man's mind.