Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1878-06-07 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ESCAPED LUNATIC ATITMPTS SUICIDF.. —Simon Cridland, a mason of Bradford Abbas, near Sherburne, was brought up for attempting to commit suicide on Sunday. About five minutes past one on Sunday afternoon, Supt. Vickery saw something come down from one of the piers of the bridge, and drop into the harbour: he thought it was a deg; but it turned out to be the prisoner, who was in the water, dose to the pier of the bridge, and his jacket waistcoat, and hat, were on the pier whence he had jet:aped. Two men named James Hancock, of the Seaflower, and Shadrach Spranklin, put off in a boat, and landed him on the other side of the water, at some stops. The boat had rescued him just in time, for although he floated a good deal, his legs dropped just as the boat reached him. He was brought to the police statinn, and when asked why he did it, he said be had been drinking, and was tired of his life; he always felt iso when he had been drinking, and he had thought about it all night. The prisoner canto from Bradford Abbas, close to Sherberne, lie had been a soldier, and had more than once been in the County Lunatic Asylum ; but had escaped from there once. Last Monday prisoner came out of hospital, where he had been conveyed, having fallen down in a lit. Mr. Vickery suggested a remand until Wednesday or Thursday', that enquiries might meanwhile be made about his history. He had said he could swim, so it was no use for him to try again to drown himself ; but be should put hi, head under the train.—A young man named Samuel John Keel was on the quay about five minutes past one, and Raw prisoner standing on the round part of one of the buttresses of the bridge, where the boys fish, and undressing himself. Witness thought he was going to bathe, and next he saw him threw his hat down, and heard him fall into the water.—[Prisoner, who had been seized with a fit of trembling, had to he conducted to a seat.)—Witness continued that prisoner had turned over, and his head was just going under. when the boat picked him up, and landed him, when prisoner used strong coarse language at the men who had rescued him.—Superintendent Vickery proposed to go up to the Dorchester prison, and learn prisoner's history, and Cridland was remanded till Wednesday morning.—On Wednesday Simon Cridland WU brought up on remand before Mr. B. Hopkins and Mr. T. Abbott, charged with attempting to commit suicide.—Superintendent Vickery repeated his evidence, and made a further statement from which it appeared that Cridland was committed to the Dorset County Prison on December 3, 1867, for breach of the peace at Sherhorne. and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. On the 19th March, 1868, he was again received into the prison to await his trial on April 7th, on a charge of housebreaking at Bradford Abbas, but before the sessions he was certified to he insane, and was removed to the Chartnineter Lutiatic Asylum, on April 2. He escaped, and on May 24, 1875, he was apprehended as an escaped lunatic and sent beck to the asylum. On December 7, 1577, he was apprehended as a wandering lunatic, but having been at large over a month, Dr. Symes refused to take him back without a fresh order.—Prisoner said the charge of housebreaking was a family concern ; the man that married his sister had no right to take his father's clothes.—Dr. Tizard saw prisoner first on Sunday night, suffering from shock, consequent on immersion in the water, and from delirium tremens. Considered him a man of weak intellect, and low moral perception, with a tendency to sudden incontrollable attacks, tending to suicidal monomania, and did not consider him fit to be at large; he was at present suffering from a shock to the system.—Prisoner thought that was brought on through eating much. He should r.ever get out of the asylum if he was put there again. He was told the magistrates thought hest to send him to Dorchester, to be taken care of.— Prisoner: If I'm sent to Dorchester,? can't help it: if ever I get my liberty again I must be a teetotaler.—Mr. Arden: Have you got any friends who will be hail tor you ? Prisoner (weeping) : No, sir, I've got no friends--Mr. Arden: You need not give way to despair; you'll be treated kindly there—Prisoner: I always was treated kindly there, when I ran away and made my escape, and was taken hack, they treated me very kindly.—Mr. Hopkins told him drink appeared to have been his ruin. which prisoner agreed to.—He was committed for trial for attempt at suicide. THE ORIGINAL POISONED Cue.—That is what our lively correspondent "11." declares was found a few days ago in the sea off Sandsfoot Castle, a here some fishermen were dredging. This singular piece of pottery is about six inches high and of the same diameter, and is vase. shaped, though rather too broad in proportion to its height for the conventional proportion of beauty. Round the outside are four handles, and between two of these a piece has been broken off, otherwise the "cup" is nearly • perfect. It is apparently of coarse pottery clay, being light-red mottled like a brick, where the fracture has exposed the interior; hut otherwise covered with dull white enamel, and inside is a blue three-sprigged branch, or "flower." Much of the enamel is covered by zoophytes. a considerable number of serpula -tubs being among them, and one small oyster-shell is attached. A wag suggests that when the ' Poisoned Cup" was done with, it was thrown into the sea off Sandsfoot Castle. and we commend this theory to the author of the tale. However. it does not take long for anything, a glass bottle, or piece of Delft or China, if dropped into sea-depths, to become col ered with zoophytes, and the pottery shown U 3 had too few upon it to have been overboard many years. A curious addition might he made to pieces of pottery by dropping them into " tive-fathoms deep," and leaving them there some months, if only they could be recovered again.