SUICIDE OF TWO MURDERERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1660, 29 January 1913, Page 8

SUICIDE OF TWO MURDERERS.

DRAMA;'IN MAIDSTONE GAOL. .;, The suicide of. two convicts in Maidstone, Prison, in circumstances probably unique in tho- prison annals of Britain, ,was disclosed on' December 12 at an inquest before the Kent county coroner, Two. men'whose death sentences for murder had been commuted to -imprisonment for life were found in the cell of one of them,with their throats cut. On two slates were farewell messages—ono, in rhyme—expressing a wish for death rathoi than <.a liietimo -in tt convict prison. \ The convicts; woro Sidney Bunyan, aged twenty-five, and Harry Finch Southcliffe, thirty-one. They were both lifo. sentences for wilful murder. Bunyan was convicted in' September, 1909,. and Southcliffo in, November, 1907. Tho death sentence. in *ach case, was commuted to penal servitude for life. Bunyan. Hal been aii inmate of Maidstone Prison'since December .8, 1909, and ■ the other man since November, 1011.' ';. ■ On the warders' going to the ward with cocoa on Tuesday cvoning, December 10, tho cell of Soutncliffo was found to be barricaded.', An entry; was effected," and Bunyan was'discovered on'the bed dej.d, while Southcliffe' was lying on the floor in a' dying condition. Their throats had evidently been cut with a 'rode knife, which one or other of tho men may hare improvised out of a piece of iron while they were working in thctinsmith's shop. Southcliffo died, within two hours of his admission to tho hospital. ■'. ■'■'■' _ ' The goVernor of. tho gaol, Captain Darth, stated that, tho two prisoners had always seemed 5 to bo very good friends, and at exorciso the warders had noticed how they used to talk to each other. Bunyan was of an extremely, w'co disposition and always cheerful and snulinj. The conduct of .-both, men was exomphry during the whole, timo they' were m Pl ln'tJib cell were found two slates.which contained the' two prisoners farewell messages. .Bunyan wrote:— , My Dear Mother and Sister-I am very eorry to bring this trial'upon you. But lam sure it will bo for tho bast. The Home Secretary has given me ho hope cf getting out of prison, and sooner than pass my- life in a hole like this I would sooner die. ; Good-bye, from . SID.. On the opposite ado of tho slate liunyan had written:—. [ Dear Mr.' Warden,' 'Mv cell, it'is empty, •. The convict has flown; V Tho windows aro open, To that you must own, ' My cocoa, you 6ee, > • ts left in the pot, And I think tho Homo Secretary ' Should—well bo shot. "■'.' S. BUNYAN. SouthclinVs message was as follows :— Dear Dad, —-Sorry to causo you any more trouble, but I hope by tho timo you rcccivo this I shall bo beyond giving you any further trouble. , -'. If the Homo Secretary had only mo the slightest hopes for the future I should not have done this. Dear dad, will you kindly send £2 on to this address in London, and, of course, havo the other £3 for yourself. ..... The jury, returned' a verdict of suicide i.n both cases,- but were unable to state what was tho mental condition of the prisoners at the time. .