INQUEST.

Evening Star, Issue 4194, 5 August 1876, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Hospital to-day, before the IHsfcrict Coroner (Mr T. M. Hockeu) aud a jury, into the circumstances attending the death of Robert Roberta.

The Corouer remarked that there w°b little doubt, from the evidence which would be adduced, that deceased met liia death by his own baud. Deceased had been in a very desponding state o:' mind lately, caused through the illness of his fair ily, monetary matters, and other reasons. *;■ John Suezer Roberts deposed: Deceased was my f ither. At the time of bis death he was forty-Svc years of age, and a horse-dealer and wood and o>al merchant by occupation Yesterday morning my mother asked me to go up to the hay-loft to see if my father had gone to sleep there, as he had left his bed about dawn of day to Hhut the loft-door, which was swinging on its hinges. I did so, and after searching for some time trod upon something under the strawy which I found to be my father's body. He was quite dead, although still warm. There was a little blood and foam upon his month, and his face and eyes bore a blueish appearance; but there were no signs whatever of a quarrel having taken place. Beside the body I found two bottles and a pannikin. One contained brandy, while the other had contained a liquid and a white powder. In the pannikin some of the contents of the last-mentioned bottle were visible. The body was removed to the Hospital. On Thursday night deceased seemed very melancholy: in fact he has never looked otherwise since my little sister Kate died. Latterly he has left the business, which he previously did himself, for mo to transact. I have heard him complain of severe pain in his heart and of headache, and I believe he had said to my mother that if he had been prepared-he would prefer to have been with Kate. I believe my father had some hills to meet. The sickness which had been in the family of late tended partly to the depression of the deceased's spirits. Richard Bulkey, assistant to ilrTbomes, chemist and druggist. Walker street, deposed that on lie 31st of last month he s«ld to deceased 24'grs. fit strychnine, giving him instructions how it was to be used.

David Jenkins, horse dealer, and Janet Allan; a servant of deceased, also gave evidence, which went to show the sad state of mind tinder which the deceased had of late been laboring. Sergeant Dean produced a pocketbook found on the deceased's person, in which were a number of bills aid other papers, from which it appeared that a sum of L2OO trad to be paid this month. This completed the evidence, and the jury, after little deliberation, found a verdict of "Suicide, while suffering from temporary insanity." ;