A DEATH CONFESSION.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 307, 25 July 1868, Page 3

A DEATH CONFESSION.

The Middlesex coroner, Mr John Humphreys, was engaged at a court, held near Wapping Old-Stairs, in investigating the death of a man whose body was found floating in the Thames, and in the course of the proceedings an extraordinary " death confession " of the deceased was brought to light. A person named John Walker, of Ann's place, Deptford, stated that the deceased, who had lodged with him, was formerly a soldier and served with the 109 th regiment in India, Having palpitation of the heart he was discharged, after between six and seven years' service, with a pension of 7d a day for 18 months, and. when that time had elapsed, he petitioned unsuccessfully to have his pension continued. He was not able to do much work, but the dock people near Deptford gave him light work. This failing, the deceased despairingly declared he would not be a burden upon anyone, and left his lodgings about a. fortnight before his body was found. It—transpired that he had no relations, and that his brother was drowned some two years ago. One of the Thames police stated that on searching the lodgings of the deceased for the purpose of ascertaining the names of any friends or relatives he might have had, there was found the following, written on the fly leaf of a Bible—" Oh, brother! it is my intention to drown the same as you,but I could not believe you were drowned. Now my time has come, and I must join you. There is nobody left new. I have seen all off this earth before me, so now I come, good-night.', The officer further found, between the bed and mattress, a document headed "My death . confession"' and making the folio wing statement: — I entered the dockyard thinking that would end my life. My pension would not be renewed after serving six years and seven months in her Majesty's 109 th, and I was discharged with 7d a day for a short period of eighteen months; and after it was up I applied again and was heartlessly refused. So, what can Ido ? To apply to the workhouse, I should do work or be turned out, or be brought before the magistrate and get three months ; so so I made away with myself in the (name of the river feft blank) in consequence. My friends know nothing of this before they hear of it. It is a resolution of my own, as I have been discharged from the dockyard. I want no man to alter this, for it is from my own hand. What need ha» a poor man to live, to steal and get nut into prison for it ? No, I would not do it, The rich can walk about and don't know what to spend their money on, they have so much, where the poor man has not a penny to lay aside. If a poor man ask a rich one for a few coppers the gentleman calls a policeman and gives him in charge. At the same time the gentleman may have £9O or thereabouts on him. It is no uce speaking to me about the Bible, for I don't believe in it. There is a God, but he is too good to do anyone harm. He might be in the clouds, and I say it is a good way to frighten the money out of people's pockets. Why don't the rich stick up for it better if this is true ? No, they don't believe in it, but pay men to preach to the poor to frighten them from stealing from the rich. Also in telling lies and other things, and also making them go to church every Sunday, after being at work hard all the week. Why not make the rich go three times a week, as they have nothing to do ? No, it is only the poor man they want to look after to stoop him from stealing from the rich. I mean to make away with myself. It will be only a short time before my time comes, but to wait till then would be great suffering • so I might as well be dead at once, for I will then rot into dust. When healthy men cannot get work, I cannot expect it, so farewell to this starving world, where there are more rats than cats, and the rats eat up the food." The clause about "more" rats is supposed to refer to a grievance which the deceased considered he had, because some one was promoted in the yard to a position he couveted. The jury came to the conclusion that the '' Deceased destroyed hinself while in an unsound state of" mind."