A Typical Love Tragedy.

Hastings Standard, Issue 139, 6 October 1896, Page 4

A Typical Love Tragedy.

DOUBLE SUICIDE

The tragedy at Hollier's Family awl Commerical Hotel in Euston Road (says a London paper) was made the subject of inquiry before the Central London coronor, Or Danford Thomas, at St. Paneras Coronor's Court on Saturday. The names of the two victims of what appears to have been a typical love trad soy were given as Frederick William Saunders, an assistants schoolmaster, lately living in Portland-street, Soho, and Alice Maud Mary Caley, a domestic servant, in service up to a month ago in Avenue Road, St. .Tolm's Wood, and whose parents reside at Oxford-street Paversham. The former was stated to be '2"> years of age and the latter 21. The young couple went to the private hotel on Wednesday night and engaged a lied room. They were found dead before noon the following day. Evidence of identification was given in the case of the girl by her father, James Caley, a gardener of Caversham, who last saw his daughter alive on Mondav, when she left home for the purpose of coming to London to pay a visit to I\lr Saunders, to whom she was to have been married at Caversham on Thursday of this week. She was formerly a servant at North (late, Avenue Road, but had been at home a month preparing for the wedding. Witness first heard of the tragedy on Friday morning, when he saw an account of it in the morning papers. Mr Saunders and his daughter had been engaged for three years, and the match was greatly approved of. In the case of the young man, who was an assistant schoolmaster, his brother, R. 11. Saunders, of Mamleville Place, Manchester Square, deposed to his identity. Witness knew of the engagement, and knew also of the arrangements for the wedding but knew of 110 subject of distress. W hen he saw dec-eased on Wednesday of previous week he found him very quiet, but not in any way disturbed. The young people were very mueh attached to each other. Dec-eased had not (to the witness's knowledge) been subject to anv delusions.

Mrs Annie ILollier, proprietress of the hotel, and wife of Henry Hollier, a builder, stated that the young people came to the hou-e on Wt dnesday evening, shortly before nine o'clock', and asked for a room with which the}- were supplied. They entered no name, and retired to bed without refreshment. On the following morning they had breakfast, and before noon were found dead in their room. They were entire strangers to witne.-*.

Tin 1 young servant in tlio establishmcn, I-'lorcnce < '< rowr, saw tliedec-eased lady ami gentleman at a quarter-past nine, when she took up the breakfast. At ton, when witness was in the dra wing-room, she heard two bangs. She could have counted four between the two ban.ys. She thought it was a noisy from the factory in the rear of the building, and took no further notice of it. At half-past twelve, while she was attending to the rooms she saw the door of this particular room ajar and thinkin.tr that the young couple had gone out, she walked into the room. There a startling sight presented itself. The man lay on the floor, a revolver lying near his right hand on the bed. On the floor and on the bed there was a large quantity of blood. "Witness at 6nce went out and brought up her master and a police sergeant. There were no signs of life in either of the unfortunate young people. J"soth were fully dressed ; the young lady with her hat and veil and gloves on. Police evidence by Serjeant Kernble, 21 E, showed that the young lady was found with her arms round the legs of her companion. Witness found a five-chambered revolver (produced), with two of the compartments empty, having been recently discharged, and also a box of cartridges, also found a post card addressed to the father in the young man's pocket. It read thus : " Do not grieve, father, as this is our best." lie also found another letter. This startling communication, found in the deceased's right hand pocket, was addressed " To the reader of this letter," and was dated Monday, July 27, lSQij. It read thus:—"Matters have gone wrong suddenly. A fortnight ago imputations were east upon the good name of my dearest Alice. These imputations I refused to believe and they wore indignantly denied by Alice herself. We are blackmailed—at least I was—for money to quieten the mouth of the slanderer ; but now, after getting the money, he threatens opposition to our marriage unless a certain final payment is made. I have been unsuccessful in obtaining the amount of money demanded, and Alice and I have decided to spend the last night together, as the greater amount of our money is gone in payment of the blackmailer, and the horror of exposure —though I am firmly sure of her innocence—has been too much for us to bear. We have decided that a long reft is preferable to the heartbreaking effects of an impostor's exposure. and the ultimate scorn of friends and relatives. We do not fear leaving the world together, though we regret tire pain and sorrow it may occasion to others. We have been true in every way to one another, and now prefer to leave the world together. We have kept this strictly private, and destroyed all correspondence connected with it." Continuing, and under date Tuesday night (meant for Wednesday), the letter read :—" For two days we have lived together, hoping we might settle matters somehow, but alas ! our efforts have been without avail. We now leave r l ." world together without regret, v • - r of us can live alone. To-mor-,-c-i .v, if not to-night, we die in peace, re .'retting only the disgrace and sorrow v. it may cause to others whom we tve behind. Had it been possible to avenged our blackmailer at the .same time we would have been glad to J. • We have been unable to obtain anything to make us pass away in our

sloop, so that this dreadful end only remains." A verdict was returned to the effect, " That the woing# was shot by the man, who afterwards took his own life."