EXTRAORDINARY LETTER BY A SUICIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8162, 25 January 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

EXTRAORDINARY LETTER BY A SUICIDE.

Mb. Caiittar, coroner, held an inquest lately at Greenwich, on the body of a man supposed to be Francis Sumnar Rose, aged from 45 to 50, who committed suicide at his lodgings, 49, Devonshire Road, Greenwich. Mrs. Woodings, the landlady, said the deceased had been with her for three weeks. On Thursday he did not come down, and in the afternoon she went into the room, and found him dead on the floor. Police-Con-stable Hayward, coroner's officer, produced two boxes which had been tied up by the deceased and addressed to the coroner and jury. In one of the boxes was found the following, written on foolscap paper :— East Greenwich, 6th Nov., 1889 (the figure "0" had evidently been written subsequent to the other portion of the letter). This is to certify that I, Francis Sumnar Rose, have committed suicide by swallowing an overdose of strong Turkey opium, and that no person in this house, or any other, have had either hand, or act, or part, directly or indirectly, in my destruction. The whole business is my own. My reason for committing suicide is because I have ruined myself in the cursed horseracing. I had made a fair little fortune at the game for years and years, but " easily got, easily spent," until at last I have lost all. I cannot brace up my mind to go back to Australia to my friends and a comfortable home, although I have got the offer several times from a few friends in London to procure a passage and outfit for me on loan of six months' sight. But when I come to think the matter over and over, no, 1 would sooner face death ; yes, even twice over again. 1 have tried to accept the offer, but my mind would not listen to it on any account. So I must now throw up the sponge. Considering the most decent style of. destroying my life, I applied strong opium as the best means, as I always detest those beastly methods of suicide, such as shooting, throat-cutting, drowning, and all the rest; but, of course, I am well aware that all forms of suicide are bad enough. But I now think that this style of destroying life is the beat, as it is the most decent, cleanest, and the quietest style that I know of. Now, having a fair knowledge of this mighty drug and its effects, I have swallowed the contents of this box, containing 370 of those opium pellets, minus 35, which I am well aware is more than ten times the amount required to kill an adult person. But to be doubly sure of my end I have taken this extraordinary amount of opium. My motive for taking this amount is to lull all pain, so as you can understand I will actually die with apoplexy, leaving the word in a sleep of peace, without pain, ache, or sigh. Now to assist the coroner and hi« jury to give their vedict. I have taken these means namely, I have put a sample of the opium that I hove already takenl have put that into two tin boxes, enclosed in two wooden boxes. I have posted them at two different offices in London for my lodgings at 19, Devonshire Road, East Greenwich. I have taken this precaution in order that the jury may see that no other party had any handling of this drug but my. a elf. Now, the coroner's jury will have very little doubt in this matter—that in, I think so, that Francis Sumnar Rose did kill himself by swallowing an overdose of strong Turkey opium with his own hand and free will, knowing the same to be far more than doubly sufficient to cause death.—Signed this oth clay of November, 1889, Fkancis Su.MN'AK Rose.

Dr. Adams said death was due to apoplexy following opium poisoning. Such opium as that produced (crude) could nob bo bought in Kngland. A verdict of suicide while insane was returned by the jury.