Bell's Weekly Messenger 02 May 1824.
On Friday night an inquest was had at the "Castle Inn," Brockley, near
Lewisham, before Joseph Carttar, Esq. Coroner for Kent, on the body of
Reuben Fletcher, Esq. of Camberwell, who for many years filled an
important situation in his Majesty's Mint.
Mr. W. Forbes, a surgeon, of Camberwell, stated that he had been
acquainted with the deceased upwards of twelve years; for the last
twelve months he had attended him professionally; his disorder was
excessively painful, and was very likely to occasion great irritation of
mind; and he had observed that the deceased, when speaking of his
disorder, had entertained the most incorrect and absurd notions on the
subject. On Tuesday morning, witness called between 12 and one o'clock
at the deceased's residence, and saw Miss Fletcher, who said, that her
father left home at ten o'clock, and expressed great uneasiness lest
something should happen to him of a calamitous nature. About half-past
four o'clock the same afternoon, witness received a letter from a person
named Colly, stating, that a gentleman had been taken out of the canal,
near Brockley, on whose person a note was found, addressed to
witness; he therefore took a chaise and went to identify the body of his
friend. On arriving at the place where the body was lying, the letter
was handed to witness (which he produced), and he found it was in the
hand-writing of the deceased. It was addressed:— "Mr. Wm. Forbes,
Camberwell-green," and was underwritten:— "Reward for carrying this is
in my hat," and the contents of the letter were:— "Adieu, my dear Forbes; I cannot bear with my feelings any longer." Yours, R. Fletcher."
Thomas Scales stated, that on Tuesday last he was walking along the bank
of the Surrey Canal, and saw a cane lying on the side of the river, and
a little farther on he observed the body of the deceased in the water. A
man named Hawkins came up to him and assisted him in getting the body
out. The deceased had no hat on; but witness observed a hat floating on
the surface of the water some distance from him, and near to it a letter
was lying upon the water; the letter was the one produced by the above
witness. The body appeared to have been but a short time in the water.
There was no money in the hat. In the pockets of the deceased were found
a purse, containing a sovereign and some silver, and in his fob pocket a
gold watch, &c. which had stopped at five minutes past one o'clock, the
time, in all probability, when the deceased threw himself into the
water.
Mr. Steel and Mr. Hawkins who were in the company of the last witness
when the body was found, confirmed his evidence.
The Coroner said, that there could be no doubt of the deceased having
occasioned his own death by drowning himself, and little doubt could be
entertained of his being affected in his mind at the time.
The Jury
coincided with the Coroner, and returned a verdict:—That he drowned
himself, being insane at the time.
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