From the Kentish Chronicle, 20 April, 1861.
SUICIDE OF AN ARTILLERYMAN AT WOOLWICH.
Wednesday afternoon Mr. C. J. Carttar, coroner for West Kent, held an
inquiry at the “Gun Tavern,” New-road Woolwich, into the circumstances
attending the death of Quarter-master Sergeant Robert Mumford, Royal
Artillery, who, it was alleged, had committed suicide by taking poison.
The evidence proved that, on the previous Saturday, the deceased went to
a public-house named the “Soldiers' Rest,” where he was found in a slate
of insensibility, and conveyed to the Royal Ordnance Hospital. He was
promptly attended by Dr. Duff, but died shortly after his admission into
the institution. The deceased had purchased two separate quantities of morphia at the shop of Mr. Shipman, chemist, a few days previous to his
death, and the appearance presented by a post mortem examination led to
the conclusion that resulted from poison. After some conversation
between the coroner and jury it was considered advisable to obtain an
analysis of the contents of the stomach by an eminent authority, and the
inquest was adjourned for that purpose.
|