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On Friday night last the Coroner’s Inquest met at the Blue Posts, in Cork-street, and sat on the body of Erganor Johnson, a beauti ful young girl, only 17 years of age, who had that morning poisoned herself at the house of her master, Mr. Fraser, Optician, Old Bond street. The circumstances attending the un happy fate of this young woman being rather singular, we shall lay them before our Readers in the authentic manner, they were reported to us by the foreman of the Jury. It appeared in evidence that an intimacy had subsisted some time between the deceased and a black man, named Thomas Cato, a native of the East Indies, on whom she had fixed her affection ; that on Thursday she had received a letter from him, wherein he accused her of deceit ; but which she had burnt. The contents of this epistle produced ‘her fatal resolution. She wrote him a letter, which she meant to have forwarded by the penny-post ; and afterwards purchased three-pennyworth of white mercury at an Apothecary’s, under pretence of its being to kill rats.Between twelve and one o’clock in the morning she executed her dreadful purpose, having previously mixed the poisonous drug in some liquid. She rang the bell violently twice , which being answered by a domestic, she said, «¢ Call my mistress directly, for I am very ill ;” but before her mistress could reach her apart ment, she was insensible, and expired in a few minutes. When examined before the Jury, the Black appeared so ignorant and illiterate, that nothing could be collected from his evidence, nor the purport of the letter he had sent her be come at: but when her letter to him was read he wept bitterly. The Jury,after a very humane and attentive consideration, brought in their verdit—Lawnacy. The following i is an exact copy of the Letter sent to Cato by this unhappy Girl: “© Sept. 24, 1789, ce My Dear Thomas Cato, ce sq ce ce ce cé “e ce ce ce ce 6« «¢ ce ce ce
Newspaper Details
London World
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Sep 28, 1789
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Jamaal H.
USA 17 Sep 2026
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