282 The Life of Fred Archer 
Charlotte Horinger, nurse belonging to the Cambridge 
Nurses' Institution, said she arrived on Monday morning and 
got to the sick room at half -past eleven. Captain Bowling 
and another nurse, Dennington, from the same institution, 
were there. She was in the room until Mrs. Coleman, 
at seventeen minutes past two, sent her to dinner. Mrs. 
Coleman, witness, and the patient only were in the room. 
He was alone for a few minutes several times in the four hours. 
By the Coroner : " When Mrs. Coleman came in the last 
time, did the patient speak to her ? " 
Witness : "I asked the patient if he was comfortable. 
He said, ' Yes.' He said something to Mrs. Coleman 
which I did not catch. I left the room, and returned in one 
minute. I opened a bottle of eau de cologne, and then we went 
downstairs. The door was not quite closed. I had hardly 
been downstairs one minute when the bell rang, which the 
housemaid went to answer. I went upstairs. It kept on 
ringing violently. As I went upstairs, I heard cries of ' Help ! ' 
When I entered, the patient lay on the hearthrug quite 
dead. I smelt powder. I then turned him over to see his 
face. The man-servant handed me the revolver which fell 
out of his master's hand. I produce the revolver." 
" Had you any idea the revolver was in the room ? " — 
" No, I saw the box of cartridges in the pedestal. He was lying 
on his right side on the hearthrug. While I was nursing him 
he was very low-spirited. I had a conversation with him. 
He said he thought he was going to die. I told him to cheer up 
as he would not die. He replied, ' I wish I was your way of 
thinking.' When I spoke to him he always answered ration- 
ally. He did not seem to wander in his mind. I saw he was 
bleeding in the mouth, but did not examine him further. I 
only looked at his eyes and felt his pulse." 
Harry Sarjent, living at Exning, said : 
" I was a groom and valet to Mr. Archer. I was in the 
house at 2.30 and heard my master's bell ring violently. I 
