From the Thanet Advertiser, Saturday 18 May, 1878.

Sheerness-on-Sea. Singular case of suicide.

On Saturday afternoon W. J. Harris. Esq., coroner for the Sittingbourne district of Kent, held an inquest at the "Army and Navy Inn," Sheerness, touching the death of Thomas Jones, a gunner in the 16th Battery, 11th Brigade, Royal Artillery, Sheerness, who committed suicide in a very singular way in Garrison Point Fort on Friday morning.

It appeared from the evidence that between 4 and 5 on the morning in question, Gunner Thompson had occasion to get up, when he found deceased lying full length on the ground with a cord round his neck, which was suspended from the handle of the door of an empty room, the handle being only 3ft from the ground. Life was quite extinct. Evidence was given that deceased was of a morose and eccentric disposition, and had been drinking on the previous night. After deceased went to bed, he appeared excited, and threw his clothes violently on the ground. He was 25 years of age, and had been in the service about six years. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide during temporary insanity."