Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 26 February 1935, page 11


LEAP FROM 'PLANE.

Sisters' Suicide.

PATHETIC LETTERS AT INQUEST.

LONDON, Feb. 25.

At the Inquest on Jane and Elizabeth du Bois, sisters, who fell to their death from a Hillman's Airways aeroplane on Thursday, the jury found that they had committed suicide while of unsound mind.

Jane was the fiancee of Flying-Officer John Charles Forbes, and Elizabeth was engaged to Flight-Lieut. Beatty, who were killed on February 15, when the British flying boat K359S crashed in Sicily.

Their father, Mr. Coert du Bois, who is the United States Consul at Naples, gave evi-dence that Jane was the dominating person-ality and that her sister frequently gave way to her. Jane was very fond of F'lying-Officer John Forbes.

The Coroner read letters found in the 'plane, in which the sisters wrote alternate para-graphs, the first addressed to "Darling Coert: You have forgiven us much. Will you forgive this as you must feel a little of what we did when we heard of the flying-boat crash." The letter continued in different writing, "Charles was engaged to another girl and he intended breaking off that engagement. We would pro-bably have been married this summer. There will never be anyone else for me. "

The second letter said: "Mother darling: Don't think we have done anything wicked. You must have known that the flying-boat crash would pull us over the line which was never well defined for us. I think you knew Charles and I were going to spend our lives together. I must keep my part of the bargain. We have spent the day loaded down with half-crowns for the proletariat to drink to him."

Both letters were signed "Betty and Jane". The Coroner commented that the girls were inseparably devoted. The younger was in-fatuated with Flying-Officer Forbes and un-doubtedly Elizabeth agreed with her stronger-minded sister to jump from the 'plane.