The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-02 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH AT

ISLINGTON.

On Monday afternoon an inquiry was resumed,
relative to tho death of Mr. Henry Hamshar, aged
sixty-seven. It will be remembered that the deceased
had exhibited symptoms of aberration of mind, and by
medical advice a man was engaged to watch him during
the night. The deceased suffered from varicose veins
in the legs, and on Friday morning, the 17th instant,

oil the attendant waking, he found lint charge ap-
parently dead, although they had conversed togeth, r
shortly after five o'clock that morning. A clean.cut
wound under the knee of the right leg, slicing, off a
portion of a swelled vein. was found, causing loss it
life from hemorrhage. The mystery WWI as to who
had inflicted the fatal injury, or with what sharp
instrument it was inflicted, as none could he found.
Hannay, the attendant, produced a penknife which
deceased knew he had in his waistcoat pocket, but Dr.
Allan said it was too blunt to effect so clean an incised
wound. The inquiry was therefore adjourned with the
view to discover whether any instrument could be
found which might lead to an elucidation LW to whose
act the cause of the death was due.
Mr. Stanwell, the coroner's officer, at the present
sitting of the court, produced a pocket knife, appa-
rently new, which he said had been found by Hannay,
the attendant on the deceased.
John Hannay said he found the knife produced on
the coving of the stove. There were no marks of blood
on it. It was shut up. He had never seen it before,
nor had any of the family.
Dr. Allen said such a knife would have caused the
wound in the leg, but he should have expected to have
found some marks of blood on the blade or about the
handle. It must have beep wiped, kr on examining
It with a microscope he could find no traces of blood.
The Coroner (examining the knife) : What is that?
There is a n.ark of rust. Is that blood?
Dr. Allan: I cannot say. There appears to be no
other mark. The fact was that if that knife were
used, which was beyond supposition, in cutting the
vein, the blood would not spurt forth like cutting an
artery, but would run down.
Miss Hamshar, daughter of the deceased, said:
Hannay found the knife on Friday last. She was not
present at the time, but [luring his search on the Thurs-
day and Friday he was scarcely left alone a minute.
Ile had no opportunity of placing the knife where it
was found, and it was produced covered with dust
from the flue.
By the Coroner: Hannay had no interest in causing
the death of her father, for he received 145. a week for
his attendance, which by the death he lost, and all her
father's property was safe, even to his watch, which
wasi in the drawers,. There was a pool of blood on the
hearthrug, and the stove was almost close to the bed-
side, so that her deceased father might easily have
placed the knife where it was found at r inflicting the
wound which had caused his death.
The Coroner remarked that it wessomewhat strange
that there was no mark of blood lin toe knife, but it
would run off, if not wiped, like ink from a steel Pens
and they were driven to the conclusion that the
' deceased had deprived himself of life.
Dr. Allen said that Was his opinion. The leg was
held by the left hand, which would account for the
blood on that hand, and the wound was inflicted with
the right hand, with the intention of opening the
varituee vein, from which he suffered greaL pain.
The jury ultimately returned v verdict of Death from
self-tufficted wound in a varicose vein, while in an
unsoluil state of mind.