The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-08 00:00:00

CRADLEY HEATH.

THE FATAL COLLIEDX ACCIDENT AT CIIADLEY
HeeTn.—On S,,turday E. Hooprz, E-q. (i'istrict
c.ironer) hell an inque4 at the Beech 'free Inn,
Blakheath, on the bo.'y of .Benjemin Bret tle (46),
miner of that place, who wes killed on the 26th ult.
whilst folluwitig his employment in the Timber Tree
belonging to the New British Iron Com-
peny, et Cradley Heath. Mr. W. B. Keen, manager,
appeared for the owners of the calory. From the
e‘idence it appeared th it dectabe.i had worked in
the colliery for 17 yects 03 the da-e named he
had gone to stop an escape of ;!amp, and whilst in
the act of picki:.g up hi- tools about a ton weight of
coals fell from the toof up .in him. Deceased's
blow-workmen extricated hint as quickly as
p:iesible, and found that he' was dead. The spot at
welch he was world ;g was about five feet high
and of the same width, with a tree set on each side
of the road, and the fall of coal was a, tibuted to
the tree on the rieht hand side breaking off, and so
failing to support the roof. The pit was well snp-
pliei with timber. A witness named Francis
P acon, aho witnessed the occurrence, said Ir. W.
13 cott (assist ant Governme-it inspector), who had
ea-tined the place, was of this , opinion. Jote_ph
Pea on, ih or iv nn, said he examined the spet
on the morning of the accident, and it was then
safe. In replv to the Co: otter, the wi!ness said in
making his examination he did not knock on the
roof. che Coroner: You could not tell by looking
at it whether the coal was safe or not. Witness :
Ir looked safe The Coroner : It may look safe
and yet be very unsafe. A verdict of "Accidental
death" was returned. -

THE SHOCKING SUICIDE OF A TRADES-
MAN'S WIFE AT OLD HILL.

A.n inquiry was held on Saturday, before Mr, E,
Hooper (district coroner), at the British Oak Inn,
Old Hill, touching the death oi Emma Weston (27).
Deceaeed, who was the wife of Thomas Weston,
grocer and pawnbroker, Black Vt aggen-street, died
the p:evioua Wednesday night, from the remit of
self-inflict •d. From evidence tendered by
deceased's hu-band and a neighbour named
.Joseph
Joeee, it app ared that on the night in question Mr.
Weston left home and returned shortly after eleven
o'elock, when tie nurse in the family, in reply to
his question, sail his wife had gone to bed. On
going upstairs he failed to find her in bed or in the.
room, and, becoming alarmed, he then aroused
Jos. ph Jones and a Mrs. Shakespeare, two neigh-
beurs, both of whom entred the house and assist-el
in the searcla Blood was found at the back ot
deceased's bedsteads upstairs, and also on the room
door, that on the ft.bor having the appearance of
having been wiped up with an apron which was
found saturated with b:ood. Nothing, however,
was then ,een of he decrased, and after the house
bad been searched through: ut, even to the back
pie mise-, the a ater istcr., ant the waehtubs,
Jones and Mrs. eehakespeare returned upstairs,
when the former lifted the valance of the child's
cot; and there discovered deceased lying underneath
with her head resting iu her hand, and Iv r throat
eut. She was not then dead, Hit died about half an
hour later. A media: man having in the mean-
time been called in, Mr. Weston said his wife had
.ately suffered from seams and crimp, and since
her last confinement had appeared desebrelent in
her mind. The fact of her mother having married
again had also seined to affect her spirits. Was
smiatied that his &I's injuries were self-inflicted.
Two of deceased's relit yes had suffered frem
insanity, and one, an aunt, had attempted suicide
by cutting her thro it.—Police-constable Johnson,
who was called to the house when deceased was
found, ch scribed he position in which she lay, and
said upon. searchmg he yoom he feund the knife
produc.e.; (a large shop knife) smeared with blood ;
it had been - pushed between the bed and the
mattresses, - the point being outwards. Full
enquiries hail been made into the matter, but there
were no suspicious circumstances attending the affa h
The Ceroeer, in summing up, remarked that there
appeared to be little doubt that the, ased destroyed
her own life, mid also that she suffered temporarily
from insanity, especially when it was remembered
that o-her members of her family had been
similarly affected.—The jury retuined a verdict of
"Suicide whilst in a state of temporary insanity."