The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-10-26 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF AN EX-
PUBLICAN.

On Monday last John Thomas Marsh, late landlord
of the Three Crowns. was brought before the Mayor
(Mr. G. Curtis), Mr. J. S. Stone, and Mr.N. Western,
charged with attempted suicide.
The first witness exaz I was Mrs. Coward, of
Mile-road, with whom the prismier had lodged. She
stated that during the past three weeks he had been
in a very desponding state, but this she thought was
attributable to his taking too much to drink. On the
Saturday (the day in question) they had a deal of
trouble with him. In the evening he gave her two
letters, which he said were not to be opened until the
Sunday. As, however. she thought him strange, she
went up-stairs and read them. —(The letters were put
in, and were as follows :—" Mrs. Coward, I Am a lost
man, for I intend to shoot her and myself. It is
through her, so I say good-bye. May God bless you
all. Amen. I remain, yours truly, J. Marsh. 'Tis
through my -dear wife s leaving me. Good-bye.
Remember me.")—The second wa, to his wife: "My
dear wife,—l have boon sent into hell through your
temper and keeping bad company. I hope to see you
all in heaven. You drove me to it, and Mother
and —is the ruin of me. So good bye ; I loved her.
To Mrs. Marsh, at Mr. H. Bailey s, Boecombe.")—
After reading those letters she went to the police, and
when she got back the prisoner had come home. She
asked him not to go ~it again, hut he said he should,
as he intended to do it. She then took a pistol from
his pocket, and gave it to the police. (It was capped
and cocked, but not loaded.)
Frederick Coward, the husband of the last witness,
said he had noticed the state of the prisoner on Satur-
day last, and told him to cheer up and get some work,
and then his wife would come back and they could get
some go,sis and have a comfortable home ; but he said,
"Fin too far gone, IM afraid," and kept on about his
"poor head." After that he left the house, and he
(witness) thought, "11l watch you, my nabs," and
followed him. When they got up against the Gun he
said he had amind to destroy himself ; he could not get
it off his mind and •at down. He (witness) thought to
'isself, "Well, you can stay 'ere all night, and so can
I," and he sat down as well. Then the prisoner got
up, said "Good-bye, Fred," up with a razor, and
drawed it across his throat. He got hold of it and
said, "You do that again, and I'll knock you down."
Upon that he was as quiet as a lamb, and came home
with him, and he believed he was sorry he had
attempted such a thing.
The Bench asked if the prisoner had cut himself
much, and Marsh, who appeared in a terribly shaky
condition, said there was only one little mark, and
bare( his neck to show the magistrates where a piece
of black sticking-plaster adorned his thorax.

Servant BaHatt deposed to going to the lodgings of
the prisoner, and asking him what he had been doing,
when he replied " Nothing." He (Pa'lett), however,
pulled down his cravat, and seeing a wound and having
a razor handed to him by Mr. Coward, he took him
into custody and charged him with having attempted
to commit suicide. He walked to, the station very
well, and, on arriving there and being searched,
another razor and 7d. was found on him. When in
the cell that morning the prisoner called him up and
complained there were children and cats in his cell
rolled up in his bedding.
Prisoner, in reply to Mr. Stone, said that was no,
there were four or five cats and half-a-dozen children.
They don't cry, for directly he touched them they went
away.
The wife of the prisoner, Sarah Marsh, was than
ca11t...1, and sail he had been very strange for a long
time before she left him. Ho listened a great deal to
what other people had "put about," and he thought
she bore a bad character. He gave her no peace.
Sometimes he drank a 1.;.1.41 deal, and sometimes not at
all. He never seemed easy in his mind, night or day,
and he never gave her any rest or peace, and that was
the reason why she left him.
Prisoner cross-examined her RR to whether she had
not robbed him of his money and loft him with only a
few shillings, but this she denied.
The Bench remanded him for a week, and ordered
him to be taken to the union where he would be cared
for, and then they would see whether he got over his
present state or not.