The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-02-02 00:00:00

SUICIDE.

On Tuesday, an inquest was held to inquire touching the
death of Samuel Parkinson, a butcher, late resident in Thurlow-
street, in this town. Catherine Jones stated that she was the
mite of Stephen Jones, book-keeper, Thurlow-street. They
kept a public-house there. She knew the deceased, Samuel
Parkinson. He was in the habit of going to their house. On
Saturday morning last at half-past eight o'clock, he went into
their house and entered the front parlour. and asked for three-
pennyworth of rum with which she served him. She did not
observe anything peculiar in his wanner at that time. In about
half or three-quarters of an hour afterwards he called for a pen
and ink, which witness carried to him. Soon afterwards he
had another three-pennyworth of rum, with which witness also
served him. Afterwards she served him with a glass of ale.
Sonic time afterwards she (witness) was iu the kitchen, from
whence she heard him talking aloud to himself. She knew that
he was atom., and therefore she went in. He asked her where
the men were that had been in the parlour. He appeared to
be very wild, and she thought it must be from the effects of the
liquor which he had taken. She told him that no one had beau
iu but himself. He said there had been men in, and he was
afraid they had meddled with papers belonging to him. She
endeavoured to convince him that no one bad been with him,
and at length left him. In the course of a quarter of an hour
she heard a noise in the parlour, which she thought was the de-
ceased falling. She went in and found that it was his arm
which had slipped un the table where to had been leading it
which bad caused the noise She then saw a small bottle on
the fluor, empty, and the pieces of another which hail been bro-
ken. The bottle produced was that which she saw un the floor.
It was labelled " Laudanum, poison." She (witness) felt
very much alarmed, and went to fetch the person he (deceased)
had lodged .with in the same street. That person returned
with her, and they went into the parlour to the deceased. lie •
was still in the same posture. Witness asked him to go home
to get a sleep. He raised himself up and began to talk very
wildly. He talked of knocking witness down, and arose front
his seat, speaking very incoherently. At length he laid his
bead upon the table and never spoke snore. The other female
went away with the bottle, and the deceased began to groan
loudly. The female above mentioned, at length arrived with a
person from the druggist's. After this, a surgeon front the
Dispensary (Mr. Gamy) arrived with a stomach-pump which
he applied. He was then carried erten the house of witness.
Witness believed him to be insane. Edward Jardin, an as-
sistant with Mr. Withers, druggist, Byrom street, stated, that
on Taursila.y last, the deceased, who appeared to be perfectly
composed and sensible, called at the shop and purchased an
ounce of laudanum. He asked for, and received every neces-
sary information as to the quantity which it would be safe to
take. Benjamin Rowland, an apprentice with Mr. Neale,
oruggist. Scotland-place, stated, that on Saturday morniug last
the deceased called at the shop. and asked for six-pennyworth
of latidandm, saying. that it Was for a
Witness, at first. demurred person in the cmiutry.
to selling this quantity, but the des
ceased explained that tttvaq for a person who was in the habit
of taking it, and who was obliged to parchase it iu large quan-
tities (rout being in town only on market days. Witness sold
him an ounce of laudanum. Wm. Gattv4 House Surgeon at
the North Dispensary, stated, that on Saturday last. in conse-
quence of a message, he went to Mr. Jones'. in'l'hurlow-sheet,
and took with hint a stomach-pump. lie found the deceased
in a state of stupor, lying on the floor. He hail hint raised up,
and the stomach-pump was applied. A quantity of reddish
coloured fluid was brought up, part of which was put into the
bottle 'produced. Witness had him taken home, and gave di-
rections to the people of the house to keep him iu constant nio-
tion. Witness called again about two o'clock, and found him
still in a state of stupor. He used a cold effusion by pouring
could water (rims a height upon his head. It produced no effect.
He (witness) Caen gave directions that he should be kept mo-
viug, and called again about five o'clock, and found him still in
the same state. Witness used flagellation with a birch rod and
with a cane, which seemed to restore hint slightly to sensibility.
Witness had him removed to bed, and applied mustard plaster
over his chest and to one leg. Witness called again at half-
past eight, and. found. him, to all appearance, dying. Some
medicine was ordered, but before it could be procured he died.
Witness had analysed the liquid that came from the stomach,
but found very little trace of laudanum in it. It was chiefly
spirits, probably runt. Witness had examined the body, and
found the vessels of the brain very much distended with black,
fluid blood, and Some serum in the ventricles more than usual.
The 'lungs were very much congested, and the blood in the heart
and large vessels very dark and fluid. The stomach was per-
fectly empty in consequence of the pump having been applied.
Witness was of opinion that the deceased died from taking lau-
danum in too large a quantity. it must have been taken so long
before the stomach-pump was applied as to have been absorbed
into the system, and that circumstance would account for the
liquid emitted from the stomach not being tainted with it. Ann
Erdly stated that the deceased bad lodged with her about five
)ears. .Ile was a butcher, and shout 30 years of age. Since
the commencement of this year witness had observed him to be
very different in his manner from what he had ever been before.
During the preceding week he had been dreadfully violent in
his temper. Witness thought that something was the matter
with him, and that he was not quite right in his head. The
Jury found that the deceased had destroyed himself during a
teitipitra-ry fit of insanity.