The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1906-12-22 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

FOLIOS 110V1T.  There was on Thursday, at the County Police Court, Birkenhead, a sequel to a sensational affair which occurred at West Kirby on Saturday night lopt. On-that night, about 11.30, at No. 3, Grove-road, a vanman named Stephen Gates is alleged to have taken laudanum with the object of committing suicide, and Gates was on Thursday charged, before Mi. R. Hobson and other magistrates, with having attempted to take his life. The case has caused considerable sensation in West Kirby, where Gates is well known, he 'having been for several years in the employment of Mr. Edward Williams, jun., grocer, as a vanman. It will be seen from the evidence given at the Court that Gates was last week troubled about his employment, and on Saturday evening he purchased laudanum at two different chemists, saying it was for "ear-ache." About 10 p.m. he was discharged without notice by his employer—being paid a week's wages— on account of his (Mr. Williams's) dissatis. faction with him; and about an hour and a half later he is alleged to have drunk the laudanum in one of the bottles—about half an ounce. Dr. Brown was called to the house by Mn. Gates immediately she discovered what her husband had done, and it was ONLY SY PERSISTENT moan.  oontinued until 3 a.m. that the man's life was saved. . .  -dates—Zia allowed to remain at home until Thursday morning, when, having fully recovered, he was arrested and taken to Birkenhead. He is a middle-aged man, of ! intelligent appearance, and of medium ! height and build. He stood very quietly in ! the dock while the case proceeded, and, after Mr. Williams and Acting-Sergeant Dalziel had given evidence, he put -several questions, in a very quiet and lucid way, chiefly to show the trouble he was in and his sleeplessness, hr William Mclntyre Brown, of West Kirby, was the first witness called. He said that about 11.50 on Saturday night he was called to No. 3, Grove-road—prisoner's house—and found the prisoner in the hack kitchen. He asked him if he had taken any laudanum, and he said he had; that he had not been able to get any sleep, and that he bought the laudanum at Mr. Anderson's shop. Witness sent a messenger to Mr. Anderson's to find out exactly how much laudanum the prisoner had bought. Prisoner had not then had the laudanum long, and seemed only a little muddled. Witness &SW a white labelled bottle, containing a few drops of laudanum. He administered an emetic to the prisoner but it had no efiect, so he went back to his surgery for a stomach pump. When he returned in about three minutes the prisoner had vomited, and the laudanum had immediately commenced to act violently, and he was almost unconscious. Witness got the assistance of some men, and they kept the prisoner moving—walking up and down the room—and he also used several remedies to counteract the violence of the laudanum. He remained with the priaoner until nearly three o'clock by which time prisoner was out of danger. Until then he had not been allowed to sit down. The Clerk (Mr. Scilly): From what you saw, was he at any time in danger of his life? Witness: Oh yes, certainly; he was in danger up to two o'clock. If the remedies had not been used he would have died. From what had been supplied by the chemist, I knew he had taken