The Atherstone Times. — 1879-09-06 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE AT STOKE, NEAR COVENTRY.  On Tuesday morning, shortly before twelve o'clock the village of Dower Stoke was thrown into a state of great excitement, by a report, which turned out to be true, that a woman named Catherine Baker, the wife of Henry Baker, had just hanged herself. It appears that for the last nine weeks Baker has been ill, and not able to work, and during nearly the whole of that time his wife has been in a queer and fretful state of mind. On Tuesday morning, Baker left home and went to Coventry, for the purpose of obtaining a medical certificate to enable him to return to his employment on Wednesday. While he was absent. several of the neighbours saw and spoke to Mrs. Baker, and at about 11 o'clock he went into the house, with the intention of washing some linen. When her husband returned, at a quarter to twelve, he found the house door locked, and knowing that his wife was in the habit of secreting the key while she was out, he went and searched for it in the usual hiding place, but failed to find it there. He then went back to the house, and discovering that the door was bolted from the inside, he looked through the window and saw his wife hanging by the neck from a hook in the ceiling. He immediately raised an alarm, and ran across the road to the Bull's Head Inn, and borrowed a ladder, with which he succeeded in effecting an entrance through the bedroom window. A crowd of people quickly assembled, and a man named Thornton took from his pocket a clasp knife, and directly the door was opened, he rushed in and cut the body down. A messenger was despatched for a medical gentleman, and Dr. Brown, who was close at hand, was called in. The woman was, however, quite dead. It is supposed that she effected her purpose by climbing upon a table which stood close by. and having tied a piece of clothes-line to the hook in the ceiling, she placed a double running noose round her neck and jumped off. When the sad occurrence was discovered, the poor woman hung with her feet almost touching the floor, and a little child, about two years of age, was playing round her knees. The affair caused a great sensation in the village.  An inquest was held on the body, on Wednesday night, at the Bull's Head Inn, Stoke, before Mr. Coroner Hewes, when the following evidence was given : Henry Baker, elastic weaves and cow keeper, said the deceased was his wife. She was 42 years of age. Pately she had been ill, and her mind had been affected. Witness had been ill for some time, and had kept his bed for a month, and he thought this had caused deceased to be much depressed. Within the last two or three weeks she had threatened to destroy herself and the children. Witness last saw her alive at about nine o'clock on Tuesday morning, when he left home to get a medical certificate from Dr. Iliffe to enable him to return to his work. At about a quarter to 12 o'clock he returned home. He found the door fastened and the blinds down at the back window. He found that he could not open the door, and he went and looked through the kitchen window and saw deceased hanging from the cei ing. He raised an alarm, and procured a ladder, and got in at the bedroom window. He went downstairs and opened the door, and Mr. Thornton came in with a knife in his hand and cut her down. She was dead, but quite warm.—Mary, the wife of Matthew Matts, coachman, said she lived next door to the last witness. She knew the deceased, who lately appeared to be dull, and fearful of poverty. At about 11 o'clock on Tuesday morning, witness saw the deceased, and had some conversation with her, after which deceased went into the house and shut the door. Some time afterwards, when Mr. Baker raised the alarm, witness went with him and saw the deceased It an gin.--Jeremiah Thornton, labourer, said he heard an alarm, and went to Baker's house. He saw the deceased hanging, and he cut her down. Witness had known deceased for 13 or 14 years, but he knew nothing of her mental condition. —Dr. Ili& said he had attended both the deceased and her husband for the last month. She had been depressed mentally, and had been suffering from bodily debility as well. She had recovered bodily but not mentally, and had often told the doctor that she had no control over herself. Knowing the deceased's state of mind, what had happened had not surprised him, as for the last three weeks he did not consider that she had been responsible for her actions.—Ann Lennart-1, Derbyshire, said the deceased was her sister. On Tuesday morning she received a letter from the deceased, in which she spoke of her low spirits, and said she had not been well. She said her mind was absent and wandering at times, and that she could not manage her house. Witness knew that her sister was excitable, and, knowing that and from the tenour of the letter she was not surpriscd at what had happened. Deceased said in the letter that she was troubling over the loss of a cow, but no cow had been lost.—The jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide by hanging herself, she at the time being in an unsound state of mind.