The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1895-10-23 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

OLD MAN'S ATTEMPTED SUICIDE., COMMENDABLE OONDITOT BY THE POLICE.  At the Borough Police Court, on Menday, before the' Mayor (Aldermen Thomas Shaw) and Mr. a. Oraven, an elderly man of respectable appearance nanied Richard Gittens, 2ii, King-street, was charge* With having attempted to commit suicide by kinsmen on the 15th September, and faith= being a lunatic not under proper control. W, Edmund Taylor workhouse master, said he received the precast:ha? the workhomis on the 15th pi last month and be lad him under aloes dame* Sian day and night ever since, but he had Doe ,attputpted to commit suicide. He appeared to be ytminded and whams did not think he wee. 4 reepoosible for his *otiose. Emma Matthews, of Rook Perry, said that ' half put two o'clock on ea aftsrhoon of Sunday, the 15th September, prisoser's little girl dine running into heehaws and told her to come quirk that her father was hanging himeelf. She immediately went into his home and found the prisoner hanging over the bannisters of the stairs, Ind she helped to eut him down. P.G. 73 (Greet) deposed that on the day in goesSkit he went ta ths prisoner's residence in consequence of information received end on arrival found the ,prjcner lying on the floor in the lobby. He had just been put down and *awes found • piece of oora dangling from the bannister while another piece bad bean cut and taken from his neck. There was a mark round bia neck. Witness started using artificial respiration upon him along with Intiftor Dean and worked at him for LIFO bouts. He WM rigid and they had to apply hot oven shelves to hi, feet. after bringing him round they took him to the workhouse hospital. He had evidently been drinking. When whams charged him that morning with lame attempted to commit suicide he replied "Whet occurred that day a all • blank, I have no retalleetica of what occurred, I plead. gal" Mrs. Gittens (wife of the moons: 'stated that her husband had been very reeler all y Sunday. He had been drinking all the previous week. In the afternoon she was sitting in she kitchen (she thougbe her husband had gone to lie down) when she saw a shadow on the wall, which, on investigation she found te be that of her hue who was hanging from the stain. She called lino.ws and be was 1311* down. Prisoner said he did not remember_ anything of what took place, although he remembered that he had been drinking all the previous week. The Beach remanded ham irs the workhouse till Tuesday in order to secure the attention of the debtor, and the hfayce,. addressing the raker, saki the magistrates would like to show their appreciation of the action taken by him and Inspector Dean in restoring the prieoner, he thought, to life, but at any ante vitality, and were .pleaeed to grant them 1. each for thew extrosernoes. On Tuesday, Alderman Willmer and Mr. H. H. Grayson on theßenoll, the Prieoefewse *Pin brought, before the court. Dr. Mansfield, medical offioer at the Birkenhead workhouse, stated that he had had She puliemier under his care IA the workhouse since the of September. He was =notations when - admitted, and at redeoted great oredit on the oaken who had had to do with his case in the first nelson they had used artificial respiration and wham behaved that had been elfenive in bringing hits round. He was really in a very bad state, and unfortunately for him hot oven shelves had been used to his feet, welch were blistered, and this had caused pooh long detention in the workhouse. He was miler*Aram delirium ereseuu very severely, sad Timis wairpf opinion that that was the cause of his hewn' Wed stdoide. His mind was sound and whore that his attempting to commit suicide wale ' the reside of delirsiea Ireares. Prisoner had sired oentrition for -the offenos and said such a would never aeon again, nor would the Asps had led ;p to it ever happen again. Pelawases daughter appeared mud said her mother would lack after hint in the future. Prisoner an w disohsaged, the magistrates advising =rilftlirkesp away from drink in the future.