The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1883-08-11 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

SUICIDE OF A BIRMINGHAM PRISONER.  On Monday night David Mackie (57), who was convicted at Warwickshire Assizes on Friday of the attetripted murder of his wife in %Theeler-street, Birmingham, on the 6th of June last, committed suicide in Warwick Coal. From the evidence given at the trial it appeared that he was passionately fond of his wife, who is considerably younger than he was, and in vain tried to induce her to accompany him to America. She, however, bad a strong dislike to the country, principally because her health was not good when she was there with hiza last year. At all events, she persisted in her refusal to go N 1 ith him, and in the afternoon of the day named ha followed her upstairs and drew a razor across her throat, inflicting a wound four and three-quarter inch?s long and three-quarters of an inch deep in fr:mt. He also cut hi a own throat at the time. At the trial it was admitted by his wife that he had been the best of husbands, and he laid always provided her with a comfortable home. He was found guilty, but on account of the provocation he had received was strongly recommended to mercy. Baron Huddleston, in sentencing him to ten years' penal servitude, expressed sympathy with him and said it would have been a pleasure to all in court if another verdict had been possible. The prisoner throughout the trial displayed a certain amount of ,indifference as to the result, and received the sentence without showing any emotion. On Tuesday morning he was found dead in his cell, having strangled himself during the night. On Thursday morning, Mr. W. S. Poole (coroner), held an inquest at the gaol on the body. —Mr. G. J. Cooke, chief warder at the gaol, said the deceased was received from Birmingham on Saturday, July 30, on a charge of having attempted to murder his wife, and also on a charge of having attempted to commit suicide.—Mrs. Kate Mackie, the widow, who was in great distress, stated that the deceased was her -husband. He returned from America in June last, having been previously engaged at the works of Messrs. Kynock, in the Witton-road, Birmintham. In answer to a question put by the Coroner, witness said she had no complaint to make against the authorities in any matter relating to their treatment of her husband.--Henry Price, night watchman at the gaol, deposed that at half-past four o'clock on Tuesday morning he heard an unusual noise in the cell occupied by the deceased. He looked through the inspection glass, and noticed that there was something against it inside. He at once called up Principal Warder Boller, who came in about two minutes and unlocked the cell door, when they found the deceased had hung Beamish, the gaol surgeon, stated that he examined the prisoner on his admission to the gaol, on Saturday, July 30, and found him in a good state of health, and a man of ordinarily good physique. On Saturday morning last, being the day after his sentence, witness again visited him for the special purpose of ascertaining what effixt the sentence had upon his mind. He found him calm and collected, and in the course of the conversation he smiled and appeared quite composed. At about a quarter to five o'clock on Tuesday morning, witness was called up to see deceased, and on getting to the cell he found him lying upon the floor quite dead. The cause of death was suffocation by hanging.—Warder Boller said that on going to the cell, when roused by the watchman Price, he pushed the door open, and found the deceased hanging by the neck to the ventilator. He was suspended with a piece of junk rope, which he must have secreted about his person when he was oakum picking on Monday. His feet were about a foot from the floor, and the cell stool appeared to have been kicked over. He at once cut him down, but life was quite extinct. —Chief-Warder Cooke said that after receiving sentence, on Frday, of ten years' penal servitude, the deceased asked him whether he would have to work at hi a own trade. Witness told him he could not say until the Assizes were over. On the Saturday morning he saw him again, and he then seemed quite cheerful. Witness said, "I suppose you feel more comfortable now all this suspense and anxiety is over ?" He replied, "Yes, I am; it has been a great anxiety to me, and I shall be glad when I get to work."—Mrs. Mackie, the widow, was recalled, and detailed the sad events of the 6th of June, when the deceased cut her throat and his own. She said be was a very good husband.—The Coroner: What was the state of his mind ?—Witness: Well, he was jealous, I suppose. His only fault was that he was passionate. He was very much affected when he was taken, and he told me afterwards that he thought he should have gone mad. During the time he was in gaol at ninson Green I took him his dinner every (lay, and saw him. We were both very fond of each other. Mrs. Mackie here was overcome with grief, and was unable to proceed.—The Coroner: Well, considering that he nearly killed you, I think you behaved very well to him.—This concluded the evidence, and the Coroner having summed up, the jury found that the deceased committed suicide by hanging, but there was no evidence to show what was the state of his mind. The body was afterwards handed over to the friends for interment at Birmingham.