The Warrington Examiner. — 1872-08-03 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

THE MURDER IN BUTTERMARKET  STREET.  SUICIDE OF A PRISONER IN KIRSDALE GAOL.  Thow as Currie, 45 years of age, a labourer, who was committed by the Warrington magistrates to Kirkdale Gaol, on the 20th of April last, on a charge of wilful murder, committed suicide in his cell oil Saturday morning last. Deceased at the time was, along with two other men named John and James Loftus, awaiting his trial at the ensuing assizes, on a charge of killing an old man named Owen Kelly, in Warrin gton.  On Monday, Mr. Driffield, the coroner for the hundred of West Derby, held an inquest at Kirkdale Gaol on the body. Henry Dodd, warder in C ward of the prison, said he saw deceased on Friday night, and noticed nothing strange or peculiar about him. Ile took his meals that day as usual. Witness saw deceased again next morning about seven minutes past six o'clock. He was standing up in his cell this time. Witness returned to the cell about twenty minutes to eight with the deceased's breakfast, and on opening the trap of the door through which to pass the breakfast he saw deceased suspended from the gaspipe. Witness called for Mr. Bradley, the warder in charge of the landing above, who came immediately to the deceased's cell. Mr. Bradley and he entered the cell, and found deceased was quite dead. He was suspended to the gaspipe (between three and four feet from the ground) by the belt which he wore round his waist, and Was leaning with his back towards the door, his face up" wards, with his legs extended along the floor, as if he were in a half sitting position. In reply to the coroner, witness said there was nothing in deceased's previous conduct to make anyone suspect he would do anything of the kind. He applied for and saw the priest on the previous day, and he ha l seen him on various eccasionS prior to that. Mrs. Currie, deceased's wife, stated to the coroner that the last time she visited him she came in cons& quence of a letter he sent to her begging her to come and see him. She used to tell him to keep his heart up• as everybody thought he would get off when tried. 00 the last occasion she saw him he said to her that she would not see him any more, adding, "I am done for, alluding to what he thought would be the result of his trial. Ile asked her to take his love to his children. He also said that he was poorly, but he never said that he would do anything to himself. Hs told witness that he thought he was very badly punished. Mrs. Currie added that deceased was always a dalicate man, and was a good and kind husband to her. The Acting-surgeon of the prison said when he salv deceased he had been dead for upwards of an hour, but was not quite cold. The strap must have been dra,wo very tight to choke him, owing to the position he was in, and the process of strangulation would occupy, thought, at least a quarter of an hour, althougu deceased would not be sensible all that time. Witness had been attending the prison in place of Mr. Johnson, who was absent, but his attention had not been called to deceased at all. He saw him in the course of the usual weekly visitation, but noticed nothing unusual about him.  At the close of th a evidence the foreman of the juri remarked that they thought it unfortunate that prisoners were not deprived of such articles as a belt when they were received into the prison. The Governor said they did not deprive prisoners of anything they were in the habit of wearing particularll before trial. Such a thing as a belt a man might greatly miss, and the want of it might even effect hii health if he had been accustomed to wear it.  . ... The jury, after a brief deliberation. returned 4 verdict to the effect that deceased had died from self strangulation, but that there was no evidence as to the state of his mind at the time he so destroyed hior self.