The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1888-08-11 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

THE RECENT SUICIDE IN  BARROW.  The adje,urned inquest into the circumstances attending the death of Henry Downey, late of C7A9 Church-street, B.arow, who it will be remembered cut his throat With a table knife on the 18th July last, inflicting such injuries that he died the same day, was held at the hospital on Tuesday afternoon before Mr Coroner Poole, Mr R. Rees acting as foreman of the jury.—Mrs Downey stated in evidence that the fatal occurrence happened just before seven o'clock in the morning. He had gone to bed that night, and got up about 5-30, but he had been up more --r less during the night. He went out of the housn about 5-30 to go to work. returned about 6-30. She was in bed, and called him, and he came up. He told her he had been to work. She wanted him to get undressed and go to bed, but he would not. He wanted h r to go out of the house to her brother's or her sister's. Be told her to go and ask them if they would forgive him fir what he had done to her. She told him they would, not now, out tht they would in time, and that it did not matter about them. He returned to bed. but wanted to eet up sit;ain, saying that the men from the shop were in the room and wanted to cut him to pieces. He had been drinking about a week before, but she theught he had only one glass of whisky the day before. Through the night he barked lice a dog, and said there were several people in the hottse and he wanted to get up to strike at them. Before seven o'clock he got up, and witness following, found him drawing a table knife across his throat. It was not sharp enough, and he said "it would not do it." He got hold of her and kissed her several times, and then put her away. He said "God forgive me." Her hands were cut in taking the knife from him. As soon as she got one knife from him he got another. He cut his throat with one of the knivee ; she could not say which. The deceased had made several attempts on previous occasions to cut hie throat, but she did not see him. It was only when he had been drinking for some time —P.O Graham stated th,tt on the 18th July he was in Church-street, and heard some people shouting that a man had committed suicide. He went to 67a, Church-street, where he found the deceased with his throat cut. He also found the table knife produced, covered with blood. Deceased died the same day.—The Coroner, in summing up, reminded the jury that the doctor had stated' that this was an apparently self-inflicted wound, and done with the right hand. He also said there were several wounds on the neck, which bore out the wife's evidence that he had made several attempts with different knives. The wife said he had been drinking about a week before, but although she thought he only had one glass of whisky the day before, there was no doubt in his mind that the deceased had been suffering from delirium tremens for a time. Under all the circumstances, he thought the jury would have no difficulty in ending a verdict that the deceased was insane when he committed this act.—The jury at once gave a unanimous verdict that the deceased committed suicide whilst in a state of temporary insanity.