The Herald of Wales. — 1887-12-31 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IN • SWANSEA. RESCUED AND TARN HONE.  "ALL FOR FIFTEEN SHILLINGS." At the Swansea Police-court, on Friday morning, before Dr Evans, a woman aged 4.1, named Martha John. described as I widow, living in Tontine street, who obtains a livelihood by washing, WY brought up in custody, charged with being drunk, on the previous day, and with attempting to commit suicide in the South Dock. '1 he prisoner, before the magistrate, sobbed bitterly, holding her face in her hands' and looking around her with a very wild and bewildered expression. There were only two witnesses in the Case, one, P.C. Bingham, and theother a lad, apparently about 12 years of age. The countable, in consequence of ii.forgiation rec,lved, went to the house at which the prisoner lodged, and found her very wet— as the result of her immersion, and brought her to the police station. Tree lad, the second witness, deposed that he saw the woman deliberately jump in the routh Dock, and in answer to his screams some men came to her assiKance, and rescued her from herperiloaa position,andfrem drowning just in the nick of tigne. The lad ,in his evidence, said that the prisoner when hall way out of the water cried out that she had made the attempt upon her he, only for lie, and that had it not been for that she would not have jumped into the water. The prisoner, in reply to the usual questions, had nothing to say to the witness, or in defence, and continued to cry, seeming to feel her position most acutely,. The presiding magistrate remanded the case until Monday. Just as the pri:oner Wad about to be removed, a man of resp,ctable appearance, said to be named Johns, a bailiff, stepped forward, and said he was a brother-in-law of the prisoner, and hoped that a lenient view of her caA might be taken. Dr Evans informed the applicant that the case had been remanded until Monday. Applicant then asked for tail, which was refused, and the prisoner ..P removed. Detective Gitl produced in court two small tins of insect powder, and explaining their production, said he found the tins in the house in which prisoner lodged, and her landlady vouchsafed to him the information that prisoner brought them on therday before, stating, however,.that she had brought the wrong sort, and was going to poison herself: The woman seems to have been in financial difficulties exactly to the amount of the lie, before mentioned, and the circumstances certainly poi,,, strongly to the conclusion that she premeditate* suicide as a means of escape from tise troubles that surrounded her.  At the Swansea Police Court, on Monday, Martha John, widow, Paston-street, was charged on remand, from Friday, with attempting to aminit suicide, by jumping into the South Dock, on the 22nd inst. The prisoner's I brother-in-law stepped forward and said the scoured had been all her life a hard-working I woman, and had been 60 years in ISwanaea. without having been once in the police court. He wee willing to take her home and be surety for her good behaviour. A lad, named Wen. Haines, was callei sea witness, and era that fr.,. something his mother said to him, he followed prisoner from Pexton-tdreet, and ultimetely, seeing her jump into the South Dock, be called a man, who came to the rescue, and pulled h. r out of the water. Priaoner was diechar,zed order the conditions that her brotherhsd stated.