The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-12-25 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SUICIDE COMMITTED 'BY A FEMALE WHILE IN A STATE OF DERANGEMENT.  Yesterday, an inquest was held before P. F. Curry, Esq.. on view of 'the body of Catherine Adams. James Adams being sworn, said am a seafaring man, and live at No. 31, Pall Mall. The deceased was my wife, and was 55 years old. On Saturday afternoon. last, about half-past two o'clock, I came home for, my dinner, and not finding the deceased down stairs as usual. I went up stairs to look for her. On going into the back bed-room, I found the deceased lying on her face, on the floor. I raised her up, and I then observed blood on the floor. The room was rather dark, so I carried her into the front room, and I then saw that her throat was cut, and that there was blood over her dress. She was not able to speak, but made signs with ber hands. I called for assistance, and a neighbour, of the name of Frances Taylor came in, and also another woman, and a doctor was sent for, and he recommended that she should be taken to the Northern Hospital, where I took her in a coach. I saw her there the next day, but she was not sensible. She has been in very low spirits for about four months back, about a law-suit she had in the Isle of Man. She would wander about the street without any business, and would often wander in her talk. When the doctor arrived, he asked what she had cut her throat with, and on going to see, I found the knife now produced, a small table knife, which belongs to me, on the floor, and covered with blood. Frances Taylor, wife of William Taylor, who lives next door to where the deceased lived, said, I was acquainted with the deceased, and also.her husband. On Saturday last he called me into his house. I was then in the street, shaking the bear. He called out for my sister, Mrs. Taylor. When I got up stairs, he had the deceased in his arms. Her hands were all over blood. I did not remain, as I could render no assistance, and another neighbour came in. She was always very low, and used to say her mind was very miserable.  Mary Ann Cassidy said she was going of 13 years of age, and that her father's name was Jura, and lived in Pall Mall. I was in the house where deceased lived on Saturday morning last. About two o'clock she told me to go to my tea, and to come back again in about five minutes. I returned in about half an hour. Mr. Adams had then come into the house. He told me to stop till Mrs. Taylor came in. He came back, and I saw him talking to Mrs. Taylor in the street. The deceased then came on to the stairs, and made signs to me with her hands. I saw that her hands were bloody. .I immediately went to the door, and shouted Mr. Adams, and he went up stairs. I heard him call out "Mrs. Taylor." I did not see the deceased afterwards. Mr. Edwd. Toye Woodward, house surgeon of the Northern Hospital, said the deceased was brought there on Saturday_ evening, between four and five o'clock. On examining the throat, I found an external wound, about two inches in length, extending back completely through the windpipe, which was severed. There was a second incision in the windpipe. Every thing was done for her, but she died on Wednesday morning, about ten o'clock. She was ac times perfectly sensible. When she was so, I asked her why she did it, and she said she had had a good deal on her mind lately. She appeared then to think that she was dying, and said she was afraid she would not get over it. The coroner summed up the evidence in a perspicuous manner, anti the jury immediately returned a verdict, to the effect that " the deceased destroyed herself in a fit of insanity."