Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1877-05-04 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

BLANDFORD.  SUICIDE AT Tnr. WonanorsE.—On Friday an Inquiet was held at the Workhouse before Mr. W. H. Atkinson, Coroner, and a jury of whom Mr. S. J. Burpitt was foreman, on the body of Richard Baker, an aged inmate who roinni omitted suicide toi the ',recitals morning.—George Kit ig lit, in inmate, said he last saw deceased alive ben etwe eight awl nine o'clock on the previous morning in the aohlr-boaied men's ward. Robert Gayer was also present. Deceased mumbled out something which they could not understand, and thin left them antl went and sat (loan in the want with the other men. Deceased afterwards got up again and went into the yard, and they misfsed him for 43 iiiii e time. Ile went to seek tor him and found him in the urinal of the able•botlied men's ward, sitting on the floor, n ith his back against the wall. There was a quantity of blots] before deceased and the knife produced by side. Ile was dead. He did not observe anything nnusual or particular in his manner before. —Mr. John Chappell Turner. the master of the Workhouse, said he was called about 8.30 on the previous morning and told that a nian had cut his throat. He at once sent for Mr. Spooner, the medical officer of the Union. He went to the urinal and fount! the deceased sitting on the floor with his back to the wall, and his head leaning forward. The knife produced was by his side. He moved deceased's head and found a large wound in his throat. Ho was quite dead, but not quite cold. Mr. Spooner Mille and pronounced the man to be dead. Deceased had been an inmate of the Union before. He left the house on the 2nd of April and was re-admitted on the 11th. Before he left on the 2nti deceased told him be was very dirty with vermin. Ile examined deceased and his clothing, and found, there was no pretext tor such an assertion—it was a delusion on his part. When deceased returned to the house he said his reason was that he wanted to be cleaned, lie was bathed and washed, and the doctor's attention was called to him. Deceased seemed to have an idea that he should never get rid of the (imaginary) vermin. Ile saw the deceased voluntarily assisting three old men at the pump about half-an-hour before he saw him dead. He had never seen anything in deceased's conduct or manner to lead hint to suppose that that he intended to comduit suicide. Ile was an orderly anti well-conductod man. When he saw him at the pump he said to hini, " how is it you are at the pump, Richard," and he answered, "I thought I would lend them a hand." He asked him if he had taken hid medicine, and he replied " yes." He told him he thought it was doing him good. The medicine deceased had been taking was for debility, and he had also had additional diet for six days previous to his death on account of general debility.—The Coroner having summed up the jury returned a verdict of " Stlicide whilst in a state of temporary insanity." CotTY Poucs, Monday.—Before Mr..!. J. Farquharson.  Peter Allred Be ;thaw, an itin•rant chimney sweep, was brought up in custody by PC. Ellis charged with being drunk at Hilton, on Saturday night.—Prisoner pleaded guilty, and was tined 2s. 6d., and costs, 2s. ta Ma ra A oil Mason, a relative of the last prisoner's, was charged in custody wit, stealing Sibs. of sugar, value 2s. 3d," from the shop of Mr. James Fudge, grocer, of Anstey, on Saturday. —Prisoner was remanded in custody till Saturday.