The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1907-08-21 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

AND ALL DOOKSELLZKIL  A DESPAIRING ACT. YOUNG MAN'S TRAGIC ATTEMPT  AT SUICIDE.  At the Borough Police Court on Saturday, —before Mr. Edward Williams (chairman) and Mr. E. T. Easton—Albert Turpin, aged: 21, of Beckwithatreer, wad charged with attempting to commit euicide by ;wallowing a quantity of 6pirits of bait. The eN idence ehowed that but for the prompt and commendable action of an ex-police condtable„ Turpin would probably have Iced. hie In a state of despondency brought on by inability, week atter welt, to get employment. Turpin had tried to kill himeelf by, drinking spiiits or salt. P.C. E. .Lewis r24E) stated that at 7.35 p.m. on Saturday, Augu4 10th, he woe called to the golt links in bidaton-road,and• the ambulance arrived just at the same • tins. lie found the prisoner then vomit!lag very much. One ot the amoulance men gave an enteric, and the prisoner was alterIVAIIiS taken to the Borough Hospital. The prn,onn fweln,:d td be sober. tie hal since told witacce that he had been out of work for twelve weeks. The bottle now produced (still containing a small quantity of writa ot sato wee found on the ground close to the prisoner. Prisoner /tad told him he got the spirits ot salt from his brothltra bicycle chop in Price-street. Ex-P.C. Wynne stated that about 7 o'clock on the evening of the 10th he was out tor a walk with a friend, and ac they went along by the golf links they saw a man tying on. the ground amongst the goree. throwing his arms about, lie would have been out et sight but tor the movement of his arms. 'They (Mind it was the pridoner. A; they, went towards him be rose up and drank something out of a bottle, and then rolled over on his side. Witness went up to him and 6an• the bottle N.,* marked "opirite of cult." The prisoner was tying on hid tact. and witness turned hint on to hid side and forced hie (prisoner's) own lingers into hia throat, with the redult that he vomited, By that time the prisoner had become unconscioue. Witness, ecit two gentlemen who came along to help to carry the prisoner nearer to the road, and one of them went and telephoned for the ambulance. In the road witneed again pushed the prieoner's fingers into his throat, and that caused further vomiting. Afterwards the ambulance came. _ . . . .  Dr. Howard, who received the prisoner into the hospital, said he at ones gave an antidote. The prisoner had since been making steady progress towards recovery. Spirits oi salt was a corrosive poison. The vomiting caused by the witness' Wynne of course reduced the danger Iry lessening the amount of inflammation. The prisoner had told him that he took the poison because he had been out of work for several weeks, and had got two a state of depression. Prisoner. asked by the Clerk what he had to say, replied, with some emotion. "I am very, very sorry I did it. I have been oat of work so long that I got quite down." He added that he was a groom, and had been without employment for twelve wee;: and he further stated i.hat he took the spirits of salt from his brother's shop unknown to his brother, who used it for ooldering. "1 concealed it till night, and then went up to the golf links. I am very, very . sorry now that I did it." Prisoner's mother was here called forward, and as she entered the witness-bo* the prisoner burst into tears. She stated that the prisoner had always been a good. son; he never took drink; and there had. been no unpleasantness at home. The °nix reason she knee.- of for his eon mitt' act was that he had become loweptrited through being out of work so loug.--He had tried for almost everything. His father was ally., and was on perfectly good terms with him. The rhairman told the prisoner that thew had power to send him to the Sessions, but as he seemed really repentant, and evidently realised the foolishness of what he bed done, they had decided to discharge him. . .  Pti.oner fe.Mfd very grateful. and 116 left the dock he and his mother embraced ono another. weeping.