The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-06-15 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDES IN HANLEY.  A LIFE AND DEATH STRUGGLE.  At the Hanley Borough Police Court, on Wednesday moreing, before Ifeasrs. E. Powell and R. E. Nammore, Enoch Myatt, 22, collier, of Mill-street, was charged with attempting to commit an act of selfdestruction on Monday, by throwing himself down a ooalpit at Slippery Lane. The cause of the rash act was attributed to drink. The prisoner had, it seems. for some time been laid up with rheumatic fever, and had been an inmate of the rufsrmory.—A witness named Thomas Williams, engine driver, of 15, Great Yorkstreet, stated that about bolf.past seven on Monday evening he was on the ROldWirli Pit Bank. He saw the prisoner coming from the direction of Hanley. He came to the pit blink and west straight to the fencing round the pit's mouth, and thee threw himself over the top, his legs leaving the ground. Seeing his awful position, wituess immediately ma and seized him by the leg. The prisoner subsequently got his arms through, and tried to get down the abaft, but witness, with the greatest exertion, held fast to his feet, and ultimately succeeded in drawing him back to the bank. The at. tempt of prisoner to destroy his life was a most deter' mined one—ln answer to the Bench, prisoner said be recollected nothing of the affair, be having been tinder ' the influence of drink at the time of the occurrence.— The mother of the pri.oner appeared in court, and mid that her son had never before attempted to take his life to her knowledge. He had been laid up with rheumatic. I fever, had met with many old friends on Monday, and it being a holiday, he had indulged rather too freely in drink; and this alone she believed was the conic of his attempting suck a rash act, for when sober she had never known him do such a thing.—The Bench very severely censured the prisoner's conduct, and pointed out to !din the awful position in which he bad plaemt himself. On his promising not to take any more drink, he WA, discharged, his mother agreeing to be security for his future good behaviour.  A most melancholy occurrence took place at Hanley,. about mirt.day on Wednesday. A man named Patrick Macdonald, aged about fifty, of 26, Weaver-street, attempted to destroy himself by cutting his throat. He lives with his parents, who are very old. It is stated that he bat been addicted to liquor drinking for some time, and that tbi, has caused him to suffer very much. from low spirits. To this is attrilinted the rash act now recorded. Medical aid was soon in attendance, but only slight hopes are entertained of the man's recovery-, as he inflicted a very deep gash in his neck by means at a razor. Much sympathy is felt for thennfortunate man, as he is considered by his neighbours to be a quiet and inoffomire man when sober. He has been employed at the Slippery Lane colliery. The Rev. W. Molloy writes to a contemporary, yen— tPrdity, contradicting, the statement that the rash act was the effect of drink, and adding that for the last three months McDonald has been partially 'off his head, from some unknown cause.'  GOLD IN Mitusst.—lf Capt. Burton's anticipation in regard to the gold mines of.llidian are realised there is likely to be more corn m Egypt than Egypt has known since the days when Joseph, of Bible story, on its prime minister, filled its granaries with the surplus stores of the three years of plenty. Capt. Burton., indeed, believes that he has discovered a " New California" in Midian, though whether he has done re. Mills to be proved. It seems that so far back as ISSB his attention was called by fables and reports to the mineral wealth of Ididiatn, and be longed to go and an. mean for himself the real facts. He has been, stet returned with most encouraging accounts of ail that the has seen and heard. Between the enkindling of the desire to go and its actual accomplishment, many yearn were suffered to elapse. The jealousy of the different successors of the Pharoahs threw obstacles in his way of an insurmountable character ; but the present Khedive baying seen the bottom of his exchequer, and being cheered by the very mention of the word "gold" as likely to be within his dominion, pave his full permisaion, and the result has been the interesting work which Capt. Burton has published on " The Gold Mines of Mellon."  -:8  .  •