The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1880-03-12 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

DISTRE 3SING SUICIDE. The people of We: ;mouth were greatly shocked on Saturday morning li .et at the news that Mr. Henry Hurdle, the weld& nown provision dealer, of St. Edmund-street, had hung himself. The deceased had for some time been i n a depressed state of mind, and had in a marked del ;see suffered from loss of memory and total incapacit y for business; notwithstanding this, however, his h lends had not the slightest idea he would have cornmil .ted such an act, and, therefore, did not deem it i lecessary to put him under any restraint. The deed was effected by means of a double rope secured to the balusteis and fastened round his neck by a runnin „ noose. An alarm was quickly raised and asAistau ce at hand to cut him down, but lite was quite esti act.  Till. INatiiEST Was held on Saturri ,ay evening at the Guildhall. before Mr. 11.. N. Howard (Mr -. G. Symonds being unable to attend). The following ge otlemen were sworn on the jury:. Messrs. 11. A. liar idall (foreman), L. Bartlett, C. Burden, J. W. Board, J. f ase, J. nines, S. Jackson, W. J. New. ton, .1. Staines, 1 1. Billett, T. Hawkei. and C. Smyth. Mr. C. F. Arden: represented the friends of the deceased. The following, ividence was adduced : Lsabella Eaton said the was a servant in the employ of Miss Hurdle, St. Edmund-street, and the deceased lived la the same hot Ise. That morning about eleven o'clock she wa.s in the bedroom making the beds, and on going to open the door of the drawing -room, she saw the deceased on the landin. g feiing her. Seeing him she turned hack and we it into the bedroom. She did not see him taxi in until she saw him being cut down by the re ,oremen. She had been him once before that morning, and had spoken to him. She did not notice any 841 ,n4eness about him—in fact, she thought he looked as s as ever he did. The day before he did not get up ir itil late in the afternoon. She went into the drawingo -min about seven in the evening and found him siting it the dark, and without a fire. She asked him if she ioulitllght the ire, and he said no. She did not see hint again that evening. He had not been very well for sou ,e time. • In engem: to the Foreman, the witness said when she saw the de ceased standing an the landing he made no remark wb atever.  Thomas Hurdle, the nephew of the deceased, said he 'waisted iii the- besinese. This morning he was at the store on tie opposite side of the road. A little after 11 the dauge ter of- the deceased came across and said her father bad hunt himself or was going to do SO. lie at once an across the road into the house mid east his uncle the deceased) liangiag by • rope att achtd •to the baluster. He immediately called oat to their rnan George to get a knife to cut the rope, and witness ran up the etains to hold him op by his arms until the rote was cut. The man imtnedie:ely brought the knife arid cut the ropa. There were Designs of life whatever. Dr. !Third was in attendance about three minutes from the time. Tba deceased had been unwell for over twelve mo-atbs and at times a little strange in his manner. Of late he had bees particu'Arly strange, but not to such an extent as to lead:tine:a to think he would commit such so act as: this. Ide had shown his Arangeness by being very sileat in matters of business, very depressed, and seemed net to take tile interest that he used to do. Re was about 51 yerge of age. In reply to Mr. Arden witness said deceased seemed very vanwit and suffered from a lees of memory. Geor;li Cross,. in the employ of Messrs. Hurdle, said this in ireing about eleven o'cleck he was in the stores and saw Miss Hurale call the last witness. Ref. Ilowed them into tte house, and saw the ieceased hanging. Thomas Hurclls, called for a knife to cut the rope, and he at once got it and cu is him down. They laid the deceased on the stairs but be seemed to be quite dead. The rope was fastened with a running noose round the neck with. out sknot. He only heard a slight noise in the throat when he loosened the rope but no sign of breathing,. Of late the deceased had appeared very strange in his intoner. Witness had been in his employ for 16 years. Cl late ho seemed very vacant and with no memory. He toad to be a very active man if ini"iness, but he had not recently been, able to atnind to his business. Hr. Tinard medical practitioner, re•iding at Weymouth, said this morning about twenty minutes past eleven, when visiting a patient in Mary's-street, he was summoned to see the deceased. He at once went to him and found him lying on the stair.; apparently quite dead. He used : means to try and restore him, but it was without eflict. There was a deep purple mark extending around the back of the neck from the left ear to the right, sad there was a large discoloured patch under the right ear, caused by ! the pressure of the rope by which he had been suspended. i The cause of death was suffocation, produced by strangula• tion. lAt the Coroner's suggestion. the jury st once returned a Ilettlict of "Temporary Insanity."  potto anb