The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1907-01-02 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

BLOODSTAINS IN THE SNOW. GHASTLY SUICIDE IN TRANMERi A DRINKER'S TERRIBLE DELUSIONS,  Excessive drinking was the primary cause of the death of Arthur Miles Johnson, who cut his throat with a table knife at his house, 65, Harrowby-road, Tranmere, on Sunday afternoon. Mr. Genii Holden, the Borough Coroner, inquired into the circumstances surround ing Johnson's death on Monday afternoon, and the first witness called was Fanny Elizabeth Johnson, who said her husband was a jobbing gardener, and together they resided. at 65, Harrowby-road. Her husband was 35 years of age, and was an excessive drinker He had not worked for a week previous to Ul6 date of his death. On Saturday he had been drinking, and did not return till nearly one o'clock on Sunday morning. He nose at seven o'clock on Sunday morning, but he did not take any food. During the morning he behaved in an extraordinary manner, and was walking up and down the rooms all the time. He was talking most of the time, saying that somelone was going to shoot him. He also said that he had been in a public-house and had lost a shilling. The people there told him he had not, and he kept feeling in the pockets of hie clothes for the money. He went upstairs and placed the bed of the front room against the door, because he ' said some people were going to kill him. Witness did her beet to keep him quiet. At about two o'clock she heard him fall somewhere upstairs. The fall shook the house, and witness went up to the roam door and heard him moaning. On the advice of a neighbour (Mrs. Basnett) she went to look for a policeman in Church-road, but could not find one, and fitte returned to the house. She went upstairs and spoke to deceased through the door. She could not get in because ht was holding the handle of the door. He made a noise, and she went downstaira and went out to a neighbour's house, thinking he would be all right for a few moments. She came book and saw him through the kitchen window, and she then went in through the vestibule door. She noticed blood on him, and said "Whatever have you done?" He held his throat up and pointed to it, because he was not able to speak. She immediately ran out for Dr. Dixon, but before doing that she told a neighbour (Mrs. Hamlett) what had happened. While she was away her husband bolted all the doors. She arrived at Dr. Dixon's and informed him of what her husband had done, and he telephoned for the ambulance. He then rode on his bicycle to her house, and she walked back. There was nobody in the house with her husband during the day except herself and her little girl aged 12. He had never been so strange before, and she had not the slightest idea that he would do himself harm. She had never seen anybody in a state of delirium tremens before, and therefore she WM not aware that her husband was suffering from. it. If she had known what he was to do she would have procured assistance. Dr. Dixon said be was called to the house at 3.15 p.m. After having telephoned for the ambulance he rode on his bicycle to the house.„The front door was locked, but he managed to get in by the back. He went into the front room downstairs, where he found the decerMed sitting in an armchair. He was looking very ghastly, and when he - . . .  saw witness he half rose in his chair. Witness went up to him and saw that he had a huge gash across his throat. Just then the ambulance arrived, and after deceased's wound had been dressed he was placed in the ambulance and taken to the Borough Hospital. Deceased collapsed very badly when they were carrying him on the stretcher. He could not say whether the 'man had delirium tremens or not, but he thought that would account for his actions during the morning., Dr. Howard, the senior house surgeon at the Borough jiospital, said he examined deceased -when he arrived at the hospital at 3.40 p.m., and found a large wound in the throat, and also on examination another wound on the chest. The latter wound had not penetrated very deeply, but the wound in the throat was a bad one, and several of the main blood vessels had been severed.