The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1880-05-29 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

DRINK.  An inquest WAA held on Saturday afternoon last, at the Grapes, Hail ond before M r:t'oroner Dewes. Oa view of the body of Joseph Mills who Mull been found hanging in a h0v..1 on the race course on the previous day. Fro:n the evil:ewe addieel it appeared that the d ,ecies I KM 52 years of ago, and was a watch finisher. For ahout three years he had Ii ye.! apart from his wife, because of his intemperate habits. and had since the separation took place been an inmate of the Union Workhouse. About a mouth ago he left. the Union and went to live in St. John's-street. His mental fandties hat become impaired by drink. He was lest seen alive by his friends on Sunday night, and since that tint., a number of people had ,i;(,•1 him walking abut I. in the neighhoaritoed of Radford. On Friday afternoon a boy, named William Salt, was walking across the fields front C,mmloe-road railway station to Radford. In one of the fields stands a le ve!. the door of which was eve]. and upon look her inside the hovel Salt saw t deceased hanging from a beam by his scarf and nram,s. Salt rail doe ii the field :eel told. two in a who went back with him to the hovel, and stood at the door mel looked itt iil ; but neither of them eet the ileceised dowe. After standing there for sonic time the men ran away, leaving, the 41,1eca.e,1 hanging-, awl went to Radford and told others of what they hail seen. About this time a man -named George Parvin, of Upper Wel'. street, was lying in one of the fields, when a baker, of Keresley, ran up to him, and told him that a man was hanging in the hovel. Parvin got up. and went quickly to the hovel, where he saw the deceased hanging, and two men namcd Amos awl: George Wright of Brewery-street. standing near. Other persons followed Parvin into the hove'. Somebody tried to persuade him not to meddle with the deceased, but he took out his knife and cut the deceased down. Parvin did not know whether or not the deceased was dead until he was cut down• and he then formed the opinion that. death had t iken placa seven or eight hours before.—Tl e Court highly commended Parvin for the manner in which le, had zit:tea, and resolved to examine Amos Wright, as to why he did not cut tie li.,eeased down. --Wright stated that between four a:nl five o'clock on the previous afternoon be heard that a man ea: hanging in a hovel in RieVord fields. His on Cmrge was with him. They both went to the hovel and saw the deeett.ed ham. Ting. Witness dia not cut hint down beeause he had 1,0 suitable knife. Ile ascertained that the ileeeased was dead and stiff. Ahoy who was present rtai off to Cov.mtry for a policeman, nial a 1:ile I e was away Parvin came into the hovel and cut tl e deaoused down while witness held him.—ln mower to the Coroner witness said the deceaeed hang five minutes after he saw him. Tle Coroner : What I cannot understand is why you did not either lift Ole deceased up to relieve the strain or eut I:ini down.-- Witness : A baker frc m Keresley came in, and he authorised me not to do anything: to the man. --The Coroner: I won't ask theavitness anything else.—The witness then loft the room. —The Coroner said he thought thi y must expres, ems,. sort of feeling about the two men named Wright; he should certainly not allow them :Lay thing tor tneir att:mdanee --(hear, hear,. it; thoulit it was a most shocking anti gross c,INCt of want of Immanity.—The jury concurred in this opiuioa, and returned a verdict that the deceased deseroyed himself by hanging, but there was uot setlieient evidenee to eIIOW in what state of mind h.: was at the time.  On Saturday evening, at the City Arms, Ear Won,. Mr. Coroner Oewes held an inquest into the circumstances attending the death of Martha Owen, the wife of Alfred Owen, of Coventry. watehm,ker. The deeeased was fifty years of ave. For the last twelve months she had been drinking very much, and had been the occa.-non of erreat anxiety to her friends. Twelve months ago she attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself, and since that time her friends have carefully looked after her, as the doctor who then .ittended her warned them that as she was in such a low au.l depressed state of mind she would he sure to make amdher attempt at self-destruction. Between ten and eleven o'clock on Fridey morning ! she was missed from her home, and when Ler ! husband went home at dinner time he instituted a seareh for her. The search was continued during the whole of the night, and at about ten o'clock on Saturday morning the deceased's son and others found her dead body in Walton's pit. in the fields ! near Earlsdon. She had then been dead several hours. The witnesses were of opinion that she was not at all responsible for her actions.—The jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide by drowning herself in a pit, she being at the time in an unsound tate of mind.