The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1883-06-01 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

POOLE. SHOCKING SUICIDE AT POKESDOWN.  An inquest was he! I on F, idsy at the White Horse Inn, Pokeadown (before Mr. J. Druitt) on the b;dy of George Munden, aged 44. labourer, who c =mitt 3d ouic,cle on the previous night by placing his head on the down line of the railwsy which runs through Pokesdown, just before the list down train (half-psst nine) passed. The head was severed from the body. Mr. Hoskisson (superintendent for the Southampton district) and Mr. J. C Holliday (euperintendent of the Dorchester distric') at nded the inquest on behalf of the Landon and SJuih-Westein Railway Company.—Gaorge Billows, labourer, of Pokesdown, and halfbrother to the deceased, stated that deceased was a steady and sober man. Witness saw decsased on Sunday, when he complained of thing low spirited. Witness advised him to leava woik for a time, but he said he could not do that. Deceased's wife came to witness early this (Friday) morning t 3 know if he had seiim her husband, as he had not come home. Witness wei.t in Bear& of him, and discovered the I ody on the railway. just und r the bi idge. He went tor the police, end help d to remove the body.—ln reply to the jury, witness said deceased hat lived happily with his wife, and was in good wok. He feared, from what he had heard him say, that he might have done some harm to himsi lf. Deceased had never ax 'reseed a direct determinaton to destroy himself. —Colin Gray, blacksmith, of Pokesdown, and brother-inlaw of the deceased also gave evidence as to deceased having been low-spirited. He last saw him alive on the previous night about twenty minutes past nine. Witness suet him at the corner of Cromwell-road (near the spot where the body was found), and wished him" Good-night." Deceased replied "Good night—ln answer to a juryman, Witness said it was quite true that about a year ago the deceased gave up a job of gardening because he was "not Equal to it,'' and took to common labour.—P.C. Long deposed that he was called to the body of the deceased at about four o'clock that (Friday) morning. He found under the railway bridge. The feet were pressed against the wall of the bridge, and one of the hands was clenched in the chair of the rails. The heal was lying inside the rail. The last train to Bournemouth was t med to leave Christchurch at 9.26 —The witness Gray (re-called) said hie sister came to him, about one o'clock in the morning, about her husband being missed. Supper was provided for him on the previous night, but he left home at about nine o'clock and never returned. Witness had heard him make a remark to the effect that he should "not be here another year' to see the flowers which he had planted prosper. He had also said to his wife that he should not pot any more flowers. The Coroner summed up the evidence, and pointed out that it was, no doubt, a determined case of suicide, as was shown by the evidence of the position in which the body was found. The question for the jury to decide was as to whether deceased was in his right mind when he committed the act. —One of the jurymen said he had worked with deceased, who at times seemed quits unable to understand ,questions which he was asked—The jury then returned a verdict to the effect that deceased committed suicide while of unsound mind.—Deceased leaves a widow and three children.