Widnes Examiner. — 1884-08-30 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

EXTRAORDINIRY SUICIDE AT DITTON.—THE INQUEST. 01 Wednesday afternoon, at Theme's Inn, Wilton, Mr W T Husband, the decors, ceuuts, coroner, held an inoiest 011 the body of George Cottsworth, 71 years of age, who committed su;cl.le by banging leinyeelf Sandey„ Froth the evidence adduced it appeared that the il-c-v-ed U,13 a glass blower by trade, and resided in Staideton-mw, Haleroad, Ditton. For same time pest he had been Pulp'eyed as a night watohm en by Mr Lewin, who is su”erintending the construction of the new main sewer for Widnes Feeling unwell about A fortnight ago, the deceised stayed array from his work for several days, and failing to intimate to his master the reason for his absence, his place was tilled by another man. The fact of having no occupation seemed to prey upon his mind, ant he became a little strange in his conduct. About eleven o'clock on Sunday Isis daughter-Inlaw, w bo lived a few yards from the houseof the deceased, I went into his house. Loaning his elbows cm the table, he said, "Oh; Polly, Pin mad; I don't know what I will do with myself." lie then went into the pantry. In a few minutes he came out and went upstairs. As he had been in the habit of going to bed every Sand iy forenoon to have a " nap," nothing was thought of this woceeding. Dinner being ready'at one o'clock, his son Peter called to him, but he received no reply. He therefore went upstairs, arid found his father suspended by a rope attached to a beam in the clothes closet. Dr Mac Donnell happened to be in the neigh, bourhood at the time, and he was called in, but it was found that life was extinct. The unfortnnate old man bad carried out his tragic act in a most determined marer. The beam to which the rope was attached was about feet 3 inches from the floor, and the cleansed was a man 5 feet 6 inches in height. Tha rope was one of lois grand children's skipping ropes, and the deceased had fennel a noose in true hungman style, having placed the knot under tbe left ear. There being no room foe the deceased to drop, and in order to put an end to his existence he had ti push out his legs in a horizontal position and strangle hirnself.—Peter Coatsworth, son of the deceased, deposed to finding the body suspended In a sitting pesition.—The Clroner you cut him down? Witness: No. I ran for a witness first. —The Coroner: That was a strange thing to do. You should never do that. I trisst you will never coma across a dead body again in the same way; but if you do you should try to save life in the first iostanca if you cen.—Witness: I thought I should not be doing right to cut him down before some one else sew him.—The Coroner: If you found that a person had tumbled into a pool of water, would you not try to get him out before going for anyone ?Witness: I would.—P.S. Coutts said when he got to the house the body of the deceased was warm. Dr. MacDonnel was taking the rope off the neck, and he said the man had not been dead over a minute when he came There was a case at Halewood where a man went two miles for a polictinao, and left the men hanging all the limo. When the policeman reached lialewool the body was then warm and possessed life. The excuse the fellow made for his coaduct was that he was afraid to do anything at the body until someone cams as a witness.—The Coroner remarked that Coatsworth could not 11 eve been dead when found by his son. It was a great pity people should possess such au ercontaus iti,a that they onset not cut down a body except in the presence of a withess. It was one of the most nonsensical ideas he ever know.— PS. Coutts added that he knew the family of the deceastd very sell, and on Sunday, when he went into the house at the time of the suicide, the deceased's 80113 Ephraim and John were drunk. Oa Monday he bad to send a policemen to the house to quell a disturbance that was taking place between the a ms.—The Coroner remarked that with that he bad nothing to do. All be had to inquire into was what took place prior to death —The witness Peter was recalled, and said there had been n 7 quarrel between himself, his brothers, and his father. There had been a quarrel between his brothers a week ago, which seemed to have affected his father somewhat. —The Coroner said if this had been a well conducted family the fact of 'such disturbances might have caused the deceased to commit the rash act ; but it seemed to be a most unfortunate one, and he thought they could not put down the death to any family quarrel. It was an unhappy state of affairs that the sons should be drunk in the house while the father was taking away his own life; and, so far as he could see, the evidence would lead the jury to believe that doe man committed suicide whilst temporarily insane. He characterised the condoct of the son-as disgracetui.—The jury returned a verdict to the effect thaw the deceased committed suicide while temporarily insane.