The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1882-12-09 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

EARLS HEATON. SUICIDE OF A BITTCITER—INQUEST.-011 Saturday morning last a butcher, named Humphrey Bowler, of Wakefieldroad, Earlsheaton, committed suicide by hanging himself in his bedroom. Deceased was well-known in the district in which he resided, and from the evidence given below it appears that he partly inherited a certain amount of insanity—a state in which he must have been in when he took his life—from his father, who died in an asylum at Nottingham. Deceased has attempted to take his life seven or eight times previously, and his wife and nephew, who resided with him, have watched him very closely. Unfortunately he was in the habit of indulging too freely in intoxicating liquors, going on spree for two or three weeks at a time, and thus the after-effects throwing him into a desponding state of mind. An inquest was held on Tuesday morning, at the Lamb Inn, by Mr. Thomas Taylor, coroner, and a jury. Mr. Hanson was appointed foreman, and the first witness called was Caroline Bowler, wife of deceased, who said her husband was 49 years of age, and was a butcher. They had been married about 23 years. Deceased had not seemed to be exactly himself for the last four or five years. He had met with a good many accidents, and had been thrown out of the trap twice, and been taken home as dead. He seemed as if he had grown gradually worse, and they had been afraid of him committing suicide for three or four years. He made an attempt in Churchstreet, Dewsbury, and since they removed to Earlsheaton, he had once jumped into Mr. Preston's dam. He appeared to have had a good deal of trouble, but he had never told her anything about it, and she could not give a reason for his rash conduct. Dr. Skene attended him after jumping into the dam a year ago. She was unable to give a description of his character cf late. He rested very well on Friday night last, and on Saturday morning she left him in bed with her nephew, a little boy three or four years old. She never heard anything further than the little boy crying. He was not undressed, because he refused to undress at times. At the time she heard the boy crying it would be about 8-15 a.m., and she sent her eldest nephew to fetch the child down. On opening the stairs door he exclaimed "Oh, dear," and ran for the knife and cut him down. Witness heard deceased fall as she was going to the stairs-steps. He fell with great force. He was hanging by a thick rope belonging to the slaughterhouse. She was unable to say where the rope came from, but she was sure it was not in the room on Thursday, because she had cleaned the room down. They sent for Dr. Skene, who arrived almost (immediately, but he pronounced life to be extinct. She loosened the rope in order that he might breathe if possible. Deceased's life was insured in the Prudential Insurance Company, and had been for 15 or 16 years. In reply to a juryman, witness said that her husband had drunk rather freely, but she did not think that had had much to do with it, as it appeared to be an affliction in the family, deceased's father having died in the Nottingham Asylum about three years ago. Witness did not think deceased was worse when in liquors than when sober. Samuel Swain, Wakefield-road, assistant butcher, said that deceased was his uncle. He had resided with him for seven years. There was nothing that he was aware of troubled him in his business. All he ever noticed peculiar in his habits was that frequently he got into a rage. He saw him alive last on Saturday morning about six o'clock in his own room. Deceased told him he was rather late in serving the cattle. When he (witness) went into his breakfast he was going to fetch his cousin downstairs, and on getting at the bottom of the stairs he saw deceased hanging in the staircase by a rope. His feet would be about a foot above the bottom step. He ran for a knife and cut the rope, which was fastened to the rail at the top. He did not see deceased move, but he cut the rope as quick as possible. Maria Lindsay, wife of Joseph Lindsay, labourer, Spring Gardens, Earlsheaton, in answer to the coroner, said she had never noticed anything peculiar in deceased further than seeing him a little worse for beer occasionally. The last time she saw him in that state was last Monday week. She was called into the house on Saturday morning by Mr. Halmshaw, and she found him laid in the stair's steps. The body was warm, and she helped to wash and lay it out. There was no mark around the neck, and there did not appear to be any marks of injury on the body. The Coroner remarked that deceased, from the evidence given, seemed to have been of a suicidal tendency for a long time, and a verdict was ultimately arrived at that "Deceased committed suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind."  MR.