The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1872-01-20 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE AT TOTTENHAM.  A shocking occurrence was brought to light at Tottenham on Saturday afternoon. Just over th e railway bridge at that place is a somewhat extensive building belonging to the New River Company. This building and its machinery was in the charge of a man named Joseph Ward, who had been in the service of the company upwards of forty years, and he resided with his wife in a cottage adjoining. There were no children. Ward was, it is understood-, in receipt of good wages from the company, and had the means of living comfortably, but he appears to have of late years given way to drinking, an example followed by his wife. On Saturday afternoon Mr. Fletcher, a surgeon connected with the Tottenham Hospital, called at the police-station, and stated that he had just before visited the engine-house cottage ; but not receiving an answer after repeated knocking, had got over the wall and ' effected an entrance into the house, where he found the dead body of Mrs. Ward. Acting Sergeant Arscott and Constable Davis at once proceeded to the house, and discovered the woman's body on her bed. The premises were searched, but deceased's husband could not be discovered. The police learned that he had not been seen at any of the places he was in the habit of visiting since Thursday. On that day, however, he was spoken to by a person living in the neighbourhood. The milk delivered at the house on Thursday evening an,! on Friday and Saturday mornings was found where it had been left by the milkboy, who says the place was quite quiet  when he called on the occasions nentioned. The leVice Ifaecto ,1 tiç efgaue-house. On entering tkey saw a 4,11 apparaity standing in End of a portion of 1 the machinery. He was-galled o, bit did not answer, c.nd on the officers going to 11/111 thy found it was Ward with a rape round his neck, andquite dead: The rope had deeply cut into the neck, the head being partly severed from the body. It was found that the deceased had fastened one end of the rope to the tip rail of the staircase running up the building, and after attaching the other end round his neck, had thrown himself off, the immense fall accounting for the vound in his neck. It is suppose' that the act of suidde was committed on Thursday night or Friday morning. Ward was looked upon at one time as a very intelligent engineer, and ranch confidence was reposed in him by the New River Company. He seems to have kept a diary of the principal events of his life. lie was about sixty-five years of age, and his wife was only a year or two younger. No marks of violence were found upon her, and it is not believed that she was ill-treated by her husband. Anticipating the inquest, the general impression is that Ward found his wife dead by his side when he woke up in the morning. and that in a fit of despondency at her loss he committed suicide.  On Tuesday evening, an inquest was held at the White Hart Inn, Tottenham, on the holies of Mary Ward, aged 60 years, and Joseph Ward, aged 65. Mr. Joseph Fletcher, surgeon, of Tottenham, said that he had known the deceased woman for some time, and he had attended her for illness. He last saw her alive on Wednesday, and she was then 11 in bed. On Saturday last he was called to the cottoge, and he discovered the woman dead in her bed. There was no appearance of a struggle. The hat of the deceased man was on the dresser, and his clothe' were on the bed. He made a post-mortem exam nation of the body of the woman and found the stomach empty. The cause of death was disease of the Imp. The jury in that case returned a verdict of "Death from natural causes."  „ In the ease of the husband, evidence was produced to show that his mind appeared to have been affected for some time, and the jury returned a verdict "That he hanged himself while of unsound mind.”