The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1894-02-17 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

SAD DROWNING CASE AT HALIFAX "I WISH I WAS IN HEAVEN." --THREE MOTHERLESS CHILDREN. On Sunday Tom Jenkinson, a young man residing in Stone-street, Caddy Field, noticed the body of a woman floating in the canal under the bridge at Caddy Field, He made known his discovery, and Police-constable Lister dragged the body out of the water with a boathook, A crowd quickly assembled, but no one recogniseo the lifeless form, end it was conveyed to the mortuary. In the evening the body was identified as that of Emma Sladdiu, wife of Arthur SlaeMin, furniture broker, Wade-street. She was thirty-eix years of age, and ead been married twelve or thirteen sears. By :he sad aflaic three children, one of whom is only ,ix months old, have been left motherless. For :siany years the deceased had in times of despondency conducted herself in a very strange manner, and those who knew her expressed little surprise when the discos ery of her body in the canal was made known. She left home on Friday, but the t rawly were not cinch concerned about her absence for a day or so, thinking that she bad gone to her mother's house, as she had done before. It is said lint she had not been happy in her family affairs since her marriage. • The CORONER (Mr. Barstow) held an inquest at the Mortuary on Monday evening. The husband, Arthur Sladdin, said he last saw his wife alive at 7-30 a.m. on Friday. She went away without saying anything as to where she eas going, and he heard nothing of her until the body had been recovered from the water. There lied not been any unpleasantness between them, and he could not understand why she had drowned' herself, Eliza Jane S/addin, the daughter, aged ten, said that whilst she was in bed at about half-past seven on Friday morning, her mother went to her, and asked if she was warm and comfortable. Witness replied "Yes," and the deceased added that she would go downstairs and light the tire. When witness got up she found that her mother ead gone away without lighting the tire. She lever saw her mother again. Her mother bad ,een very quiet for some time, and had studied a great deal. Kate Lister, wife of Edwin lister, mechanic, I, Cis rencseyard, Lister-lane, said she was intimately equeinted with the deceased, and considered her •• a nice, loving woman." She thought the woman .eei been unhappy in her domestic affairs, but did eut think her husband was much to blame. A .ew days ago the deceased said she wished she was ea Heaven, and added that she would go and crown herself. She seemed low-spirited, and eoked very ill. That (Monday) morning the busband of the deceased visited witness's house, snd told her to keep her mouth shut until the uquest was over. He depended upon his father or a livelihood, and was in poor circumstances, fie and his wife lived with his father. Thos. Spencer, manager of the Railway Coffee tavern, Church-street, said the deceased went to t,ei coffee tavein twice an Saturday at about seven .'clock in the morning, and at noon, and had two eeels, She seemed very much distressed. Joseph Berry, of Huddersfield, brother of the jeceased, said the latter's family wrote to him tilting that the woman had left home, and inquiring about her. She had not been to their house, end he replied to that effect. Occasionally his ,ister became low spirited. About 15 years ago, efore she was married, she was in a depressed state of mind for some time, but was cheered up, and became all right again. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide by drowning whilst in a state of unsound mind.' sae•