Widnes Examiner. — 1911-07-22 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THE INQUEST. Mr. T. Ridgway, coroner, held the implied et the Stag Inn, Walton, lest evening. Mr. A. T. Hellaway, deputy town clerk, represented the Corporation. Walter Sumner, Hawthorne Grove, .Stockton Heitb, clerk in the Town Clerk'. department, Warrington, nephew of the deceased, gave et idercs of identifleatiort. Deceased was fifty-etas tears of age end W. hellkeeper at the Town Hall. Witness lent hint alive between 11 end 11.3,1 en Saturday morning, when he was inn ve,y weak state of health. In had been &biking heavily. Witness bad & conversation It Rh him with regard to his oonduct of the lest few weeks sad deceased /rid be was afraid there was something brewing.. .  --fhe'isZorLnee : Did he me.. Le wee going to got into trouble? _ .  Witness I rather think he won •fmid of dismissal or something almost as serious, owing to his conduct. 1)11 he ever threaten to take sway his life ?—No, exc. pt that bet... maid now and again. owing, I mippoes, to the after-effect. of drink or compinoots having been made about his drinking, tbvt be wished he waa away from it all. Ile lal said he would like to go away quietly by himself, nab. was sick of one thing sod soother.  How long has this been going on ? Is it a matter nf yearn? Ile hati never been quite a sober man, but he be. not drunk to excess op to lour or five seeks ago. ' It Lisa come on rather suddenly ?—I think so. In reply to further questions by the C.troner. witness raid he telieved deceased was in bed •Il day on Sunday. His wife was too ill to attend the inquest. Mr. flallaway : Any remarks you wade to hint I' n t his conduct, were made purely in your personal caw ity as • relative? II itness : That ia so. In his own intereets,l thought I ought to !peer to him. P.C. N.;.. of Warringt on, a ii.l he last saw deceased alive at 130 on 31onday morning. Ile was then in Bold-street, lacing eelsre from the direotiun of ?iar keystreet towards Arpley Cannon,. Witness sant "Hello, yr u are out early this morning," but deceased only I paused and then went on without making any definite reply. Witness had often seen deceased out °say —in . fact he hod occasionally been oat shooting with him at (cur o'clock in the morning, lie had no emeriti to suspect that anything was wrong; or he could have followsd the deceased. There;.. nothing unusual in his appearance. The Coroner : Did he appear to he sober ? Wane. r I had n. t gut opportunity of noticing. lea. about forty Isola assay. PC. bailey. of Acton Orange, Nicko to removing the body from the Bridgewater Canal near Dough's Bridge. There were at sign: of foul slay. Dr. Smith ea'd he attended the deceased on Sundty morning. Ile was then suffering from the effects or drink, end witness or nJuded that at CAL time tie ass not in his right mind. , The Coroner : Ile had e•idently been think lug very I heavily. I Witness lie t. Id main himself. I Did he do anythlng which caused you to insagine he would take his life 9—No. I have attend...l hire for years in ••tacks of this sort, end he has been all right in • few das A 'llse last time I at'onded him sr. in kfay•  Mr. Sumner Have yr:n ever seen him in quite so bed a mate as be •am on Sunday ?—Yes, I have seen bins worse, if anything. Mr. Hatless; : Do you consider that on Sunday morcirc Le wee responsible for his actions Witness I do not.  Ibe I.oroner : Has Mn. I o•ls veld that he gave say r 1 tion_orhy be gralr!iping away oa Monda) to,roiag  Mr. SolrOn«r  , Th• Coroner, eddrorsing the jury, sail it wee unfortunately evident thnt deceased had Feet drinking heavily. If they thought he pet himmilf into the cansl it man for them tour in, and also as to the state of his mind at the time. if on the other hand they thought he ILOL his etrafh in soy other vrayo r that the evident nen not sufficiently clehr, they must find • verlict toe thst effect.  The jury, after • brief coneultetion, returned • verdict qf Suicide nhillt of unecuud mind."  M. Ilallawai asid he wished to ewes* the deep aymrathy of the Corporation with the widow awl relativi•. Mr. Poerin bed been • eervant of the Corporation for tenet, 3mm .lld dorin 11111 i period he had done his duty cell, apart frcm the occasional Phlch w••Il 61. The 7 wer• extrmely wrrry that he should have net hie end in that terrible rammer.  The Coroner raid he knew he would to voicing the feelings of the jury when he concurred with whet Mr. Ilellaway bed mod. It wee perticulerly sad for the reletiven sod ,heir s3mpraby went out to the wido. sod. to Mr. Sumner.  ''''''''' f the relativea, returned thank, mad pro:tined to octave, the expredaioo of ispopatby to 51ra. Powia.