The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1886-01-16 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE INQUEST.  The inquest was held on Wednesday afternoon, before Mr. H. Choi-ton, borough coroner, at the Victoria Hotel, Cleveland-street. John Edwards, smith, residing at 181, Market-street, stated that the deceased had lodged with him for about three and a half years, during which time he had been in the employ of the omnibus company. He saw him last alive about twenty minutes to eight o'clock on Tuesday morning, when he was in his usual health. . .  Sara Lee, a prepossessing girl of 21 years of age, who resides with her mother at 10, Austin-street, deposed that she was engaged to be married to the deceased. She had known the deceased for a year and four months, They were to have been married on Tuesday at half-past ten o'clock from her mother's house. She last saw the deceased alive on Tuesday morning. She left his lodgings along with him at twenty minutes to nine o'clock to purchase the wedding ring. They went into Wynn's public-house, where the deceased had some rum and vuilk. After leaving there the .ieceased said he had left his pocket book at his lodgings. She saw him go into the house, and shortly after he came out and immediately walked off in the direction of Pricestreet. She did not see him alive after that. The deceased was a sober, steady man, an she had been engaged to him for the last si months. Ho had been uniformly kind to her She never heard him threaten to take his life, and never expected that he would do so. Thomss Devine, cabdriver, residing at 1, Grange-place, deposed that the last time h saw the deceased alive was at half-past twelv . o'clock on Wednesday morning. He was the coming out of Evans's stable•yard at Wood side. Deceased, who was sober, asked hir for a match, and also asked him for the key o the stable. He said it was rather cold weathe to be for two or three hours on the 'bus, an he wanted to have a few hours' rest in th stable. He had not got the key of his lodgingE with him, he said, and did not wish to disturb the people with whom he lodged. Witness went with him to the stable and made room for him to lie down and sleep. There seemed nothing unusual about his manner, and he lit his pipe and bade witness "Good night." Witness saw nothing more of deceased till he saw his body at the deadhouse. Witness did not know of the dirs.sed having slept in the  stable on any previous occasion. John Perkin, cab-driver,l6, Wilkinson-street, bad not seen the deceased alive since Monday morning. Between a quarter and twenty minutes to six o'clock on Wednesday morning witness attempted to get into one of Evaus's stables' but had trouble in doing so, even though the door was unlocked, as a broom had been wedged against it to keep it closed. He ultimately succeeded in entering, and was horrified to find the body of the deceased suspended from a ladder which had been used to go up to the hayloft. A stout cord with a running noose was around the deceased's neck. He was quite dead, and witness went for a policeman. When the body was cut down it was quite cold and stiff, and life appeared to have been extinct two or three hours. The deceased had apparently mounted a bale of turf which stood near the ladder, and after adjusting the cord had swung himself off. P.C. Willoughby stated that he searched the body of the deceased, but found nothing. to throw any light on the cause of his rash act. The only writing in his pocket book was his own name and address, and those of his father, Richard Powell, 10, Ash-street, off Elope-street, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. This being all the evidence, , The Coroner said he thought the jury would agree with him that this was one of the most extraotdinary cases of suicide they had ever had to deal with. He had had a long expatience in such matters, and he was convinced that this was one of the most unaccountable, and apparently the most cruel cases of suicide he ever remembered having taken place in the county. When he said cruel, he meant cruel towards the girl to whom the deceased had been attached for a considerable length of time. The banns had been published, and every preparation had been made for the marriage ceremony to be performed. Ile then reviewed the evidence at considerable length, and went on to say that the deceased bad evidently made up his mind to commit suicide. There could be no doubt about that, for he had so blocked and fastened the door of the stable after entering it that it was a work of considerable difficulty to effect an entrance. With regard /to the state of the deceased's mind at the time he committed suicide the evidence was very unsatisfactory, as it could not be said he was suffering from delirium tremens, or that he was irresponsible for any of his acts. He had shown himself to be very sensible from the time he left the young woman with whom he was keeping company up to his entering the stable. He gave a satisfactory reason for entering the stable, and he was perfectly sober and perfectly rational so far as they were able to judge. Therefore, under those circumstances, he could not exactly understand what possible reason could have induced the deceased to commit that dreadful act of self-murder. It was impossible to account for it, as he had no evidence whatever to prove the smallest amount of insanity on the part of the deceased. Therefore, with the approbation of the jury, he would suggest that the verdict be that this unfortunate man committed suicide; but the evidence was not sufficient to induce the jury to believe that the deceased was suffering from temporary insanity. A Juror: That means fele de 80. The Coroner: Oh dear no. It is a verdict frequently returned where there is no evidence to prove insanity. The jury then gave the following verdict : "Thomas Powell committed suicide; but the evidence is insufficient to prove what the state of the deceased's mind was at the time the said suicide Nes committed."