The Northern Daily Times. — 1857-01-22 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER IN BIRMINGHAM.  For the past two or three years, Frederick Keatley, aged about 50, his wife nearly 20 years younger than himself, and their son, new 13 years old, have resided in Hill street, three doors below the Grapes public house, Birmingham. Keatley was formerly a sign writer, painter, and glazier, but from illness and other Causes relinquished his trade, and set up a small grocer's and huckster's shop at his dwelling place in the street named. About twelve menthe back he was visited with that calamity, generally known by the name of a " stroke," which deprived him of speech. By the adv!ce of some friends in London he went thither, obtained admittance to one of the metropolitan hospitals,' and partially recovered from his indisposition, He returned home a month ago, and though hs had regained his speech, it was evident that his mind was affected. Previous to his journey he had conducted himself somewhat eccentrically; and, moved by jealousy, had repeatedly quarrelled with his wife. On his return ho continued to ill treat his wife, and her life appeared to be daily in danger from his violence. On Friday and Saturday he behaved ,like a madman, and on Monday was, if possible, still more outrageous. For some days he had declared his intentio❑ of going over to see some of his friends at Worcester; on Monday, and Mrs. Keatley had prepared him clean articles of apparel to take with him, but when the time approached for him to start, he deferred his journey until the following day (Tuesday). He retired to beti with his wife at ten o'clock, and nothing more was heard of him until Tuesday morning at eight o'clock, when bis wife ran into the yard, habited only in her night clothes, her head and face streaming with blood, screaming" Murder." The poor woman applied for refuge at the first neighbour's house, hut admittance was refused her. A kind hearted woman (Mrs. Lawden), hastened to her aid, took her into her dwelling, stopped, as well as she could, the blood which was copiously flowing from severe wounds on her 'kull and land, and ascertained from her that the injuries had been inflicted by her husband. Mrs. Lawden had, during the preceding night, dreamt that Keatley had cut his throat, and after hastily attending to the bleeding woman, she hinted that he who had committed the outrage, might have killed himself.- In company with a man she proceeded to Keatley's bedroom, where she saw him lying on the floor on his face, surrounded by a pool of blood, She laid hold of the unfortunate suicide, and asked him whether he could speak. He answered, "Yes." She turned him over, saw the blade of a carving knife in a wound in his throat, removed it therefrom and flora his left hand, which still firmly clutched the haft. She then asked him whether she should raise his head ? Ho answered "Ah " She did so, and in order to stop the blood which gushed out of two wounds in his neck, she compressed them as well as she could with her fingers until a surgeon arrived. Mr. Oliver Pemberton promptly attended, bnt before his arrival Keatley had ceased to exist. Mr. Pemberton applied proper remedies to Mrs. Koatley's injuries, and she will, it is hoped, recover. The account given of the tragical affair by the widow is, that she got out of bed shortly before eight o'clock ; her husband was then drunk, and she enquired from him whether he would have his breakfast in bed or get up for it. He told her he would get up, and immediately afterwards while she was engaged in putting on her stockings, he struck her a blow with a poker on the bead. She put up her hand to ward off another blow, and received a cut thereon from a second onslaught. Before he could lay hold of her, she ran out of the room into the yard.