Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1879-08-30 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DISTRESSING SUICIDE AT MIDDLESBROUGH.  On Tuesday night an inquest was held the Shakespeare Hotel, Lintliorpe-road, Middlesbrough, on the body of Margaret Caroline Smith, wife of Mr Wm. Smith, innkeeper who had committed suicide on the prethous' night.—William Smith, innkeeper, said: The deceased was my wife, and wa.s 39 years of age. She had been unwell for some time, but not very low-spirited. She went about her work on Monday as usual. She did not go ont. About 7.30 I asked her to go down into the roller and help me to tilt a cask. She did so, and when it was done she came away. I left the cellar about a quarter of an to after. During the night i was waiting in the house. She usually waited in the bar. mv niece told me that Mrs Smith had gone uj;stairs. That would be about eight o'clock. Half-an hour after I went to look for her, and could see nothing of her in the rooms up stairs. I came down stairs again, and O'er awhile I went up to the attic to look for her. It was a very rare thing for her to go out of the house. When I went into the attic I did not find her. I also looked into the cock. loft between the joists and the roof, but did not notice anything there. As I could not find her, I thought she had gone to my brother Ramsey's in Newport-road, and I rested content till after closing time (eleven o'clock), I and my niece went there to seek her. We found that she had not been there, nor at Mr Bruce's Queen Hotel. We returned home with my brother and his wife. We then made a thorough search, and went up to the attic again. I pulled the door open, ant my brother went in and found her lying there. She was not in the habit of taking drink, except a glass of beer to her dinner. I had heard her say once or twice that she wished she was in heaven. She was usually healthy. I don't know of anything lately to put her about. She tretted herself about little things.  cellar  Sergeant Raisbeck said: I was called at twelve o'clock by a man named fhomas Gowen. I went up to the attic along with Mr Ramsey Smith. I saw the body in the cock-loft, between the joists and the slates. Her feet were near the door. She was lying on her side, with her Lead resting on one joist. She was lying in a pool of 1,10,3 d. She was dead and cold. The knife (produced) was lying about eighteen inches frcm her hand. It was stained with blood. We let her lie till the doctor had examined her. I did not smell any drink from her. Dr. G. Walker said: I have attended the deceased on three or four occasions during seven years, the last time about a year ago, when she was then suffering from icdigestion and nervous dejection. She got better of that, and I did frit sae her again till I called about three weeks ago to attend the servant. She seemed at that time very cheerful. She had not to my knowledge been addicted to taking drink. I was called this morning about half-past twelve. I was shown to the spot. I examined her. She was lying on her left side; her left hand was smeared with blood; herbody was drawn up. With the assistance of Sergeant Raisbeck I turned her on to ber,baok, and found a wound on the left .side of the neck directly over the position of the main blood vessel. The wound was about an inch and a quarter long, and about half an inch wide at its widest point. On the lower side of it there were five or six cuts through the skin as if the knife had b: in taken and tried before the wound was made. In the lowest part of the wound I could put in my finger up to the knuckle; the rest of the wound was not so deep. It seemed as if the knife had been found too blunt to cut, and a stab had been made. I don't think she was a woman of weak mind, but one of irritable and fretful spirit. From the position of the body and of the wound I came to the conclusion that the wound had been self-inflicted, and with the right hand. Mr Smith (re-called) said the pocket knife was used by him to cut his corns._  The deo.4.sa9ed's niece said she did not notice anything strange about her on Monday, except that she sighed a little. After being in the cellar the deceased went up stairs. As she did not come down witness called for her, but received no answer. The deceased and her husband lived happily together, and they had no words on Monday. The jury returned a verdict that deceased destroyed her life by cutting her own throat, but there was not sufficient evidence to show what was the state of her mind.