The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1875-05-15 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE AT KIRKHEATON.  On Wednesday, Mr. W. Barstow, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. .Tames Rhodes was foreman, held an inquest at the Spangled Bull Inn, Kirltheaton, touching the death of William Clegg, aged 5R years, a labourer in the employ of the Kiricheaton Local Board, who committed suicide, on Monday afternoon, by shooting himself.  John William Clegg, presser, said the deceased, with whom he lived, was his father. About ten minutes to eight o'clock on Monday morning witness went out, and left the deceased at home, alone. Lately the deceased had been very strange in his conduct, but had not looked different from usual. He had often said he could not see his way how to get on, but had not been short of food. The pistol produced was not in their house before this occurrence, nor was there any powder or caps there, and witness did not know where the deceased obtained them. About -five or six years ago the deceased cut his throat, and nearly died from the effects of the wound. The deceased had lately complained of pains in his back and head, and he had always been a little strange in his ways. About nine o'clock on Monday night witness returned home, and found the deceased sat in the rocking chair, dead, and his face and shirt front covered with blood. It was dark when witness got indoors, and he shouted out, but the deceased made no answer. He then struck two Weiler matches, and, seeing the condition the deceased was in, fetched his uncle George, and next went to Dalton to fetch his (witness's) brother. George Senior, weaver, Kirkheaton, said the deceased was his wife's brother. Shortly after nine o'clock, on Monday night, the last witness fetched him to go to the deceased's house. He went, struck a light, and saw the deceased was dead. He then called a neigl- The deceased had been rather low-spirited lately, but had been a steady, hard-working man. In reply to questions put by the jury as to whether the deceased had had anything to trouble him lately, the witness said the deceased married his second wife in November, and she left him seven or eight weeks ago; but witness did not know what for. That had troubled the deceased, who had often talked to him about it.  Sally Walker, wife of George Walker, a labourer in the employ of the Local Board, said he lived in a house next but one to that which the deceased and his son had occupied. About 20 minutes past three o'clock on Monday afternoon she saw the deceased alone, in his Sunday clothes, go into his house. That was the last time she saw him alive. She did not hear any shot fired.  A Juror said he heard a crack like a shot being fired, but did not think anything of it at the time. Witness continued that the deceased had not appeared right in his mind lately. He seemed troubled about his wife.  Edward Broadhead, weaver, Newtown, Kirk'neaton, said he assisted to lay out the body of the deceased. The whole of his face, between the forehead and the chin, the right eye, the top jaw and teeth, were all blown away, and could not be found. There was a cat in the house, and when the people kept coming iu the cat would come too, and they had to pat it out several times. He thought the cat might have eaten the parts of flesh blown off the deceased's face. He filled up the hole in the deceased's face with clay. He saw the pistol lying in a pool of blood on the, floor. Witness did not find any shot. Police-constable Johnson took possession of the pistol, and witness then saw the nipple was gone, but could not find it. The Coroner briefly summed up, and then A conversation took place between the jury, from which it seemed the deceased had several times said he could not live, but some money—gold and silver—was found in his house on Monday. He was seen near the shop of Mr. Golden, ironmonger, Cross Church-street, Huddersfield, on Monday, and afterwards by different persons in the fields and on the road homewards, and then he looked very strange. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had committed suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind.