Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1880-01-17 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE AT HENDON.  An inquest was held by Dr.'Hardwick° on Tuesday, at the Midland Hotel, Hendon, concerning the death of William Sibley, 81 years of age, of Burnt OA, Edgware, whose bodi was found in the Brent River on Saturday morning undei circumstances which at first led to the impression that i murder bad been committed under peculiarly horrible cir cumstances, as it was found the lower part of the abdomet had been cut away. The Jury, however, it will be seen, re turned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide whil4 of unsound mind.—The following h the report of the inquest taken from The Times :  George Sibley, son of the deceased, said he lived ai home with his father, who was a wheelwright. He had been ill since Christmas from gout and rheumatism When the witness awoke on Saturday morning, about half.past eight, he missed his father, but thought that he had gone into another room to lights fire. In hall an hour the witness got up, and then found that lib father was not in the house. The back door was um locked, showing that he had gone out that way, Shortly afterwards Mr. Harris, a neighbour, came in, and told him that his father had been murdered and thrown into the river. The witness went to the "Midland" Hotel, Hendon, and saw the body of his father. On Friday the decased complained of having severe pains In his stomach, When he had the gout he was very low.spirited. David Dangerfield, carrier, of Red Lieneyard, Kilburn, said on Saturday morning he was passing over Silk-bridge, Hendon, in a cart. He noticed a body floating in the river Brent. He procured a rope, threw it round the body, and dragged it to shore. He then noticed that the lower portion of the 13,4 was mutilated. After waiting for some time a police-con. st sble arrived, who took charge of the body. Dr. Andrews, of Hendon, said on Saturday morn• lug, at nine o'clock, he was called to the Silk-bridge, Hendon, and on the bank he saw the body of the deceased. The flannel shirt was cut in four or five places, and upon further examination he found that the lower portion of the abdomen was mutilated, There was an abrasion on the forehead and nose. He had since made a post-mortem examination of the body, assisted by Dr. Bond. The parts which had been cut away were Lanoci on Sunday and shown to him. The in-118 -;:nauceti was shown to him, and he found that there was blood upon it. He believed that the injuries could be produced by such a knife. In his opinisn, loss of blood in the first place and suffocation by drowning in the second caused death. Inspector William Goldsmith, stationed at Emden, said that on Sunday morning he made a search for the mi. sing parts of the body, and by a hedge 76 feet away from the bridge he found a hat and one portion of the body, and about 10 feet further on another portion of the body and the knife prodaccd. A policeman found a third portion of the body 100 ft. away from te bridge. There was some blood stains on the centre of the hriOge. Mary Ann Halsey, a daughter of the dere Iscd, said she saw her father on Ft iday, and did not notice then that he was in a lo ,v and desponding state of mind. During the day she saw him bring an oildone indoors, but she oid Lot know if it was used for sharpening the knife produced, which was similar to some dessert knives which her father had. She did not believe that he committed suicide, as he always said that he had a great horror of such a thing. He was not on bad terms with any one. Thomas Harris, a blacksmith, said the deceased had complained of his head aching so much that it nearly distracted him. A week ago he made use of the ex• pression "that he should be th 3 next to go." Dr, Frederick Earl, of Edgware, said he believed that of late the deceased had been in bad health, aud his mind seemed sffected.  Dr. Thomas Bond, of Westminster Hospital, and police surgeon to the Metropolitan Police, dail he was sent by the Criminal Investigator t hqiire ioto this case, and was present at the exiiminatin inade by Dr. Andrews. He fully agreed with his evidence. He was of opinion that the mutilation was selfinflicted, and that the deceased afterwards walked to the bridge and, clambering over, threw himself into the water. _ _ _  The jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide while of unsound mind,