The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1883-09-28 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE FROM THE BOURNE MOUTH PIER.  Oa Friday. at a special petty session, held in the board- 1, room of the Town Hall, Banrnemouth, before Mr. R. ' Stephens, James George Beech was brought up on rumand charged with belling attempted to commit : suicide on Monday, the 17th inst. The prisoner resided in Oxford-road, B mrnemoutb, with his wife, but has since 13imn reduced to a state of groat deprivation.— Gorge Barrow. boatman, stated that on Monday afternoon about half-past two he went to the steps of the landing stage to take three ladies and a gentleman into his boat. Just as the ladies were about to step in, he saw the prisoner deliberately jump from the upp3r duck of the pier into the sea. Witness saw another man with a boat nearer to him, and called out to him to rescue the man. Ile succeeded in doing so.—jeeeph Heckford, another boatman, said he saw the prisoner jump or fall from the upper deck of the pier, about ten yards from the landing stage. Witness was standing on the be tch at the time. H 3 rushed into the water, and as he was approiching the man he saw a man named Mundy coming through from the other side of the pier. Witness called out to Mundy, and the latter pulled the prisoner into the boat. Witness afterwards took him in his arms, c trried him ashore, and laid him on the sands. Witness raked prisoner "whether he had bad a fit "and he repiLd "no fit at all, I did it intentionally." Witness afterwards took him up to ens of the boa's, and prisoner then said : "I sheet() like to see a policeman; I want to be taken care of" Witness said to him: "I think a drop of brandy would de you more good than a peliceman just now," and sent fir some, which prisoner drank. Afterwards, he said that if a policeman was not sent fur he should go and do it ag.in. He had not had anything to eat (tie aided) for four days. and he had been turned out of his 13d:tinge that morning by his landlady, who bad be n very unkind to him. Witness then took him te the cabmen's shelter, and o.dered some coffee and bread and meat for him. He then again asked him if he wanted to see a policeman, and as he still said he did he handed him over to P.S. Ayres, wnenn he met just oteiside.—By the prisoner : lie on glib have said that he had had no "meat" for friar days; hut ho under stood him to Bay " nothing to eat."--Sergt. Ayres stated that immediately he went to the calernen'a shelter prisoner handed him a paper, containing the following ; " Mrs. J. G. Beech, 9, Burfield-street, Hammersmith : My dear wife's address. Through starvation and the persucution of my landlady I have committed suicide." Witness told him it was a very serious offence, and took him into custody. After allowing him to finish his food (es be appeared to be in an exhausted state), he called a cab, and took him to the police-station. On the way be said he had had no food it r two days. Subsequently at the police-station Md. in money was found on him also an unsettled bill from his landlady for Os. Eid. Prisoner  stated that he had a shilling given him in the morning, and that liii 141 was the change out of it. —On being formally charged, and asked if he hod any statement to make, the prisoner at first said that he had. Immediately afterwards (on becoming aware that he would be committed to the sessions) he got very excited, declared that it was a gross cruelty, that he was half starved, and that he had only ilia in the world and his wife nothing to take her home, and that it was " barbarous treatment." At this point he sat down, violently ; and then. turning to his wife (who was seated behind), become still more excited than before, and—pointing to her—asked "what was ti become of her—who was to support her—she hadn't got a farthing even to take her hack.' lairupting his head in his hands. he continued, in a rapid and excited manner to condemn the " cruelty' of the course about to be adopted, and having agate declared it barbarous." exclaimed " Would to God that all such magistrates were swept off the bench 1" Two policemen then supportet the prisoner out of court.—He asked that he might be allowed to kiss his wife, but was informed that he would be allowed to see her at the police-station.