The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1869-01-16 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

TUE CASE OF ATTEMPTS]) SUICIDE. Harrison Walker, an elderly man in the employ of the Furness Railway Company as tester and greaser of wheels, who attempted to commit suicide last week as stated in the Herald, was placed in the dock charged with the offence. The two principal witnesses were a young woman named Alice Walker, neice of the prisoner, who keeps his house, and a little boy, his son. Both of them were much affected whilst giving their evidence, and there appeared ou the part of the poor girl a struggle between the wish to tell the whole truth and a desire not to criminate her relative.  Alice Walker saidl-T keep the house of Walker, who is my uncle. He came into the house last Thursday night between five and six o'clock. He had got a little drink in him. He began to quarrel with me; he got hold of my throat and began to squeeze it. He did not say anything, but jumpedup whilst getting his tea and seized me by the throat. He held me two or three minutes, and I screamed. The neighbours then came to the door, and when he opened it I ran out. I went into Mrs. Wilson's house and he followed me. He wished ma to go back home, but I would not do so. He never did anything to me before, but he had said many times that he would cut his throat. He has been drinking lately. I did not go home again because I was afraid. [Witness was hero pressed to reveal something ho had said and which she was evidently desirous to leave untold.] He said that night that he would either take his own life or mine. It was immediately after he said that that he seized me by the throat. I struggled with him and I screamed. He had nothing in his hand. I did not go back again that night. He barred the yard door when ho came in a little before six o'clock.  John Walker, son of the prisoner, a lad twelve years of age, said—l was in the house on Thursday night last when my fat* came home. While he was getting his tea he said he would either cut my cousin Alice's throat or his own. He then got up and took hold of her throat. She tumbled down on the floor and screamed, on which some people came to the door. He said he "had her now" when she was down. When tho neighbours came and knocked at the door my father left loose of her and went to the front door and opened it. Alice then ran out. Tho people did not come into the house, but stood beside the door. My father went out after Alice. and stopped out about a quarter of an hour. Before he went out he told me to go to bed and take tho two little children, and I did so. He came in soon afterwards, and came to bed to me. He had had a "sup" of beer. After a bit ho told me to tell Alice to come in or else she would never see him alive again. I got up and went to Mrs. Wilson's and told Alice, but she would not come with me. I went back and called up the stairs that she would not come, and he then told me to come up to bed. I went up, and then I saw his throat bleeding, and I ran down stairs frightened, tumbling as I went down. He had his head on a box, and his body was on the bed. I went and told Mrs. Wilson, and the police came soon afterwards. P.C. Forbes was next sworn and said—ln consequence of information I received I went to prisoner's house about a quarter-past eight on Thursday night. There was a lot of women at the door crying. I asked if anyone had been upstairs, and they said there had not. I got a candle and ran up stairs, and found the prisoner lying on the bed with his head about a foot from the bedside. Blood was running from a wound on the right side of his neck. I turned bitu upon his back, and tried to staunch the wound, and immediately afterwards Dr. Allison came upstairs, put his hand on the wound, and stopped the bleeding. There was a quantity of clotted blood on the floor. We found the pocket-knife produced lying on a box close by the bud. The knife was all bloody, and the blood was not dry. I remained with Dr. Allison, and afterwards, with the assistance of other two constables, c irried the man to St. George's HospitaL Dr. Allison was next examined, and deposed as follows :—On Thursday night last I was called by a constable, and went to the house of prisoner. I went up stairs and found the man on the bed, with his head on a largo box. I examined hhn and found an incised wound on the right side of the neck, about three-quarters of an inch wide. and from an inch to an inch and a half deep. I saw from the large quantity of blood upon the floor that he must have opened some largo vessel, and I found that he had cut the face of the jugular vein. I put pressure upon the vein and got the bleeding stopped, and then bound something round his neck and had him conveyed to the hospital. He was not sensible, and was thoroughly exhausted. He had a sort of fit when I put him back into the bed. His right arm was strapped down to his side. He suffers from a dislocation of the shoulder, and it is his custom to have it strapped down at night to keep it in its place. The wound must therefore have been inflicted with the left hand. It would require much force to inflict the wound. The knife now produced would be likely. to produce the wound. I found the knife lying on the box by the bed. The wound is healing very nicely, but the man is not quite out of danger yet. If inflammation were to set in ho would not be safe.  -- --By the Bench: I have known the man for years. When he is free from drink he is perfectly sensible, but when he gets drink he is quite furious. Ile has no mental disease on him. The prisoner, who had nothing to say in answer to the charge, was then formally committed for trial at the next Lancaster assizes.  lILVERSTON.—