Widnes Examiner. — 1883-02-17 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

SUPPOSED SUICIDE AT ST. HELENS. On Wednesday afternoon an irquest was held at the " Fingerpost " public-Louse, Pair, before Mr. Barker, coroner, touching the death of a man named Samuel Cook, who was drowned in the canal on Monday.—Sarah Cook, the widow of the deceased, said her husbard was 52 years of age, and had lived at 8, Baxter-street, Parr. On Monday Afternoon be left home about half-past two in the afternoon, saying that he would be back about rive, but she did not see him again till he was brought back dead. When he left 'home he was perfectly sober, having only had one pint of beer. There had been nothing to trouble him at home and they had always lived comfortably together. He had never attempted his own life.—Mrs. Ellen irook said she lived on the canal bank east, near the ship Inn. She had not known the deceased before his death not even by sight, but on Monday evening, between half-past six and seven o'clock, she saw him standing on the canal bink, between the rails and the water His back was to the water and he had hold of the rails with his bands. This was just in front of the Ship Inn, the landlord of which just came out at the moment she was looking at deceased, and spoke to her about the markets. She turned for a moment or two towards the landlord, and on looking round again saw the el2ceased was missing. She ran to the canal edge and there saw hi:n floating on the water face down; and she at once gave an alarm, and ran into her house for a clothes prop. On coming out again she sSw that some people had got a ladder, and were trying to save the drowning man by means of it, but he never made any attempt to lay hold of it. The people round abut told her that it was only a black dog that was in the ivater, and it. hurt her feelings very mach when they said it. Ultimately deceased was got out by means of grappling irons, but be was quite dead. He had been in the water about half an hour, but she could not say that he might have been got out sooner if more strenuous efforts had been made. Her own opinion was that deceased had committed suicide, because be seemed to have gone deliberately into the water without naking any splash. On being questioned, witness said she bad first seen deceased come from the Ship Inn door and go across towards the canal as if he were drunk, and then he must have gone through under the rails. He did not struggle in the water, or seem to make any effort to save himself.—Henry Fisher, who lives in Raven-street, spoke to having- heard, on Monday evening, some children say that a man was in the - "cut." He went there, and saw deceased in the water and assisted to drag him out.—Mr. Cooks, who was recalled, said her husband had been in the habit of sometimes taking a good Ceal of drink, but she had never seen him very much the worse of it.—The Coroner, in summing up, said the jury would have to decide whether in their opinion the death had been accidental or it had been a suicide. The evidence rather pointed to a suicide, as the man must have got through under the railings, but on the oth..r hand there seemed to be ne motive for his committing suicide.—Some conversation then ensued amongst the jurymen, in the course of which one of them gave it as his opinion that it was scarcely possible for a man to sink if he was well filled with whiskey. a statement which caused some amusement. The same juryman also held that the saying that a drowning man would catch at a straw was fallacy, as he had on two or three occasions put a staff into the hands of dros%ning Persona who would not lay hold cf it. A fellow-juryman. however, pointed out that there was a difference between a staff and a straw. Ultimately a verdict that deceased had committed suicide, but that there was no evidence to show in what state of mind he had been, was come to.  CoAGULINE —Cement ter Breken Articles' 6d, Is 2s; postage. Id. Bold everywhere. Kay Bros, Stockport.—.Adet. GOOD TIi3fPLARS'