Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1886-03-20 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A PRISONER AT WHITBY.  IA PAINFUL INCIDENT.I, On Tuesday afternoon the Whitby Megmtrates assembled to adjudicate an several petty eases 'which were down for hearing. The principal calm was that in which Mr William Douthwaite, au innkeeper, aedi who for many years carried on a lucrative basinees as a. baker and confectioner, was concerned as 1 defendant. He had been apprehended on Saturday on a charge of having received a quantity of bacon from the Angel Hotel, knowing the 681Y10 to have been stolen. It was not intended to go into the case on Tuesday, the police intending only to make such statements am would produce formal evidence sufficient to justify the Magistrates in granting a remand. Naturally under the circumstances Douthwaite's was the , fleet bush:less in hand, and the Magistrates and officials being all ready, the stentorian voice of Inspector Rains called out, " Dontliwaite I" There was no answer. " Douthwaite l" cried out again the Inspector, but there was still no answer. The Inspector went down the trap-way from the Court, crying out in a way that could be distinctly beard throughout the Court, "Douthwaite , Douthwaite I' But still Douthwaite was sileut, 1 and for a sufficient reason —the man was dead This ominous news was communicated by Superintendent Ryder to the Magistrates and others assembled on business (the _public had not yet been admitted), and naturally produced some consternation. Dr. English, who was presiding on the Bench, immediately leaped from his seat and hurried down into the regions below, but there the body was stiffened in death, though yet warm. An examination of the , body by Dr. English revealed the fact which up to that time was only known to one or two namely, that the unfortunate man had come to his death by his own hand. The circumstances attending the rash act abundantly demonstrate that it was brought about in the most determined if not deliberate manner. At first it was seemed that in the temporary absence of the police he had hastily whipped out his handkerchief or neckcloth and fastened it round his throat and hung himself, but it would appear that in addition to this he had unloosed the string of one of his boots and tied it in a noose round hie neck, the shoe lace being attached to the handkerchief. The latter was fastened to a pipe at the top of the watercloset. Douthwaite had sprung from the seat, and the thin string round his neck tightening by the weight of his body most effectually and quickly brought life to an end. A dense crowd of persons were standing , outside the Court-house waiting impatiently to gain admittance to hear the preliminary trial of a case which had excited a great amount of interest in the town, not only from the peculiar nature of the crime of which Douthwaite was accused, but also from the circumstances associated with his social position in the locality. The consternation of the crowd was great when the tragic news was communicated to them by , the reporters, and when the whole was realised by them widespread excitement prevailed. Among the crowd was a daughter of the dead man, and when she heard the awful news she became sick and paralysed.—On Wednesday Mr George Buchannan, Coroner, held an inquest ,1 on the body. The facts given on oath were similar to those which are stated above. In addition evidence was given to the effect that deceased had been low-spirited during the last few months, and that he had been wild in 1 his talk. It was also stated that two aunts of the deceased had been mentally affected, and had to be placed under restraint. Under these circumetances the jury, of whom Mr R. T. Gaskin was the foreman, had no hesitation in coming to the conolusion that deceased committed suicide while in an unsound state of mind.