Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1883-07-21 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

TERRIBLE RESULTS OF DRINK.  The Sheffield coroner on Tuesday held an inquest on the body of a woman named Ann Jenkinson, the wife of a joiner, who had committed suicide after having previomily attempted to take away the life of one of her children. , The evidence given showed a most lamentable state of things, all arising from the drinking habits of the deceased. Her husband has been a steady and industrious man, but & large portion of his weekly earnings were disposed of by her in the purchase of liquor. She had been addicted to drink for eight years, and to satisfy her craving for alcohol bad pawned articles of clothing, furniture, and even some of his tools. Their home had been three times broken up, and on several occasions when intoxicated she had threatened stroy herself. On Saturday afternoon to dehe gave her a sovereign to buy home necessaries, but in the evening she was intoxicated, having spent 7s of the money in drink. He went to bed at eight o'clock, leaving her in the kitchen with the two eldest children. At eleven he took the baby down to her, and returned to bed. She then attempted to poison the infant with copperas, but failing in that, endeavoured to hang the child by some rags tied together. She did not succeed in this, but afterwards cut her own throat fatally. On the following morning a letter, addressed to her husband, and written by her on the previous afternoon, was found on the dresser. In it she spoke of soon being dead, and asked for his forgiveness. No less than 150 pawn-tickets were discovered by him in the 'house. A verdict of " Suicide whilst temporarily insane" was returned.  DAMAGE TO PROPERTY BY  MINING OPERATIONS IN SOUTH DUR HAM .-DAMAGES £l,lOO.  At Durham Assises on Wednesday—before Mr Justice Cave. in the Niai Prins Court—an action ' was brought by Robert Stevenson Fell, draper, Crook, against Messrs Wooler, Chapman, and Co. for damages caused by the mining operations of the latter Company under the house, buildings, and property of the plaintiffs, in the district of Crook. Mr Wachly, Q.C., M.P., and Mr lildge (retained by Mr John Proud) were for the plaintiff; and Mr A. C. Bruce and Mr Luck (instructed by Mr W. R. Wooler) were for the defendants.—Mr Waddy explained that his client had bought some property above the mine from the Rev. T. W. Wilkinson, and built in 1871 a substantial house upon it with some outbuildings. In 1878 Mr Geo. Hutton Wilkinson leased to Mr Wooler the mine, which came actually under his client's property. The defendants claimed that they obtained from the trustees of Mr Wilkinson the right of working the whole harrier of coal that was left nn worked by Messrs Bolckow, Vaughan, and Co., who previously held the mine. From 1871 to 1878 the house of Mr Fell was standing comfortable and safe; but in 1882, in the middle of April, and after the defendants had been working the mine, his client found one morning that there were cracks appearing in the walls of the buildings, and soon after he noticed the same more in the coach road up to the house. These were followed by similar cracks nearer the house until the 10th of May, when be observed that right along the road in front of the house there was a long crack about five inches wide, and that the walls of the house were affected in the same manner.— Thomas Hughes, colliery foreman, and George Woodall, miner, gave evidence as to working under plaintiff's property whilst employed on the Cold Knott Colliery. Mr Wm. Lishman, mining engineer, of Witton-le-Wear, from an examination of the place, thought the sinking could not be due to the escape of the water from the mine.—Messrs W. V. Thompson (Bishop Auckland), J. G. Gradon jour. (Durham), ana J. Braithwaite (Bishop Auckland) valued the present and prospective damage at from £1,385 to £1,462.-1, or the defence, Mr Bruce alleged that plaintiff knew of the existence of the mine beneath when he bought the property.—Messrs G. Marshall (Darlington), J. P. Pritchett tDarlington), W. Curry (Darlington), and It. Sanders-,n iDurham) calculated the actual damage at from £202 lOs to £2.57 10s.—His lordship having summed up. the jury, after two , hours' retirement, found for plaintiff for £l,lOO , damages.