The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1896-01-04 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

INQUEST AND VERDICT. On Thursday morning an inquest was held by the Liverpool city coroner. Mr. C. H. Wright (Ayrton, Radcliffe and Wright) appwired for the relatives of the deceased, and Mr. Dun (Gill, Archer, Maples and Dun) for the Mersey Railway Company. William Ridehalgh, stockbroker, Queen's Insurance-buildings, said he had known tne deceased gentleman for about 15 years. He produced copy of a notice read out by the chairman of the Stock Exchange at 1-30 on the 31st of December declaring deceased to be a defaulter. Witness saw deceased several times on the morning of the 31st before he was posted, and he appeared to be faicly cheerful. He gave no indication that anything was likely to occur to him, though he no doubt knew that he was going to be pasted. As far as witness knew deceased failed through misfortune, and there was nothing to cause him to think that deceased shirked inquiry. Witness had seen and identified the body at the Prince's Dock Mortuary. Thomas Herbert Fish said that deceased was his babes He Was 51 years of age, and a healthy, steady man. Witness was a clerk in deceased's office. Deceased was at business on the 31st Dececiber, and left the Aloe at 11 am.. without saying where he was going. There was nothing in his manner to suggest that he was likely to do anything to himself. He was, under the circumstances, as cheerful as could he  expected. Enoch Jones, platelayer, it* the employ of the Mersey Railway Co., deposed to having, about 3-30 o'clock on the morning of let inst.. found the bode of the demised in the tunnel, some 450 vards Item Jamaestreet station, in the direction of Birkenhead. Be found certain marks on the wall close by, but had formed no opinion about them.  A porter named Campbell spoke to assisting the last witness in removing the body from the tunnel. Duncan Campbell, a clerk in the looking office in the subway to the Mersey Tunnel, was called and he was shown the ticket found in dedeaaed's pocket. He could only say that it was issued some time between nine a.m. and one p.m. on Tuesday. Police-constable 147 A said he was on duty in Water-street on the morning of the let instant, when it was reported to him that the body of a man had been found in the tunnel. He procured a stretcher, and with the assistant* of Police-constihle 104 A had the man removed to the Prince's Dock Mortuary. On the body was found £9 168.10 d. in rein, and notes to the value of £135, besides his gold watch and chain. The watch WM going. .  The Coroner -dre; attention to one of deceased's cards found on the body, on which were written very illegibly the words, "To my dear Carrie (his wife s name) and bairns, they hindered me most." It lo.ked, the Coroner said, KR though the card was addressed to the wife and children. The letters he had looked at all related to business matters, showing money transactions, and th".t he was in a state of needing money in Iris business. That was also evidente I by the fact that he had been or was about to be declared a defaulter. There was a suggestion that the marks on the wall might have been caused I,y the decamped falling out of a train. That was merely a surmise. There was no evidence of how lie got on the rails, or to show, unless there was something in the card referred to, that he had intended to oommit suicide. In the absence of evidence he was of opinion that the jury should return an open verdict. Mx. Wright: I beg ycti tocall the attention of the jury to the fact that he had a large sum of money on him, which he would not le likely to carry if be contemplated suicide. The Coroner: Of course he was carrying the money. It would he reasonable to think that he would not have carried all that money in his pocket if lie were about to do away with himself The Foreman of the Jury: We should like to know if any servant of the company had any chance of knowing that the man was on the line for any length of time. . . .  .... The Cortmer.—Alth nigh he may have got his ticket early he may not have gone by the train. He may have gone somewhere else, and returned to the 'dation at a late hour at night. The Foreman.—NYas the carriage door found open at Hamilton-square? Mr. Dun said that even if th., door had been opened it would have been closed by the motion of the train and the draught in the tunnel. Continuing, he said : there has been no report of an open door. The permanent way inspector, who in here tells me that be searched for deceased's hat and could not find it.  The Coronor.—lt may have gone on in the earn-and may have been picked up by a pataenger. The jury returned an open verdict.