Widnes Examiner. — 1888-10-13 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

SUICIDE OF A SERVANT AT WIDNES.  TOUCHING LETTERS.  About half-past eight on Thursday morning, Mrs. Lea, wife of Mr. J. B. Lea, cab proprietor, Victoriaroad, went upstairs to awake her housekeeper, Elizabeth Cartmel, and to give her a cup of tea as usual. She was alarmed to find that she did not( answer •to her name and that she could not be aroused. Dr. McLennan was sent for, and on his arrival he concluded that the woman was suffering from opium poisoning. He applied the usual remedies, but death occurred about half-past one. Yesterday afternoon Mr. S. Brighouse, held an inquest upon the body in the Parade room at the Police Station. Mr. Gervas was the foreman of the jury.— Mrs. Lea said the deceased was a single woman, 33years of age, and had acted as her housekeeper for about four years. Deceased slept with another servant named Bella Jackson. On Wednesday she called Jackson at seven o'clock, and at that time the deceased was lying on her back with her hand on her breast over her heart. Thedeceased was not strong, and it was usual for her (witness) to take her a cup of tea upstairs. She did so at halfpast eight on Wednesday morning, and deceased , was lying in exactly the same posture as at seven o'clock. She could not arouse her and thought there was something wrong and ran downstairs, and fetched Mr. Lea, who at once sent for Dr. McLennan. The doctor attended to her but she died at half past one. She found the cup produced on the dressing table.—[The Coroner remarked that it smelt like coffee]. There were drugs kept for horses in the kitchen, and the decased bad the run of the house. The bottle labelled "Tikheel " belonged to the deceased, who suffered much from neuralgia. They could only imagine that she had taken some drugs from the kitchen. The following letter was found in the dress the dece'ased had worn on the previous day.— "Oct. 10th 1888. Dear Bella,—l have long beena source of grievance and annoyance to you, but now 'tis all over. When you are reading this my body at least will be free from pain. I have tried hard to fight against this, but I cannot any longer. It would be cruel on my part to make you unhappy any lungei , therefore I now ask your • forgiveness for anythingl may have done or said toyou at. any time. All the world seems against me. I seem to cast a shadow, or rather my presence does,wherever I go. Tell the missus lam sorry but I cannot help it. You will get on better without me and I shall soon be forgotten. Kiss the child for me. I cannot bear to think of leaving the dear little thing. God bless her! I have fought hard against it for her sake, but it is no use, I am heartily tired, and sick of everything. • Goodbye. E. Cartmell."  Mrs. Lee (continuing) said she had no suspicion that the deceased contemplated taking her own life. Some years ago the deceased attempted to throw herself through a window. The child referred elf was hers. (Mrs. Lea's.) The Coroner said the deceased had sent a letter to her father, John Cartmel of 22a Prince Edward-street, Liverpool. This letter concluded as follows : .. . . _ . _ _  "As for myself I am not half well. I feel tired of every thing, and everybody. If anybody looks at me it is enough; there seems to be a terrible weight crushing me down. I can neither eat nor sleep, and I don't want to talk to anyone; but I must now conclude, with kind love to all, father, mother, George, Tom and John, hoping you are all well, and I shall soon be better. I remain your affectionate daughter, Elizabeth Cartmel. God bless you and keep you."  Bella Ja'ckson, a yoluig, woman, said she was servant to Mrs. Lea. The deceased had been very low spirited lately ; and had been awfully miserable since Sunday. She had complained of a pain in her side for along time, and she (witness) told her on Sunday that something else was troubling her, but she could get nothing from her. After tea, or,. Sunday , she saw deceased upstairs, and said "Now Milly, I know you have been crying; tell me what it is 2" The deceased said "No, I won't, I will leave it behind me on paper." On Wednesday night they went to bed together, and slept in the same bed. At seven o'clock, when Mrs. Lea called her, she thought the deceased was lying very comfortably asleep; and she and the children were very quite, because they knew that she did not have much sleep at nights. She did not hear the deceased get up at any part of the night. The deceased had made slight hints at times about taking her life, but she had been so merry over it, that witness had treated her words as jokes. Tilley had had bits of quarrels, but not lately. Thilt deceased was particularly happy with the family, but she was so shorttempered and low-spirited.—A juryman: Had she any love affair on P—Witness : No, I don't think she had : I think I should have known about it •  Dr. McLennan described the steps he took to revive the deceased. From the tests he had applied, he had no doubt that she died through an overdose of laudanum. The jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst temporarily insane by taking an overdose of laudanum.