Widnes Examiner. — 1907-11-02 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

OFFICALS' SUICIDE.  SERIOUS IRREGULARITIES IN ACCOUNTS. London, Thursday. An inquest on the body of Harold Peel Brierley, who was found dead in a lavatory compartment of a London and North-Western Railway train at Euston yesterday, was held by Deputy Coroner Shroederat the St. Pancras Coroner's Court to-day, Mr. E. Aubrey White,solicitor of Warrington,appeared to reprcsent the relatives, and the Borough Surveyor was also pre3ent. Evidence of identification was given by deceased's brother, Mr. Stanley Bryan Brierley, a designer and traveller in the cabinet trade. Deceased, he said, was confidential clerk to the Borough Surveyor of Warrington. He was 30 years old and married, living with his wife at Rose Cottage, Stretton, near Warrington. The Coroner : She is not here ?—No. Did she know of the inquest ?—Yes. Witness continued that his brother had been in his late position rather more than eight years. He was not a qualified surveyor. Witness last saw his brother alive last Thursday evening. He appeared well then. The Coroner: Was he a sober man ?—Yes. Temperate in all his habits.—Quite. Did he confide to you that he had any trouble ?—No. Following upon that have you received any communication from him ?—No. Have you seen his wife since ?—Yes. And has she received any communication from him ? No.  _ You feel quite satisfied if she had she would have informed you of the fact ?—I am certain of it. Witness said he next heard of him on Tuesday when he heard he was missing from Warrington. Was any cause assigned ?-1 only heard the rumour that he was in trouble. What was the nature of the trouble ?—Money. Since his absence have you 'found that the rumour has any foundation ?—I am afraid it has. Do you know it ?—I don't know it authoritatively. Have you any reason to doubt it ?—No. Have you heard him threaten to take his life ? Never. George Richardson, one of the railway company's coach makers spoke to being sent to the "train to open the lavatory compartment door, which was bolted, early on Wednesday morning but before he could do so he saw the body of a man lying on the floor. Assistance was obtained and the body removed. Arthur Plagg foreman of the carriage department got through the wiudow to the deceased, and found beside him the usnal drinking glass with some white sediment in it. The man was quite dead. Ernest Savage, a train searcher, said the particular carriage in which deceased was in arrived at 4.20 on Tuesday afternoon. He could not be quite sure whether or not he searched this particular compartment. He certainly did not look in this compartment which was -known as a "dummy." It would become a " dummy "from Rugby to London. You cannot tell me then whether the deceased was in the carriage or not when the train arrived ?—I cannot. George William Peacock, a shunter, explained that " dummy " meant the t•vo compartments nearest the engine. From Warrington to Rugby there would have been carriages in front of this one. Robert Hurt, the guard of the train from Carlisle could not recognise deceased as having boarded the train at Warrington, though he could have entered the compartment in which he was found then, as it was not a "dummy "until it reached Rugby. Foreman ticket-collector Riff, at Willesden did not hear nor see anyone in the compartment. Deceased had on him a ticket for Warrington to Euston. , Dr. Maughat, who was called to the siding on which the train had been shunted on Wednesday morning, said deceased was lying face downwards against the door. His head was jammed down on to his chest. He had been dead 13 or 20 hours and an odour of the oil of bitter almonds was noticeable. Out of his pocket the policesergeant who was with the doctor took a blue bottle in which were still about five drops. The label was that of a Warr'ngton chemist, ani was marked "poison." The cause of death was prussic acid poisoning, of which far more than a minimum fatal dose of 45 drops had been taken. Mr. E.Aubrey White (who represented the relatives) went into the box and said he had not been consulted lately. He also produced the bottle of the chemist, Ili. Ashton, of Sankey-street, Warrington, in which the poison was obtained was stated to be " dog-poisoning." Police-Sergeant Sharkall said he found on deceased among other things £l3 in gold and a cheque book. The Borough Surveyor of Warrington, Mr. Thomas Longdin was also called. Deceased had been with him nearly nine years, he said, and during that time had given every satisfaction. Up till last Tuesday morning he had done his work promptly. Witness saw him in the office then, and it was his opinion that he had left immediately after. Due of his duties was to enter up from the yard book all accounts for work done for the various committees and priva,e individuals into the Borough Surveyor's cash book. No suspicion was aroused until last week, when certain irregularities were found. It is evident that he must have had something on his mind—something which had proved to be that he was wrong in his accounts. Certain monies he had had which had not been accounted for to the Borough Treasurer. The Coroner : What is the amount ?—I cannot possibly tell, but I think it is considerable. It might amount to two or three hunndred pounds. Are you satisfied that that money had come to the hands of the deceased ?—Perfectly. Mr. Longdin added that not the slightest suspicion had been aroused in respect of the deceased. The most implicit confidence wes placed in him. No action was . taken by the Borough authorities until the Tuesday evening when a warrant was obtained. Mr. Longdin also expressed the sympathy of the authorities with Mr.Brierley's wife, mother and other relatives. Mr. Stanley Brierley, recalled, said he could in no way account for the irregularities mentioned. So far as he knew his brother did not indulge in betting, and he knew of nothing that should bring him to London. The jury returned a verdict of " Suicide when of unsound mind," and added a rider recommending that all carriages should he searched before they were turned Into " dummy "carriages.  COMMF:RCAL FAlLVRES.—According to " Kemp's Mercantile Gazette," the total number of commercial i failures recorded n England and Wales during the week, ending Friday, October 25th, was 184, viz.:— New bankruptcy proceedings published in the" London Gazette," 92 ; deeds of arrangement registered, 92. The i respective numbers n the corresponding week of last year were : Bankruptcies, 85 ; deeds of arrangement, 85—total 170, being an increase of 14. The total number of commercial failures recorded during the 43 weeks of the present year is 6,377 ; the total number recorded in the corresponding 43 weeks of last year was sh3wlog a decrease of 512.1