Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1889-02-27 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

HIS THROAT AT THE CARMARTHEN ASYLUM.  A tragic incident, not unoonnec'ed, in a way, with the Swansea Corporation inquiries in the ! purchase of the Bwllfa Ddu Farm, has : a:enured in the 'hint Counties Lunatic Asylum • at C irmarthen. It appears that on Friday 6 n.orning a patient named John Williams, of Trimsaran, the man, in fact, who nominally : sold the Btrillfa Ddu Farm to the Swansea Cot. ' position, put an end to his life in a ater closet by cutting his throat. At the inquest, ' which was subsequently held before Di Hughes, Dr. G. J. Hoarder, medical superintendent • of the asylum, said • John Williams was . admitted to the asylum as a patient on the 15th of January last. He was s shopkeeper and farmer, and lived at Trianiaraii shop, lifidwelly. His age was fifty years. He complained when he came in that he had suicidal tendencies, and said —"1: feel that the devil (or his own mind, as he went on to explain it) frequently wants me to commit suicide by hanging or other means." He was sent to the hospital ward, in order that he might be under continual supervision. From the day he came he wanted to go home, and said that alt his soicidal impulses had left him. Until this morning he made no attempt to commit suicide. After his death I was shown a razor which WaS found beside him. I believe the razor belonged to Henry Thomas, husband of Mrs Thomas, head attendant in the hospital ward. The rule is that all cutting instruments should be kept constantly locked up when not in actual use by the attendants. : Mr William Gibbon, D.R.C.I". (Ireland) assistant medical officer at the asylum, said: I have attended John Williams since he came here. He was quiet, but depressed. John Jones, an attezdaet in the hospital ward,cailed me between 8 and 8.30 this morning. I went, and found John Williams lying on his bock on the floor of the water closet. He had a deep and long incised woandacross the throat. The man was not quite dead, but was perfectly unconscious. He breathed about half a dozen times and then expirel. John Jones said: I have been an attendant in the hospital ward for six years. 1 saw John Williams get up at 6.30 this morning. He dreamed and washed, and then walked about the room as if for exercise. He had breakfast in the day-room between seven and eight o'clock. About a quarter past ei, ht Mrs Thomas cams in and asked me if I had seen Williams. I said "No," and she went as far as the water closet. She came beck and said Williams was there bleeding. I ran in and saw Williams in a sitting posture on the ground, his head leaning ou the seat. He was unconscious, and dies almost immediately. Mrs Harriet Thomas, wife of Henry Thomas, carpenter at the asylum, said I am head attendant in the hospital ward. This morn. fog I took John Williams to breakfast with the other patients. I afterwards went into the messroom for a few minutes to wash a couple of breakfast cups. Daring this time I left Williams and a patient named Davies in the day room dusting the floor, as they usually do after breakfast. When I returned to the day room I saw Williams was not there, I ran and opened the door of the water-closet, and I there saw Williams on his knees, bleeding. The razor was not my nuaband's. He keeps his razor upstairs. Benjamin Thomas, an attendant, identified the razor as one belonging to the institution. The jury, after a short consultation, found that John Williams died of a wound in his throat inflicted by himself, and they added a recommendation that in future greater care should be taken at the inatitution to prevent similar occurrences. _  It is said that on coming out of the asylum , Williams had intended cornmeal:ling an action for the recovery of £2,016.