Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1883-01-27 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SUICIDE OF A MARRIED WOMAN AT STOCKTON. On Wednesday evening Mr Coroner• Settle held an enquiry at the Stockton Police Court with reference to the circumstances under a young married woman named Mary Jane McGuire had come to her death.—The first witness was the widower, Michael McGuire, a caulker. Ile said the deceased was years of age. They lived in James'sstreet. On Wednesday last the deceased complained of having a very bad cold, saying that her head ached, and her chest felt tight. She seemed to be much worse on Tuesday morning, and witness consequently went to obtain the assistance of Dr. Fleming. Witness and the doctor came back together, when they found the deceased bleeding from the 11013 C. The doctor sent some medicine for her, but it did not appear to do her any good. Her mind seemed to wander, and her eyes had a fixed stare. About eleven o'clock in the morning she insisted on being lifted out of bed, BO that she might sit near the fire. At half-past twelve she asked witness to go to the Rev. Father Carliles and ask him to come and see her. She also wished him to fetch her aunt. Before leaving the house he lilted her into bed, and gave the baby to a little girl, his neice, to mind till his return. Upon going back witness was met near the house by his sister, who ran towards him saying his wife was dead. They supposed from the blood oozing out of her mouth that she must have broken a blood vessel. A neighbour, Mrs Walls, hearing of what had happened, came into the house, and helped to wash the deceased. Witness did not know that she had a cut in her throat till he was told by his sister. He had no reason to suspect that she would commit suicide—she had never threatened to do such a thing.—Mary Ann Ruane, sister of the widower, gave corroborative evidence on the points referred to in the above statement. She added that on arriving at her brother's house she found the deceased lying upon the bed bleeding profusely from the month. Witness at once ran out and got the assistance of Mrs Walls, who lives in Ann-street. The appearance of the deceased from Monday last was very strange —her eyes glaring fixedly into space.—Mary Helen Ruane, the child who was left in charge of the baby during McGuire's absence, said that she saw the deceased get out of bed and take something from the book-shelf. —(The husband stated that he kept his razor upon the book-shelf.)—The child did not see what the deceased took down from the shelf, nor did she see her do anything to herself, but she afterwards saw some blood coming from her mouth.—Mrs Elizabeth Walls wall the next witness. She stated that on examining the deceased immediately after going into the house she found a razor in the right hand of the deceased. —Dr. Fleming said when he first saw the deceased she was suffering from heart disease and bronchitis. He attributed the bleeding to disease of the heart, and did not attempt to stop it, because in doing so it might have led to congestion of the brain. He saw the deceased after death, and attributed death to the cut in the throat. The jury, without &moment's delibration, returned a verdict "That the deceased committed suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind."