Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1866-06-15 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

REDCAR.  SUICIDE.—Mrs Martha Goodacre, a respectable widow, keeping a lodging-house, at No. 28, 111th-street, Relcar, committed suicide on Saturday last. An inquest WAS held on the body at the Red Lion Hotel, before Mr J. T. Sowerby, deputy coroner, on Monday morning, when the fist witness examined was William Smith, boot and shoe dealer, who said about five minutes past twelve o'clock on Saturday, he saw Miss Kate Uuotlacre, who is learning to be a dressmaker, cowing home to her dinner. She tried the front dour and found it last. Sne then rang the bell, and getting no answer, she appeared to become agitated and went to the next door neighbour and went through her house. When be saw her txcitetneut he followed her. As soon as she reached tile back door he heard her scream.  He then ran to see what was the matter, when he found deceased hanging from the ceiling of the kitchen. He ran down the yard and gtt a shoemaker's knife and the assistance of a young man, who held the body until he cut  - - it down. - i'he reasm he 'followed Miss Hojdacre was on account of knowing that deceased had once before attempted Ler life in a similar manner. The cord used, a portion of which was produced, was about the thickness of the sashcord of a window, and was fastened to a nail in a balk running across the top of the kitchen. Both ends were fast to the nail. There was no noose on the rope. Deceased had simply put her bead through the loop, then had apparently kicked away a stool which she had placed oil a chair, which was standitig a little to one site of her, and thus swung clear. Her feet were a distance of about two feet from the ground. The rope was twisted above her bead and he cut below the twist.— Mr T. W. S. Locke, surgeon, deposed to being called in to the deceased about half-past twelve on Saturd-.y mowing. Her hudetud's name was David. lie was surveyor for the Bard of Health fur a number of years, but at the time of his death, which happened about a year ago, he was fore..  inau in -Mr Hall's 'timber yard, a-t Uoa—tirarn. When witness reached the house of the deceased, she was lying up ni a side seat in the kitchen, in the position which last witness had placed her. The p-aint of rope produced was still round the neck. Life was quite extinct, and he tiimAnt had been about 30 minutes. There was a red mai k round the theoat where Lim cord had been. There was slight rigidity of the body. The right hand was semiixed. There was no protrusion of the tongue. Tne lips were slightly swollen, these signs indicating that death had been sudden He had known the deceased tor nine or ten years, and had been the family doctor for the whole of that time. He never knew her otherwise than rational, except on one occasion, which was on the 9th of January,  1864, when he was called up in the night to attend deceased, who had then attempted to hang herself, and Was cut down by her husband ; when consciousness returned she did not appear to know what site hat attempted to do, but thought she had had a fit, lie cautioned her husband and daughter against letting her know. She had never mentioned it to anyone since, so he thought she was quite ignorant of it. She was 53 years of age last February. He was of opinion she had hanged herself while iu a fit of insanity; which he thought had been accelerated by faintly trouules, and not, as had been circulated in the town, by poverty, as he found on opening her desk the sum of £43, in nddition to property at Hull. Deceased was the last ot her faintly, all of whom had died by their own hauls.—rhe coroner asked if any of the jary wished to hear Miss Guoilacre's evidence, whea. they all . •  thought that with the very explicit evidence of Dr. Locke and the other witness, it Was unnecessary to try her fee;ings with any question, if it could be avoided. itoth witnesses seemed to have no doubt about deceased coraing to her death oy her own hauds.—Ttie jury consulted for a short time, when they brought in a verdict with the medical testimony that " Deceased had hanged herself while in a state of unsound mind."