Widnes Examiner. — 1880-08-28 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

SUICIDE OF A LADY AT ITAYDOCK LODGE.  Mr. Driffield, the district county coroner, held an inquest at the Haydock Lodge Retreat on Thursday, on the body of Mrs. Jane Vernon, a widow lady who Lae been an inmate during the past six Months. In August, 1878, the husband of the deceased died, and the circumstance no affected her mind that some fern months afterwards she ettempted to put an end to her ezietance. Acting under medical advice, her relations placed her under Dr. Lister's control, end eincetbet time she haa lived Cl the lodge, under the personal superintendence of a nurse who never left her night or dAy. On the day of her admietion and on the following ntorning she attempted to kill herself, bet made no further effort to do Any harm until Monday morning I tete alien ehe overpowered her attendant end threw herself into A duck-pond some short distance away from the house, and before further araietance could be obtained life was found to he extinct. The following evidence was taken. Mr. Janne Show, pliyeinian and surgeon, reeident medical officer Cl the lodge, mid the deceased lady was a widow 55 years ef age. She had been a first-claw private patient from February this year. Witness prodnced the order upon which she was received. which showed that she ctme (nun ITushingham, in Cheseire, and was described ae • suicidal I , patient. Witnees knew title to he the ease, and deceased I . had &Deity. a apecial attendant with her, also wearing gloves i during the night. Twice preyiouely she had attempted tol ! kill hernelf, once on the Itlth of February, • fortnight sifter • her admission when she tried to strangle hereelf, and egain the morning after when she tried to jump over the oalu: atrades of the stairs. Since then nhe had made no ist tempt re Scene herself. On Monday morning witness wee away on a holiday, and when he returned deceased was dead. Dr faster wee, however, at home, and wee early in attendance. Deceased's private attendant, Elisabeth donee, wan with her at the time of the occurrence, Ind one of the private patients named Wild was near, and took the body out of the water. Tnis patient was convalescent and able to give evidence The pit where the occurrence happened was in the grounds and wee called the duck pond. It wee protected altnost all round by a wire fence, a small portion being left open for , cattle.  —EI izalwtb donee said she waa an attendant at the lodge, where she hail been the post six months, corning about q week after the admission of the deceased. ‘Vitnese was in personal attendance on the deceased for three months, and again for about • month, the time between them two loccasiims Ellen Matheson being in charge. Shortly after her admiesion witneas found deceased on the table in her , bedroom trying to strangle herself. and the next morning she tried to get over the glair balustrades and on bath occasions she prevented her doing harm to herself. On Mon•' day morning, as mu her usual custom. deceased went out at eleven o'clock. attnarently in her customary state, witness having noticed nothing different in her manner. Witness and decmaed were walking near the pond, witneaa having hold of deceased'e left arm, when deceased dragged witnem over the wire fence and down the slope towards the pit, and threw herself into the water. Witness called for help, and Henry Hale, the kitchen gardener, jumped into the water, but finding it too deep for him he had to come out and go for further help. The workmen round about came up, and then Mr. Wild, • patient, came, and taking off his coat and waistcoat. jumned into the water and brought the deceaaed Ott. Dr. Litter came up immediately afterwards. Prevtime to this morning the deceased had shown no inclination to go into it before, and hod made no reference whatever to it. , Mr. Jas. Wild, firet-clase patient in 11.0 estebl iehment, abniat ten minutes after eleven o'clock on Monday morning he heard that mmeone was in the pond, and going down he saw the deceased in the water, and he vent in and fetched her out. She was at the time about five yards from the ade of the pit, and apparently quite dead. Pr. Edward Lister, proprietor of the Havdock Lodge Retreat, roil on Monday, about eleven o'clock, one of the patients ran up to him crying that Mn, Vernon was in the pond, and he mn at once to the spot. When he got there : Mr. Wild yeas bringing the bode out of the water, and on exemir.ation he found the lady quite dead. Efforts were made and continued to restore animation for three quarters of en hour, but without mimes.. Deceased had a mark on her left eye, and another on the throat, evidently produced by etruggling. The fence amend the pond was about three feet high, and he had been satisfied with it up to the present dm, but • higher wooden one was to be erected for the future.  THErt Fen,l kleaStre. John Kew,. a lad 15 years of age, was charged with stealing from the worksof Menem, Cartwright end Sons early that morning glees bottle. sable St. The primner ple.ed gniltv.—P. S. Spinks Alai At 10 minutes past S that morning he was going over Bank Quay Bridge when he ease five youths coming front the direction oh %awes. Cater rights' works. lie knew they were apprentice. and amongst them raw the prisoner whom he knew very well. He stopped the prisoner an he entice' he had something ender his coat, end on opening the coat found the bottle produced. He (the sergeant) went to the foreman who net tot, barrel and brought • bottle nimilar to the one the prisoner had. The prisoner "Thin in what I took it from. I broke roe own and took this Inge... tie also added. "tam not the only one ; there are many a hundred besides me... The prisoner who had only been out of gaol about a week, wes remanded until Priday. FlZlDAY.—llefore Alderman Smith, Captain Reynolds, and John White, Esq. Dar..—Robert Baker, for being drank in charge of a horse and cart the previous evening, tree fined ss. and costs. Vanuarrrs.—FAward Hart and William Harper, both vagrants, were eentencod to fourteen days' imprisonment, with hard labour. for sleeping Oat outhouse in Ardern-street, the previous evening.