Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1888-02-11 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT • 111 IDDIABEIBROUGH.  On Monday a man nausea Henry Coates( was charged at the Middlesbrough Petty Sessions with using threatening language to his I wife, who had sworn she was afraid he would do her some grievous bodily injury.—Mr Barnley prosecuted,and said his Worship (the Stipendiary Magistrate) would remember that this day week the prisoner was summoned by his wife for using threatening language, and to show cause why he should not be bound over to keep the peace. The case was a very bad one, prisoner having threatened to murder his wife, who really believed he meant to do it. Moreover, the circumstances were such as to make it probable that he was serious in his threats, and therefore it became impossible for his wife to continue to live with him. The parties had been married within the prohibited degree of relationship, and priconer had subjected her to taunts. On leaving her husband Mrs Coates took with her the prisoner's children by a previous marriage. With regard t,) the threats prisoner had declared that he would murder his wife and die himself on the spot. On Sunday night, the 21-" Ah nit., he called at his wife's house and asked if she was in. The servant girl replied she was not, and he said, "I will come in and wait for her." Then it was found he had provided himself with sufficient poison to kill himself twice over. He put up a portion of that poison, and attempted suicide. The case was an extremely painful one, and before calling witnesses he might state that prisoner had alleged that he had been induced to commit suicide because he had been refused access to his children. That was untrue, for be had availed himself of the opportunity of seeing them.—He called prisoners wife, who said she was married to him in April, 1836. He left her in August last. they having frequently quarrelled. She had since been assisting in carrying on a grocery business, and had maintained prisoner's children. On Monday. the 23rd January, prisoner came to her place of business and threatened to buy a pistol and shoot her said die himself on the spot, On the Wednesday night following he was near her place about eleven o'clock. She was really afraid of him.—Mr Curry corroborated.—The Stipendiary Magistrate said he held a certificate from the surgeon of Northallerton Gaol, showing that the prisoner had been suffering from great mental deoression, that he was uow much bettor, and that he was not likely to make another attempt upon his life. From the , letter of the chaplain it appeared that prisoner I I had informed him that he had been drinking a good deal. So far as the charge of attempted suicide was concerned he should allow the matter to rest where it was, but with regard to the threats to his wife prisoner would be bound over—himself in 620 and a surety in £lo—to keep the peace. Unless the surety were forthcoming he would allow the law to take its course, which meant that prisoner would be kept in gaol for a year. However, a person in Court at once voMnteered to be surety for the prisoner, who was I at once released.