Widnes Examiner. — 1884-08-09 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THE INQUEST. Mr. Husband, deputy-co oner, held an inquest on Saturday at the honee of Mr. Lake, Buttermarket-street, Warrington, touching the death of Mr. Thames Saxon, landlord of the Fox Inn, Warrington, which occurred on the previous day under circurnstaaces already reported. On the jury ceming forward to be sworn, a Mr. William Robinson ote'ected to take the oath.—The Coroner : On what ground? —Mr. Robinson : Ido not believe in a Christian God ; I object to take the oath on that account.—You don't ! And you object to take the oath on that ground? Yee.—Do you believe in anything else? I believe in performing a protniee —Have you any other reason for objecting to take the oath? don't just think of any at present.—That is the only reason ? Yes.—it is not because you want to get away ie a hurry or anything of that sort? No.—Simply because you do not believe in a Christian God ? Yes.—l do not, of course, presume to swear you under the circumstances, but at the same time it would be very unfair as the law stands at present that you should leave until the inquest is over, as you have been summoned on the jury, because I have been told—whether there is any truth or not in it I do not know—that it is getting to be a sort of a habit by some persons for the purpose of getting off coroners' juries. I do not presume that that is your reason, and under these circumstances I will ask you to wait until the inquest is over in case anything further is to be done in the matter, but it happens that there is another juryman present to take your place. I presume there is no other juryman present who does not believe in a Christian God ?—Margaret Saxon, widow of the deceased, then gave evidence. She appeared deeply agitated. Witness mid that she rose at 6-30 the previous morning, leaving her husband in bed. At 7.15 she received by post a letter addressed to her in the handwriting of her husband. When she had read the first two lines she ran upstairs to the bedroom and saw the deceased with his throat cut. Seeing blood all over the bed, she ran downstairs screaming and called Mr. Allen, of the Pelican Inn. The blood was all over the counterpane, sheets, and carpet. Information was then given to the police and Dr. Joseph sent for. Deceased lived until about one o'clock the same thy. She thought he was about fifty years of age. Business matters had been troubling him of late. In reply to Mr. Robert Davies, solicitor, witness said that she and her husband were at his (Mr. Davies's) office on Monday, when Mr. Davies advised her husband to make out a list of his debts. Deceased was very low and despondent and shed tears in the room. Mr. Clarke, from the brewery, spoke very kindly to him and told him not to put himself out of the w ty. Her husband'e brother died in a lunatic asylum, its which be 'was confined 15 years.—The letter received by the widow was then read, but the reporters were requested riot to make its ntents public.—P.C. eingleton deposed to finding a razor and two pools of blood on the bed. He had doticed the deceased on the day before his death to be in a very dejscted condition —llle jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased committed suicide whilst temporarily insane.—The Coroner slid that he had every respect for a man's religious opinions, but he had thought it only fair to the oth..r jurymen that the objecting person should remain in the room until the close of the inquest.  Tam ST.