The Cotton Factory Times. — 1899-05-12 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

SAD DEATH OP AN OVERLOOSER.-011 Tuesday afternoon Mr. S. F. Butcher, district coroner, and a jury, held an inquest on the body of William Bottomley, who was found hanging on the stairs at his house, 17, Lima-street, Huntley Brook, on the previous afternoon.—Alice Barnes, widow, said the deceased was her father. He was 76 years of age, and was formerly a cotton spinning overlooker. He had been in failing health for some years, and had been attended by Dr. Kerr for bronchitis. He had complained of much pain in his stomach and chest. About 230 on Monday afternoon he asked her to go an errand for him, and she went, leaving him in bed. When she got back half an hour later she found him hanging by the neck by a scarf attached to the stair rail. He had never threatened to destroy himself. The body was cat down by a man named John Smith, of GO, Kay-street. The deceased left behind a paper, on which was written, "I cannot endure these excruciating pains any longer."—The Foreman said he knew the deceased. He thought it was a clear case of suicide while the man's brain was Afected.—The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide while temporarily insane." TEXTILE OPERATIVES AND THE HOLIDAY QUESTICRi. —Mr. John Cheetham (Cardroom Operatives' Association's secretary) who is officiating as secretary to the committee on the holidays question, has sent out an intimation to the various textile trade associations in the town who have for some months been acting in concert with the object of getting, if possible, a full week's holidays at the Wakes in August, that he has received a communication from Mr. E. C. Roston, secretary of the Bury and District Employers' Association, intimating that the employers have decided that they cannot agree to the proposed stoppage of a full week in August. The proposal of the operatives was to give up the Monday after Whit week if given a fall week in August. The employers, while being unable to agree to this request, say that they are willing to concede another day at the Wakes, the other holidays to remain as hitherto. Their reason for being unable to grant a whole week in August was that if they did so they would be giving more holidays than was obtained in any other town in Lancashire, and this they could not afford to do. The employers' secretary suggested, however, that if the operatives so desired the employers wereqnite willing that the Monday after Whit week should be knocked off and a second extra day added to the Wakes holiday. This would cause the mills to restart on the Friday morning, instead of Thursday morning, as agreed to by the employers. These suggestions will be considered over by the various societies concerned in the Movement. We understand, however, that it is extremely improbable that under the circumstances any other change will be made in the observance of a full week's holiday at the Wakes. If this be so, then the August holidays will in future (including those of the present year) commence on the Friday night, and the mills will resume work on the Thursday morning. The total number of holidays in Bury will now be eleven instead of ten, as in past years.