Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1874-07-16 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE INQUEST. An inquest was held at half-past twelve o'clock on Monday last, before J. T. Belk, Esq., coroner, at the Iron Chapel, Corporation-road. After the jury had viewed the body the first wintness called was Mr Spencelayh, the husband of the deceased, who said : I am an assistant with Mr J. Spence, draper. Deceased was my wife and was 29 yeers old. We had been married six years. I last saw her alive on Saturday afternoon. She then appeared tremulous. I attributed her tremulous condition to the fact that she had taken too much to drink. I was sent for to Mr Spence's, but did not know what was the matter. I called for Dr Walker, but was not aware what it was till I got up :tairs When I saw her lying with her throat out, I used napkins to stop the bleeding, until the Lootor came. She never spoke. I have no family living. Emily Jane Sadler, the sister of deceased, said: I live with Mr Spencelayh. On Saturday afternoon I was in the house when Mr Spencelayh went out. I think my:sister was albright then. She had not had much to drink. Early in 'the week she had had too much to drink. Lately she had been in the habit of taking too much to drink. I last saw her at twenty minutes to nine. She went upstairs. I did not see her, but heard her. I went up in about three minutes. I heard a noise, and thinking she was sick went to see what was the matter. She was in her bedroom. I looked in and saw a good deal of blood about her, and thinking she had broken a blood vessel I ran downstairs,land ran to Mr Spencelayh's mother to see if his sister was in. She was out, but there was an old lady there who said she would come if she could he of any help. She went upstairs and came back again, saying that she could do no good. Mr Spencelayh and Dr Walker were sent for. The carving knife producA was in the pantry in the afternoon. Mrs Ann Outhwaite said that? on Saturday night she was at Mr Spencelayhs, senior, in Pine-street. Miss Sadler came to the door and said her sister was poorly, glad she did not know what was the matter. Witness went, and when she went into the bedroom and saw the blood, she turned sick. Dr Walker said Le was the family doctor of Mr Spencelayh. Some months ago, he was called in to attend Mrs Spencelayh, who was suffering from delirium tremens. The condition in which she was described as being, would result from excessive drinking. He examined bet about nine o'clock, found a great deal of blood, and on making a close examination, found that her throat was cut. She lay as though she was unconscious, but when he Spoke to her, he found that she was not. He told hrr that he was going to get some. thing to stitch the wound up, but she objected, saying she could not bear it. She was laying in the bed, and the knife produced was just grasped in her right hand with the edge lying down, and the other hand was by her side. There was a wound about fir inches long on her throat, from left to right. That would account for them thinking that she had broken a blood vessel, as she had sucked the blood from the windpipe through her mouth. He sewed up the wound, but she died in a quarter of an hour from exhaustion from loss of blood and suffocation. From the position of the knife and all the circumstances, he had no doubt that it was a case of suicide. The jury immediately returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.