The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1866-08-25 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

THE LATE SUICIDE IN BARROW. AN INQUEST was held on Saturday afternoon, at the 1 Itirting,ton Hotel, Barrow, before Wm. Butler, Esq.' coroner of the Furness district, on the body of Robert Glen, journeyman baker, living in Duncan-street, who committed suicide at hi A lodgings under the circumstances narrated in our last week's edition. The jury— comprising Messrs. Robert Loxham, John Treen, Henry Park, Bernard Farnery, John Danson John Longtree, John Singleton, Wm. Waite, 'John Postlethwaite, Mark Simpson, Robet Williamson, and Jonathan Mathewson—liaving been sworn, proceeded to view the body, and on their return the following evidence was takee :—Mrs. Williams, landlady of the house IN here deceased lived, said that two boys slept in the same room as deceased, and when they came down at half-past eight on Friday morning she enquired if he was in bed, and received a reply in the affirmative ; about half-past one in the day seeing one of the boys e without stockings she sent him up to the bedroom for them, and he immediately returned OTUAIi down stairs saying that Robert was tied to the bed. She at once ran for his master, Mr. ()2 German' baker • Mr. German had before = cut him down, When he made an attempt .on his life, about eighteen months since; Mr. 1101,1 t, .cbt German came directly, and went up stairs, whilst she fetched the doctor (Mr. Sinclair), ;,, with whom she went up stairs, and after a short examination he said deceased had been dead some time; she heard him cough about nine o'clock ; when they went up the body was on the floor; when in drink he was in the habit of rambling in his talk; herself and the two boys were the only inmates—besides deceased—of the house on the night in question. 1-0,114 One of the lads who slept in the room with deceased was present, but neither the coroner or inz jury deemed it necessary to ask him any ' questions.—Mr.. George German, baker, of Barrow, by whom the deceased was employed, stated that he knew the unfortunate man ' • he had worked for him about nine months on the present occasion ; he had also previously worked for him; Mrs. Williams called hilt into the house about One o'clock on Friday afternoon; she said that Robert (meaning deceased) was hanging ;he went up stairs and found him tied to the head of the bedstead; he had made a slip noose in his handkerchief, and tied himself to the bedstead, from which he had evidently thrown himself; he was quite dead, and . . appeared to have been so some time; the body .••. was not quite stiff; the chief of the body was lying stretched along the floor, but the head was risen about eighteen inches; he (Mr. "f I German) did not consider him a weak-minded man, though at times he used to talk a good •- • • deal of nonsense, but they piid no attention to OE 4. him; he had worked for bim nince Christmas, 0 and also previously, when he attempted to hang himself in the bakehouse; he cut him down at that time; deceased was taken before the magistrates for that attempt, and remanded for a week, but ultimately discharged; he appeared to be about sixty-five to seventy years of age ; had heard that he had a daughter some-IWhere in Scotland, but could not tell wheretiAboutsi i also a son n Australia.—Several of the jurymen closely questioned witnesg as to whether the deceased had not some relatives resident at Kendal, but nothing clear Could be elicited.'—Police-constable Dover stated that he was called into the house about the time , mentioned, and described the position .and state of the body, which corroborated the eviaa'dence of Mr. German.—The coroner then said that was all the evidence in reference to the t.eielemelancholy event there was to lay before them, aer':and in remarking upon it, plainly but briefly elucidated the law in the case, observing there wis no doubt the man was of unsound mind, brought about by drink, but he hardly thought k• it necessary for them too closely to enquire into the question of the state of the man's mind, as these sort of cases—if too narrowly .scrutinised '—would sometimes involve the painful con-`elusion of felo-de-se ; however, in this case, he did not see anything approaching to it, therefore perhaps the best way would be for them to return a sort of open verdict.—The jury then consulted for a short time, and gave in as their , , verdict, "That Robert Glen, the said decetv..ted, r 6 committed suicide by hanging himself, and that ~E! he thereby came to his death."  e. The curacy of Douglas, Isle of Man, has become vacant. It is worth £l5O a year, and is in the gift of the Rev. J. 11. Gray, M.A.  A petition for winding up the Preston Banking Company has been formally dismissed on application to the vacation chief clerk attached to Vice-Chancellor Stuart's court. The bank, te s' a it was stated, would be re-opened on Friday.  - - /8