The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1888-03-17 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

HORRIBLE SUICIDE IN ST. MARY'S GATE.  A STRANGE PRESENTIMENT. On Wednesday morning a married woman named Mary Roberts, wife of a joiner named Richard Roberts, living at 10, St. Mary's. gate, committed suicide in a very determined manner. The deceased's husband is employed at Messrs. Lairds' yard, and about half-past eight came home and had breakfast with his wife. Shortly after his return to work, Mrs. Weldon, the landlady of the house, saw the deceased coming do wnstoirs with her throat cut in a ghastly inanner. She caught the deceased in her arms, attempted to staunch the wound, and sent for Dr. Lamb, bat the woman died in about five minutes. The inquest was held on Thursday, before Mr. Churton, district coroner, at the Old Priory Hotel.  —Mrs. Johanna Weldon deposed that the deceased and her husband occupied two rooms in her house. She had one son by her first husband. Witness saw the deceased about a quarter.past eight on Wednesday morning as she was about to go out in her slippers to fetch milk. She had been ailing for about a fortnight, and witness asked herjhow was her head that morning. She replied, "Oh, very bad. I feel as though I was strung up to the ceiling." She had lodged with witness about two years, but they had been friends for the last thirty years. During that time she had never spoken about doing anything to her, self. She had breakfast with her husband and after he bad returned to work she cleated away the breakfast things and made the room tidy. At a quarter-past nine she came down stairs with a razor in her baud, bleeding at the throat. Her daughter-in-law took the razor from her and threw it into the kitchen. Witness got hold of her &tithe bottom of the stairs, and she died in her arms. Witness tried to , prevent the flow of blood with a towel and sent for a doctor, but she died in a very short time. When witness spoke to her she made no reply, only opened her eyes and smiled. She had heard that a sister of the deceased committed suicide 14 years ago, and another relative of hers had died in the asylum. In reply to the Coroner, the husband, who was very much affected, said it was quite true that fourteen years ago—on the same day of the mouth, March—her sister had committed suicide. She always had a presentiment of something going to happen to her in that month. She looked very strange at him when he went to his work, but he never suspected anything. In answer to the Coroner, Mrs. Weldon said there was about two quarts of blood in a vessel upstairs. When she cut her throat she must have held her head over the vessel. There was very little hood anywhere else. The Coroner, in summing up, said it was remarkable that both sisters should have comrnitted suicide on the same day and month. It was evident there was a suicidal tendency in the family. There was no doubt the deceased had committed suicide whilst suffering from temporary insanity. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence adduced.  The best place for the latest and most Jhoice patterns in Mom Cards, Guest Cards, Ball Programmes, Weddng Invites, and all kinds of fancy and complimentary stationery is at the Birkenhead News Office.  KEATING'S COITGIi