Middlesbrough & Stockton Gazette and General Advertiser. — 1876-01-20 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DESPERATE SUICIDE AT LONGNEWTON. On Saturday information was received in Stockton that a most desperate act of suicide had been committed by a man named Thomas Shepherd at the Fox Hills fain], situated near Longnewton, and about six miles distant from Stockton. So far as can be ascertained at present, it seems that Shepherd lived at the farm of his widowed mother at Fox Hills, and of late had been somewhat peculiar in his conduct, having recently figured at the county petty sessions with his brother in a right of way ease, in which the justices jurisdiction was ousted. On Friday afternoon, about five o'clock, Shepherd wsa in the kitchen of the farm house, his sole companion beings child about seven years old, who observed him get a gun out, which he loaded, and then discharged at his own face. The deadly weapon performed its work efficiently, for the self-murderer immediately fell upon the floor dead. An alarm was given to some boys and women that were working in a field near the house, and when they entered, Shepherd was found laid dead in his own blood, and with the upper part of his head blown away. Information was then given to the police constable of the locality, who examined the gun and found it to be a doublebarrelled breech-loader. In the other barrel was found another cartridge, which has led to the conclusion that the weapon had been doubly loaded. An inquest was held upon the body of deceased on Monday afternoon, before Mr John Settle, county coroner. Ann Shepherd, widow of Tblinas Shepherd, farmer, of Fox Hills, in the parish of Longnewton, said deceased was her son and 27 years old. He lived at home, and assisted in working the farm. He was not very strong, but they never entertained any fear that he would harm himself. Sometimes of late he seemed to talk queer, and was often queer in his ways. On Friday evening witness and the servant went 'out into the byre to milk cows. There was no one left in the kitchen except deceased and a grandchild named Henry Thomas Robinson Shepherd, aged seven years last April. Deceased wat sitting on the kitchen sofa doing nothing at all. The breech-loader double-bai relied gun,' belcnging to deceased was hanging upon the wall over the fireplace. It was usually kept unloaded. Deceased had only owned the gun three weeks. Witness proceeded to say that she had given the cow a mash, and was just starting to milk, when the servant girl called out, "Did you hear that ?" Witness had not heard anything, being deaf, but immediately afterwards her grandson ran into the cow byre and said. " Grandmamma, Thomas has shot himself." Both herself and senant then ran into the kitchen and found deceased laid dead upon the hearth, with his head and face disfigured. One barrel of the gun had teen discharged, and the other barrel, which was loaded, stood at fall cock.—Henry Thomas Robinson Shepherd, aged seven yeare,was next called, but could not understand the nature of an oath, and therefore was not examined.—Robert William  wa?,9•l In  Shepherd, farmer, of Longnewton, said that deeeased was his brother. He had a severe illness some years ago, and since then had been very peculiar in his ways. There was a single-barrelled gun in the house, and he could not account for deceased having purchased the other, as the shooting upon the farm was reserved. During last autumn deceased had a sum of about £5O in his possession. After he got this money' he went to Northallerton :races, Liverpool races, and some other places, and he bought the double-barrelled gun at Stockton by the time he had got pretty well through the money. On Christmas Day deceas d ploughed part of a field, and when spoken to about the unusual proceeding, he said that. if he lived till another Christmas Day he would do the same thing again.--Jane Ann Fawcett, t:omestie servant, gave evidence corroborative of that relating to deceased's eccentric behaviour, and the jury returned a verdict that he had shot himself whilst in a state of temporary insanity.