The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1887-03-16 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

PAINFUL CASE OF SUICIDE.  On Monday afternoon an inquest was held at the Queen's Hotel, Park Entrance, before Mr. Henry Churton, coroner, on the body of William Whitworth, 48, years of age, lately resident at 10 Burton-street. Deceased died at 11 o'clock on Saturday evening at the Borough Hospital, having committed suicide by cutting his throat witu a pocket knife. Since November be had been suffering from heart disease and bronchitis, receiving medical attendance its an out patient of the Borough Hospital. He had never applied to the parish for relief, though the only means of support for his wife and family were the earnings of a son employed earning 10s. a week and what a daughter, a girl in service at Burnley, could contribute. Mrs. Whitworth stated that her husband had been suffering from bronchitis for a considerable time. Latterly the pain appeared to have crept down into his bowels and became so severe that he did not know what he was doing. The Coroner: Bronchitis is a disease in which the patient requires mitch good nourishment or he will get low spirited. .Did he get it?  Witness: No sir, he did not get it. Continuing, witness said she saw her husband safe upstairs about half-past nine on Saturday evening. She then went out of the house for a half an hour on an errand. When she came back she asked the children if father had called for anything and her boy replied " No." About half past ten she went upstairs and found her husband sitting by the bed with his throat cat and his pocket knife in his hand. There was, blood all over the floor and a quantity of it in the chamber Utensil. She asked him what he been doing and he did not speak. Terrified at what she saw she looked to see if the children lying on the bed beside him were alright. They had not been touched. Hearing her cry out her eldest boy came upstairs and at her request took the knife from his father's hand. Dr. Brewer was sent for and he had her husband conveyed to the Borough Hospital in' the tunbdauce. She went with him to the hospital but the doctors would not allow her to see his wounds dressed. In about a quarter of an boar they came and told hr that he was dead. She supposed it was the violent pain made him do it. He was weary of waiting for death and had often wished for It. They had been married twentytwo years, sixteen of which they had spent in Birkenhead. She was now a widow with eight children, seven of whom were residing at home.  In summing up the evidence, the Coroner laid stress upon the fact that deceased had been out of work for a considerable time, that he had a large family, and that they must have given him a great amount of anxiety, Evidently , weary of his life and with few bright prospects before him, wholly dependent on outside support, he felt as if he had that about him which would put an end to his sufferings ar.d remove him from his unfortunate circumstances. It was a painful case, because it was brought &hint by long con. tinned illness and other depressing influences, and no doubt in a moment of agony, with great determination, he took up his knife and oommitted suicide. The jdry returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst in a state of unsound mind."