The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1901-05-15 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

SAD SUICIDE OF AN  OXTON LADY.  A case of suicide of a very sad and shocking character occurred yesterday morning at Oxton, the victim of the rash act being Mrs. Gertrude Clarke, age 4.5, wife of Mr. Charles N. Clarke, retired cotton broker, of 26, Shrewebury-road. It appears that about half-peat seven in the morning Mrs. Clarke called one of her maids, Leonora Tunley, and complained of feeling ill. She asked the servant to send for Dr Reginald. Jones, and also requested her to get her a glees of milk. Tunley despatched another maid for Dr. Jones, and she returned in a few momenta to the bedroom with the glass of milk. To her surprise, she found her mistress had disappeared. On searehing she found her in the front bedroom. She was on her hands and knees on the floor, with her head over a wash-bowl. Her throat was terribly gashed, the wounds having evidently been made by a razor, which she had in her right hand. When Dr. Jones arrived Mrs. Clarke was quite dead. The unfortunate lady must have been in a state of great frenzy when she committed the act, for her head was almost severed from her body, and death must have taken place almost immediately, for when Dr. Jones arrived a few moments later there were no signs of life. No motive can be assigned for the act, except that it was committed in a sudden access of suicidal frenzy, and this in itself is sufficiently incomprehensible, as the deceased lady was considered by those who know her to be of a very practical and cheerful disposition, and one of the last persons likely to exhibit such a tendency. She had been ill during the night, and had complained of severe pains in the head. but on rising , a few minutes beofre the sad Event Wog ' place nothing in her demeanour seemed to point to an abnormal state of mind, and to the servants as well as to her husband who retired to the bathroom she appeared quite sane. The deceased is said to have been a woman of much culture and of a deep religious character, and the sudden impulse which terminated her life caused the deepest surprise and regret not only to the members of her own household, but to all the residents in the neighbourhood where she held a position of considerable social standing. By way of accounting for the sad event it is surmised that she was depressed owing to the loss of companionship of her two sons to whom she was devotedly attached. and who had been recently placed in boarding schools. The younger, who was about eight years of oge, she had herself taken to a school at Colwyn Bay about a fortnight ago, and it appears that in returning she had run about a mile to catch the train, a circumstance which to some extent had affected her health since. A feature which adds to the distressful character of the case is the fact that the deceased lady and her husband who lived together on the most affectionate terms had arranged to take a short holiday together, which should have commenced on the very day the unfortunate event occurred, when they should have left for London, with the intention of afterwards proceeding to Paris. The deceased had been an invalid for a number of years, but during the last twelve months her health had greatly improved so as not to require regular meelical attendance. The inquest takes place to-day at 10-30 a.m,