The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1910-08-06 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

WHAT THE ASSISTANTS DISCOVERED. Stephen Leo Peachy, 5, Palmerstonstreak,-Rock Ferry, tut a,ssistant at the branch shop in quee,tion, at 231, Old Cheater-road, Rock Ferry,said the prisoner was the manager 'of the shop. On Friday morning, July 29th, witness arrived at the shop at 8 o'clock, and could not gain admittance. The gate outside and the door of the shop were locked. He made various inquiries, and eventually, at 9.20, he had to force an entrance. Another assistant entered with witness, and upstairs they found the prisoner in the cloak room lying on his back on the two rugs—one fiat, and the other relied up under his head. One end of a length of gas-tubing was in his mouth, and the other end attached to the burner of a gas bracket, the gas being turned full on, and a handkerchief was tied over the lower part of the prisoner's face. He was unconscious. They turned off .the gas, opened the window, - and s itness applied artificial respiration to the prisoner, and sent for a police constable. The • witness identified the note found in the room as being in the prisoner's handwriting. It was on a ledge above where the prisoner -was lying. Witness had noticed nothing whatever in the prisoner's conduct before to lead him to think he would do anything of this kind.  P.C. Ernest Boggs, the officer who was called to the shop and who resorted to arti. filial respiration, repeated the evidence that he bad given .on Monday last. He veached the shop at 9.25. There was a strong smell of gas in the rocmi. Witness continued the artificial respiration treatMerit until the horse ambulance (telephoned for) .arrived, and also in the ambulance all the way to the Borough Hospital. which was reached about 9.50. On Monday morning, on prisoner's discharge from the Hospital, witness took him to the Central Plolice Station and charged him with attempting to commit suicide by inhaling coal gas, and he replied, "It's quite correct." Mr. Lees, for the accused, first milted that the caae had not been made out, as it was incumbent in the prosecution to prove that the accused was of sane mind when he committed the act, and they had not done so.  The magistrates said they were satisfied the prisoner was sane at the time. Mr. Lees thereupon addressed the Bench against a committal for trial. He said the prisoner had been with the Society about three.and a half years, and for three years had been manager of the Lower Tranmere branch shop. Ile had an excellent character. What brought about the act he was charged with seemed to have been this: On the previous Saturday there was one item that was wrong. Whether, in regard to that, the Society would take him back again: if the Bench discharged him, the secretary, who wag in Court, told him could .not he ,decided until they. knew what explanation the prisoner had to give. The prisoner was a married man with two young children. His wages were about 366. per week, and he had been in the habit of giving his wife 35e ed., and he had a very respectable home, and had conducted himself as e. quiet, sober, respectable man. He usually went to the shop about 8 o'clock in the morning; on Fridays earlier. The half-yearly stock-taking was coming on. In the case of one manager the stock had not turned out very well, and this weighed upon the prisoner's mind, -and also the fact that some cash coiild not be accounted for., Re seemed cheerful when he left home on I Friday morning, but he appeared to have started worrying at the shop about the cash, and about the manager who had been' dismissed from another shop, and quite suddenly something came over him—his, mind became deranged for the moment 1  and he did this aet. He (Mr. Lees) asked the Bench not to make this case an example by eenaing it for trial, but to discharge the defendant, having regard to all' the circumstances.  • The Bench decided that the case must go to the Quarter Session*. Prisoner was s6llewed beil7-hiniself in £4O and two sureties at Meech.