Blandford, Wimborne and Poole Telegram. — 1878-03-08 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE.  An inquest was held on Friday aft-moon at the Kingsland Tavern, South Front. Southampton, by the borough coroner, Mr. E Coxwell, on the body of Thomas Hurtling, aged 31, of 80, Bevois-street, when Honour Ihr ling, wife t 4 deceased (who was very much affected), said her husband was an engine-driver en the South-Western Railway. A for. night ago he came out of a siding at Dorchester where they were 111 ak ng up a train for goods and passen_ers, and met with an accident, by smashing some trucks, for which he had now been suspe.nded for x week. He had been under the impress:l.n that he would he prosecuted, and had kept he door fost• ned the last two days. He would not let witness go to the door without seeing there was not a policeman. He was very low and dispirited, and she had tried the day before to cheer him up a hit. He went. to the engine shed to try if he could hear anything, ad asked Mr. Hunter about it. '1 he previous di' deceased had a rasor, and said rather than he imprisoned anti laughed at he would do what he had now done. It was an hour and twenty minutes before she could get him to give up the razor. He said lie would not do anything with it, hut he gave it up at Nat. It was about 20 minutes to six the previous night when she got it away. After six tt'click he went to the shed to get his money. He would not go at the pr t per time as he was afraid there will be a policeman there to take kim. He came hick shortly afterwards, and sat down and would not speak. She asked him why he was so dull, and he then went out and was absent about an hour. When he came hack he sat d • WTI with witness. She wanted him to post a letter, lint he would not get ap to go. He remained with her ail 'lt- evening, not saying anything, and seeming low in spirits. They went upstairs to go to bed just before H o'clock. Then he took the light and went down stairs, leaving her in the dark. She heard a noise, and thinking he was sick she called out "Tom," but he did not answer. She then went downstairs, and found him leaning over the sink bleeding fr ni the throat. ,She (lid not see the knife at first, but pull a him back and laid him down, and then called the neighbours. She held him till almost hie last brew h. 110 died about ten minutes or a quat ter of an hour a. erwards.—By the jury : They sent for several t'orator but only Dr. Bencraft came, and .leath hail taken p ace. Deceased had not been thre.ltened with prosecu ito hut had the idea that he would prosecuted, thom I; she begged him not to think Of it and tried to dissu tile him from the thought.  Eliza Cole, wife of William Henry Co'., of 81., focus-street, said that about 11 o'clock on Thursday I night, as she and her daughter were sitting indoors, they heard a noise, and witness went out to the door, , mid heard Mrs. Hurtling say "Oh dear, l'otu, how came you to do this? I never thought it would come to his." Witness went in to deceased's ii. i,is anti found Mrs. Hurtling holding him. Ho was bleeding very much from the throat, :raid witin its handed a towel to Miss. Hurding. Deceased died in is few minutes, and before a doctor came. Witness saw a knife d twn by the sink. (The knife WM produced. It was an ordinary small table knife, with is black handle). The brother of deceased, Who Was present, asked if he might be allowed to ask some quistioun of this witness, and the C-rotier having answered in the affirmative, he interrogated Mis. Cole, who said, in reply to his enquiries, that she did not remember decassal going by her house on We,illeffliay. She WM a next door neighbour. When she saw him in the week he seemed low spirited, and to take no notice at all. She had seen deceased in the back ya d. and he always rppeared to be cheerfol till last week. She had not seen him over the wall to speak to him during the last week. William Early, signa man in the employ of the Railway Company, said he knew deceased. Ile last saw him alive on Wednesday. Ile was then very low. They talked together, and he seemed lost on account of his having been suspended. He told wittiest; that he thought the Company would itro,ectite him. Witness asked deceased if he had heard from London about going to work again, but he said lie had not. He had always been a cheerful and quiet man. Witness had only heard of what he lied tion.—By the jury He had not heard on the previous evening whether deceased had been finally ditichArged from the Company's employ. P.C. William Smith (60) said about a quarter-past eleven o'clock the previous night he was on duty in Bevois-street, and was called to N. 80. Ile there saw Ira Hurding holding the head of decatusee in her lap. He moaned twice. Witness felt his pulse, but there was no action. He then went for Dr. Dencraft. He examined the throat, and found it was very badly cut. He enquired of Mrs. Hurtling what deceased had done it with, and she said "With that old knife." He found it on the mantelpiec2,, coverest with blood.— The Coroner addressed the jury, pointing out that they must first say, from the evidence they had heard, whether deceased had died by his Own rand only, and then whether he WU in a sound state of ink(' at the time.—The jury, of which Mr. It E. Harris was foreman, returned a verdict that decom4 I committed suicide while in an unsound state if mad. Deceased leaves a wife and three young childreii.