The Weekly Gazette for Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Cleveland District. — 1880-01-10 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE. SUICIDE AT REDCAR.  On Friday week Mr A. Bachannan, coroner, held an inquest at the Red Lion Hotel, Redcar, on the body of Mr J. H. Webster, who—as reported in our last issue— committed suicide on New Year's Eve.  George Burton, joiner, Yearby, was the first witness called, and said he was cousin to the deceased, who was fcrty-six years of age. On the morning of the 31st December witness went to Redoar to stay in the house with the deceased. He went at the request of his brother, who had latterly been with the deceased. The object he had in view was to remain constantly with him. He found the deceased in bed, where he remained up to three o'clock in the afternoon. He was depressed in sririts very much, and alarmed at the prospect there seemed to him of his going to an asylum. After he got up witness went with him into the show-room, and afterwards they went downstairs together and sat in the kitchen. A little before half-past five o'clock the deceased said, " I must  go to the w.c." He went out of the door into the passage, and upstairs. He was not aware that he had then anything in his possession that was dangerous. He had taken pains to enquire as to that, and believed he had nothing. There was a great variety of miscellaneous articles in the showroom upstairs, but the centre table on which they were placed was covered when they were in it with a dust-sheet, which was not removed while they were there. During the time he was with the deceased he did not touch anything in the show-room. He did not know whether the deceased, when he went upstairs, went into the bhow-room again or not. If he did, he must have been very quick about it. He had a candle with him. Perhaps two or three minutes after the deceased went upstairs the housekeeper went upstairs, and came back again to witness, saying, "He won't speak." In consequence of that he immediately went up to the closet, and found the door shut, but not fastened. He went in, and discovered the decsased kneeling on the floor, with his head partly on the seat. He was gasping. Witness looked at his neck, and saw there was a bad wound. The next thing he observed was that the deceased had a razor in his right hand. There was blood partly on the seat and partly on the floor. He called to the housekeeper to go for a doctor. The deceased never spoke to him. Dr. Dees came about a quarter of an hour afterwards. Witness kept the deceased unmoved, beyond removing the razor from his hand, until the doctor arrived. The deceased at that time appeared quite dead. Witness knew that the deceased had had a good many matters weighing upon his mind latterly. Since his death witness's attention had been called to a case containing articles for dressing. There was a razor in the dressing-case, and there was a vacant space in the case intendod for holding another razor. The razor which the deceased had in his hand was similar to that he found in the dressing-ease. Cases of that description usually contained two razors.  'Alley  James Alexander, police-sergeant, said that about six o'clock on the 31st December he went to the house of deceased, and found him lying on the floor with a gash across I his throat. The raz Jr produced was 11 handed to him. He went into the I show-room, and saw that the centre 1 table was covered with a dustsheet, except the corner which , was nearest the door. On that corner was a dressing-case, from which the razor had evidently been taken, as it contained spaces for two razors, and the one in it corresponded with the one that had been used by the deceased. Dr. Des.s,a medical practitioner at Coath am, said he had known the deceased for about thirty years. Some nine or ten weeks ago he was called upon to attend him, and he found him suffering from religions melancholia, with strong suicidal tendencies. In consequence of that witness thought it necemsary that someone should be with him continually. He afterwards advised him to go away for change of air, and he was away about a fortnight. After a few appropriate remarks from the Coroner on the sad and parhful nature of the case, the jury returned a verdict in accordanoe with the medical evidence.  The funeral of the late Mr Webster took place last Saturday at Christ Church, Coatham. The great respect in which the deceased gentleman was held was shown by the large number of persons present, including nearly all the leading inhabitants. The clergy of Redoes and district were present. The coffin, which was of polished oak and panelled, with brass mountings, was covered with immortelles. The burial service was performed by the Revs. S. Robinson, Buswell, and W. Mewburn, rector of Redcar. The coffin was lowered into a grave at the corner of the churchyard, adjoining the High-street, and nearest Middlesbrough. Mr Webster was churchwarden at Redcar Church, and choirmaster. He was not an enthusiastic High Church. man, as stated by some of the morning papers, but held very moderate views.  The strange disappearance of young girls from the neighbourhood of West Bromwich is unaccounted for, and not the slighttrace can be obtained of their where