The Warwickshire Herald. — 1885-12-03 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SHOCKINCI SUICIDE OF AN ASTON MANUFACTURER. On Monday Mr. D. R. ‘Vynter (('oroner for Central Warwickshire) held an inquast at the Bath Tavern, Brougham-street, Aston, touching the death of Thomas Hicks (50), black ornament maker, Cholton House, Brougham-street, who died on Thursday, the 211th ult.—Marion Hicks, widow of the deceased, deposed that she resided at 30, Broughton street, and the deceased was a black ornament maker, and was 50 years of age. On the 24th of November he appeared in good health, and in the morning about ten o'clock went out to vote. NVhen he returned at about eleven o'clock he went upstairs, and she knew nothing More until ;the deceased called to her. She went upstairs and found the deceased sitting in a chair near the window. Ile said, " Ma, I have done it, and there is the bottle." There was a bottle on the dressing table containing liquid, which she recognised as the bottle produced. Her husband seemed in a great deal of pain and she sent for the doctor, who came immediately and attended to the deceased. He was put to bed at once and lingered on until six o'clock on Thursday morning. He had previously threatened to do something dreadful on account of the had state of. trade. Ile had had several trade losses, which caused him to be vary excited at times.—James Whittaker, assistant in the employ of Mr. Cornforth, chemist, 1, tteorgestreet, Lozells, said that the deceased came to Mr. Cornforth's shop on Tuesday last and asked if they sold muriatic acid. Witness said they did, and thereupon deceased asked for three ounces, remarking that he wanted it for dissolving zinc. Witness labelled the bottle poison, and took the extra precaution of placing another " Poison " label on the bottle. He had never seen the deceased before.— Mr. William James Foster, surgeon, 121, Villaroad, said that on Tocsdny morning he was sent iOe to the deceased, and on arriving at Cholton It he found Hicks sitting on a chair in a bedroom in intense agony. He complained of a burning in the mouth, throat, and stomach. In reply to a question from witness, deceased said he had taken Muriatic acid. He had taken about an ounce and two drachms. He said he felt as though he was on fire inside. Witness applied the usual remedies but without avail. The deceased's condition was the one cpllapse from the intense burning, and witness front the first gave no hope of his ultimate recovery. He lingered on suffering from inflammation of the throat and stomach until six o'clock on Thursday morning when he died from collapse. Witness asked him why he had committed the rash act, and deceased said it was because they had been bothering him from the bank. Witness had attended the deceased previously, and he was a man who would have had very little power in resisting trouble. He also informed witness that when he bought the acid he had no idea of committing suicide, but that being in trouble and seeing the poison it was a sudden impulse, and he felt that his trouble would soon be over.—That concluded the evidence, and the Coroner in summing up said that that WAS one of those distressing cases which there was not the slightest doubt arose from the depressed state of trade, and the way in which it affected the deceased's business. After the evidence of Mrs. Hicks there could hardly be any question in the minds of the jury that the deceased at the time he committed suicide was temporarily insane.—The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the "Deceased committed suicide while temporarily insane."