The Weekly Gazette for Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Cleveland District. — 1879-08-30 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DISTRESSING SUICIDE AT  MIDDLESBROUGH.  On Tues lay night an inquest was held in the Shakespeare Hotel, Liutliorpe-road, Middlesbrough, on the body of Margaret Caroliuo Smith, wife of Mr Wm. Smith, innkeeper, who had committed suicide on the prev-ous night.—Williain Smith, innkeeper, said : The deceased was my wife, and was 39 years of ale. She had been unwell for 130/13(3 time, but not very low-spirited. She went about her work on Monday as usual. She did not go out. About 740 I asked her to go down into the cellar and help me to tilt a cask. She did so, and when it was done she came away. I left the cellar about a quarter of an hour after. During the night I was waiting in the house. She usually waited in the bar. My niece told me that Mrs Smith I ad gone upstaire. That would be about eight o'clock. Half-an hour after I went to look fur her, and, could see nothing of her in the rooms up stairs. I came down stairs again, and tiler awhile I went up to the attic ti look for her. It was a very raro thing for her to go out of the house. When I went into the attic I did not find her. I also lootted it,to the cockloft between the joists and the roof, but did not notice anything there. As I could not find her, I thought she had gone to my brother , Ramsey's in Newiert-road, and I rested content till after closing time (eleven o'clock). I and my niece went there to seek her. We found that she had not been there, nor at Mr Bruce's queen Hotel. We returned home with my brother and his wife. We then made a thorough search, and went up to the attic again. I pulled the door open, and my brother went iu and found her lying there. She was not in the habit of taking drink, except a glass of beer to her dinner. I had heard her say once or twice that she wished she was in heaven. She was usually healthy. I don't know of anything lately to put her about. She fretted herself about little things. Sergeant Raisbeck said: I was called at twelve o'clock by a man named Thomas Gowen. I went up to the attic along with Mr Ramsey Smith. I saw the body in the cock-loft, between the joists and the slats. Her feet were near the door. She was lying on her side, with her head resting on one joist. She was lying in a pool of blood. She was dead and cold. The knife (produced) wae lying about eighteen inches from her hand. It was stained with blood. We let her lie till the doctor had examined her. I did not smell any drink from her. Dr. G. Walker said: I have attended the deceated on three or four occasions during seven years. the last tire about a year ago, when she was then suffering from indigestiou and nervous dejection. She got better of that, and I did not SC 3 her again till I called about three weeks ago to attend the ssrvant. She seemed at that time very cheerful. She had cot to my knowledge bsen addicted to taking drink. I was called this morning about half-past twelve. I was shown to the sp tt. I examined her. She was lying on her loft side ; her left hand was smeared with blood; her body was drawn up. With the assistance of Sergeant Raisbeck I turned her on to her,back, and found a wound on the left side of the neck directly over the p3sition of the main blood vessel. The wound was about an inch and a quarter long, and about half an inch wide at its widest point. On the lower side of it there were five or six cats throulli tl.e skin, as if the knife had la: in taken and tried before the wound was made. In the lowest part of the wound I could put in my fioger up to the knuckle; the rest of the wound was not so deep. It seemed as `f the knife had ben, found too blunt to cut, and a stab had been made. I don't thiek she was a woman of weak mind, but one of itritable and fretful spirit. From the position of the body and of the wound I came to the conclusion that the wound had beets self-inflicted, and with the right hand.. Mr Smith (re-called) said the pocket knife was used by him to cut his corns. The deceased's niece said she did not notice anything strange about her on Monday, except that she sighed a little. After being in the cellar the deceased went up stairs. As she did not come down witness called for her, but received no answer. The deceased and her husband lived happily together, and they had no words on Monday. The jury returned a verdict that deceased destroy° I her life by cutting her own throat, but there was not sufficient evidence to show what was the state of her mind.