The Herald of Wales. — 1887-06-18 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

SHOCKING SUICIDE NEAR PONTARDAWE.  THE INQUEST AND VERDIOT.  On Monday afternoon, at the Police-etation, Pontardawe, the district coroner, Mr. Edward Strick, held an enquiry into the circumstances attending the death of a celliery labourer, named Thomas Mainwaring, aged 56 years, and a resident of Ynisraudw, who was found dead on Saturday afternoon, with a scarf round his neck, suspended from some underwood on the banks of the river Tawe. The jury having been duly sworn, the first witness called was  Jane Hainwaring, widow of the deceased, who deposed that she had been married 32 years, and I had had 13 children. Deceased was formerly a outter, hut latterly had followed the avocation of a colliery labourer. For some time past he had been suffering from shortness of breath, an I ailing which deterred him from working underground. In consequence of this he became a labourer at the pit's mouth, and was in the employ ef the Graigola Colliery Company. Besides suffering from shortness of breath, deceased used to complain of pains in his head, and was attended to by Dr. Griffiths, who prescribed for him. Witness had never heard deceased threaten to take his own life. The last time she sew him alive WU on Wednesday mornia g, when he left the house to go to his work. She hoard nothing of him that night, and the following day she went to the colliery to make enquiries as to the whereabouts of the deceased. Whilst on her way to the colliery, she met sonic women who told her that they had seen her husband on the previous evening. Failing to gain anything further she went to the police station and gave information of his being missing. She looked about for deceased for two days, but without success. On Saturday afternoon, about four o'clock, she was informed that her husband had been found, and he was brought home dead. Ho was often depressed when in his usual health. When brought home he had his victuals with him, and one shilling in his pocket.  John Thomas, a furnaceman at the Ynyspen11wch Works, was next examined, and stated that on Wednesday last, about two o'clock, he was walking along the canal bank from Pontardawe to Ynyepenllwch, when he saw deceased walking along the bed of the river near the Graigola Colliery, the water at the time being very low. Witness thought he was raising fishing asts. He spoke to deceased, who told him to mind his own business. Witness then saw him leave the river, and go into a field abutting the stream. That was the last he saw of him.  Jabez Lewis, of Olvdaon, said he was personally acquainted with the deceased. On Friday, he heard deceased was missing, and on Saturday morning, he made a search for him, which eventually proved fruitful. He found deceased about two o'clock the same day. He was banging by a cravat, which was tied round his neck, and fastened to the branch of some undeiwood. He was in a sitting posture and partly in :the water. :Life was extinct, and must have been so some time. The spot where he was found was about 100 yards below the Rmt-y-kfilgi. Witness immediately cut him down, and sent for Dr. Griffiths. There were no signs of any struggling. Dr Griffith Griffiths, M.R.C.8., of Pouterdawe, said he had attended the deceased professionally for years past. He was etiffezing from difficulty of breathing, and was very weak. In his (witness') opinion deceased was labouring under some hallucination' and that it was due to his intemperate habits. Heharl examined the body, and with the exception of a mark round the throat there were no marks of violence. The scarf produced was calculated to cause such a mark as be had found on deceased's neck. There was unmistakable evidence of strangulation, which was undoubtedly the cause of his death. Witness considered he was temporarily insane. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased committed suicide whilst labouring under an attack of temporary insanity.