The Haslingden Gazette. — 1909-04-24 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

LEA? TO DEATH  HASLINGDEN WORKHOUSE TRAGEDY. SUICIDE DUE TO INFLUENZA.  At the Haslingden Workhouse on Monday, Mr. Robinson, Coroner, held an inquest with reference to the death of James Fallon, aboemaker, aged 49, who was admitted to the Infirmary from Rawtenstall by medical order on Tuesday of lust week. Ile Coroner, in opening the inquest, observed that the man was admitted to the workhouse cer. tified to be suffering from influenza and to be more or I eSS mit of his mind, and Was at once rent to the Infirmary. He was visited by a nurse during the early hours of Friday morning, hut after her visit got out of Led, went into the kvatory, and apparently jumped out of the window. A paternal Government, Mr. Robinson remarked, did not allow iron bars to be fined to these win.. lows—the place would be too much like a Pri,on.. A point that would arise during the inquest would be whether the nian had been guarded and proteeted by the workhouse officials in such a way us a delirious nmn ought to be guarded. A juryman informed the Coroner that he ham pencil to meet Fallon while the latter was on his way to the Workhouse. The man informed him that be had pneumonia and would not come out of the Workhouse alive.  The Master of the Workhouse, Mr. William Losham, stated that decea....ed was admitted to the institution on the 13th inst. under medical order and was taken straight to the infirmary. 'The man gave the address of a friend in America and described himself as a shoemaker. Deceased was not delirious, hut became rather restless on Thursday. There were two nurses on night duty, one a qualified nurse, the other a probationer, and between then] these two nurses had to attend to twelve rooms and 110 patients. The Coroner observed that two nurses could not give notch attention to so many patients, and the Master said lie quite agreed. Continuing, witness said he was called at 4-30 am., and informed that a man had jumped through the laAatory window, dropping a distance of 2/I. feet. Death ensued in about a quartet- of an hour. In reply to questions Mr. Loxham said there was nothing to prevent anyone getting out of the window. Iron bars were not allowed.  The Coroner suggested that they might adopt some arrangement by which the windows could only be opened for a certain distance, arid the witness stated that that was already being done. The Clerk to the Guardians (Mr. J. H. Sinkinsoli) intervened in order to make it quite dear that there could not he the slightest ground for any suggestion of inefficiency or inattention on the part of the ofhi ials concerned in the matter. In answer to Mr. Sinkinson the Master said there had been no complaints as to the staffing of the infirmary- at nights. The patients were generally quiet and were for the most part people suffering froni troubles arising from old age so that there was no special individual care needed. Deoea,ed did not seem to be delirious, or he would have been guarded by an inmate. There had been no previous occurrence of the kind at Pike Law.  The Coroner agreed that there had never been anything of the kind during his time as Coroner. Miss Heywoml stated that she was on duty on this particular night. She noticed nothing wrong with deceased, who was apparently sleeping when she saw hiss five minutes before lie threw hini,elf from the window. When she returned she found deceased missing and was told that he had jumped out of the window. She found him lying on the ground outside in an insensible condition and he died before the doctor arrived. Witness did riot Loose that deceased was delirious and his condition afforded no evidence that he was delirious. The inan was perfectly quiet. Questioned by Mr. Sinkineon the nurse said there! was apparently no need for the man to be given special attention. Her own opinion was that as a general thing there ought to be another nurse on night duty. George W. Yardley. a patient in the infirmary who occupied the next bed to deceased, said Fallon was perfectly quiet, did not ramble much, and talked very little indeed. Witness did not hear deceased get out of Led, but saw him as he was about to jump out of the lavatory window. Witness ran towards bins, but the man flung himself out, and he heard the thud of his body as it alighted after its fall. He agreed that deceased was not at all noisy and did not seem to require any special watching. Ikr, Stewart. Union Medical Officer. said he le deceased when lie seas admitted and every day subsequently. The man was "quietly delirious," but seemed to need no care out of the ordinary. Deceased's neck was apparently broken hy the fall. In reply to the Clerk, Dr. Stewart stated that had any special attention been considered necessary, it would have been given. In his opinion  .• the present nurring staff was quite sufficient. Extra nurser: were always available when the necessity arose. A verdict was returned to the effect that deceased committed suicide whilst suffering from influenza and that he was not responsible for his Own actions at the time.