The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1913-11-29 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

TROUBLE.  On Thursday afterneon the Borough dweller conducted an inquest. on the body of Mrs. Eliza Lucy Roberts, who wee the wife of Bngineer Itredeitok Roberti, of the Birkenhead Ilre Brigade' , and wbo, ousnmilted suicide by cutting her throat with a MOW on the preerione (Wednesday) morning. • The filet witness called was the husband: Peederick Robecte. be lived at 34, Whetetonerlane, and-he identified the deceased as his wife,; Eliza Lucy -Roberta aged 30. Until Aegnst, of 011ie year.' she. had been, as far as he knew, a healltilY- and an extra strong woman. Then she beaus:iv ill,- and had since been under the care of .Drs. Wilkinson. and Ha.nlre, suffering front 'consamption. She grew wore', and fora fortnight past had been cOnffned to bed. One of the narse,s frord- St. Peed's Church, Argyle-street, had visited her at intervals, and Mrs. Hanagimia; the next door neigh- ! boor looked after her cootintieuely. She was iirery illon Wedniesday and she left her :at about a • Itrs- "Hanoghen wee With her in the house, quarter.to tube to go on duty. •atel deeeaised-WBS complaistieg of great pain about the throat,-oeuseditY eoughing• Bbe never'znede any suggestion that she would 'kill herself. Seine time ago ehe made some reference to a person she had beard of who had been in bed for three veers in conenmption, and she reiiiarked that if she had to stay in bed for three years she Would do away with herself. Ile did not take the re-, mark. eeriotedy. At 11-45 kern. the bell rang at the lire station for the embulanbs; but the mail would not tell him , where they were Seine. Shoudy afterwards Sept. Burne sent for him 'end totd him to go 'home. lie got home before the deceased had been taken swaY in the aMbuhinee The razor (produced in eeurt) was his, and was kept, in the kitelien' On.. one of the shelves. His Wife was in 'bed upstairs in the front room. He leet used the razor on 'Monday, and pat if hack on:the ehelf.•• His wife's opeoplaint was incurable, but she did not know it. She had been depressed because of 'her inability to look after the house and the ohildren. Mrs- Hanaghan. of X& Whebstonalane, said she had been looking after the deceased for the last few weeks. She had been very bad, and was getting rapidly worse. During the last fortnight he had been in bed, and witnees attended to her every day. Deceased never made any suggestion to her about cutting her throat, but she was very depreesed. She WA's never, told that her case AV&S hopeless. Shortly after e4.tht o'clock witness gave deceased her •breaVast and cleared up; anti:went back to her own house, telling deceased she would not he away long. Te left. the lotit.‘k door shot, but not lecke , so that she could return. ...So far as she knew no one entered the Molise while she was away. She heard the milkman at the door of deceased's house and went to Open it and take the milk in, and then ran upstairs to see how deceased was. Witness found her seated on the edge of the bed dressed ana with her boobs on. She often prepared to get up While witness was away. She asked deceased if she should hiring some water for her to yeah herself, and she said it would do when •the brought the cocoa up. So witness went back to her own house and then retnrned and made the cocoa. As the Was taking it upstairs eh f heard a noise from the deceased's thanat. She put the Cocoa clown and ran to the. room. She formddeceeeeel kneeling by the dreesing-table. with blood gnehing from her throat. She Went to her, and de(*Aged put her arms- around her and clung to her. She saw how --serious the case was, and went for assistance and the ambnlance. The razor wart 13-in.g on the dressing-table., and deceased Must have got in from downstairs in witness's absence. • , Dr. R. M. Brown, junior house surgeon at the Borough Hospital; said the deceased was admitted at 11-55' a.ro. to the hospital, and was dead. Therewas a large cut in the throat about four trichee in length, situated just above the "apple." On the left side of the incision were • two small ones of a superficial nature. The wound was much deeper .on the left side than on the right. The jugular vein was. severed, said also the wind-pipe and gullet. The cause of death -fres bemopthage folowog On the wound, which, in his °Oman. wive., lwelf-iellictixiThere•wae no other Matt -a AIPT kind upon • the • • • The 'Coroner: Has coneteription tine effect upon mental equilibrium ? Witneese No, excepts tits of melancholia. She mnst. have 'been in a very bad erne-titian, due to consumption, because she was very emaciated indeed. The Coroner, in summing up. sa.id this was a -very earl ease for Roberts, and he sYmPath4serl eith him. The jury would have no difficulty in finding the cause of devith—hemorrhage consequent an the infliction of this woolid. There did not annnt to he any doubt that it. was self-inflicted. The other point .for them to cen,ider was the condition of deceased's mind. At this point the Coroner recalled Mrs. Flarieglia,n, and in 'reply to his question, she said that the deceased ,:poke quite sensibly. but. at tinies*ltneas theii,ght Arlie was a lithe bit distraicted. The-Ooreneri How (JO you mean? Witness: She weelostespirited, and there were times wheal she,sariet a thing that. did not sound as if she was enite strong in her mind. We had to brighten her up. After a short- eeneideration the Fcreman of the Jury Said that:.they Nrefe all agreed that death was caused by the throat being , cut and that itwas self-infficted. Hut they • found that there was not sufficient evidence to lead them to say what her state of mind . was at the time. •.:The Jary desired to , express their very- deep- F.YIIII Wily with Mr. Robert.; at the loss of his wile. It WA, a . %cry pitiful. case. ,