The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1888-01-14 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE OF A  OLE !WYMAN.  A painful occurrence toot place at Bolton Gate, neariWigton, Cumber:au:4m Tuesday. The J. M. Lowther, the Rector of that parisle, had been summoned to appear before the Magistrates to answer a charge of indecent assault preferred against him by Jane Stoddart, a servant, nineteen years of age, who had been in McKeever, of service about three weeks. His solicitor, Mr of Wigton. had visited him on Monday and satisfied himself tbat his client had • satisfactory answer to the charge, and at Mr Lowther's request arranged to send a carriage out to Bolton in the morning to convey him to Wigton. A carriage and pair were sent in due course, and arrived at Bolton Rectory at ludf-ptst nine o'clock. Mr Lowther's housekeeper. Mrs Meese, was then at the door ready to accompany her master to Wigton, but Mr Lowther himself was up stairs. He called for one of his servants, to whom he gave half • dozen letters for the post, and then threw another letter over the bannister to Mrs !damn, whom he asked to deliver it to Mr M'Keecer, hie solicitor. Shortly afterwards he descended, put on his overcoat, having in his hand the two sticks which he always carried ow ing to his lameness, and at the suggestion of one of the servants selected a new hat to wear, in preference to an old one which the servant pronounced shabby. Mrs Macau was now seated in the carriage, which was drawn up at the door, and the driver was standing with the carriage door open expecting Mr Lowther to enter. The rev. gentleman did not do so. however, but, patting the driver on the back, he told him to mount the bogs as he could "manage." As soon as the driver had got on the box Mr Lowther went mini to the back of the carriage, and, standing with like back to the hind wheels and his face to thie church, bade farewell to his favourite pony Bowden, an animal celebrated in the show ground. Then a shot was heard, and the driver on turning round saw that Mr Lowther had shot himself in thu mouth with lb revolver. The bullet had passed through the roof of the mouth into the brain, and Mr Lowther fell dead on the ground. His body was carried into the house, and a messenger was despatched to Wigton with the letter to Mr M'Keever. The letter said :—" Such a trouble I cannot face, and 60 I shall not appear to-day. Let my funeral be as quiet as possible. I urge that I may be buried at the next space to Foster, of Kilhow. S. R. Collins will show you where. Come immedustely.—Truly yours, J. M. L." Mr M'Keever, astonished at the painful and unexpected intelligence, hurried to Bolton, taking with him Dr. White, of Wigton. They found the rev, gentleman quite dead. Mr Lowther was 64 years of age, and had been Rector of Bolton since 1874. He was unmarried. The living, which is worth £5OO a year, is in the patronage of the Earl of Lonsdale.—The inquest was held on Wednesday afternoon. The evidence was conclusive that the deceased had shot himself with • small six.chambered revolver, one chamber of which had been discharged, the other (IVO being found loaded. The driver of the carriage , beside which the occurrence took place said that , before the shot was fired the deceased bade farewell to his church and his neighbours, and then . implored God's curse upon the two church. wardens and their families.—The jury returned • verdict of suicide whilst labouring under temporary insanity.