Widnes Examiner. — 1906-07-21 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

WILL. late Mr. Charles Higginbottom a few days prior to his suicide on November 11th last, and which has occupied the Probate Court this week, possesses features of singular interest. Mr. Higginbottom oecame engaged to a Miss Turnock of Stockton Reath, less than a fortnight before his death and Made a will in her favour absolutely, thus setting aside a will dated July 1905, which settled a fixed Allowance on his mother, an old lady of SO. Probate of the will in favour of Miss Turnock was °Pposed by Mrs. Higginbottom on the ground that when the testator made it, a few days before Committing suicide, ha was not responsible for his actions. fgood deal of the evidence called before Sir Gorell Barnes was in reference to the state of the deceased's mind at the time, sud • thong h there can be no doubt t .hat Arr. IL --gginbottom was then suffering from sOsomnia and melancholia we think the verdict of the Court un obi; -11---.ng his last will and testament is Perfectly justified. It has become a too common thing in this country for people in general and coroner's juries in particular to presume that because a man commits suicide he must be of unsound mind. A verdict offelo de se is far loss frequently given than the facts justify. A man rosy, while in full possession of his faculties' his reasoning powers, and even his mental balance, decide to quit this world. We cannot agree with , the contention of those people who say that by taking his own life he proves his montal unsound. ness. In the. case in question the evidence Shows that Mr. Higginbottom behaved in ? a perfectly rational manner—even if obviously ' Unwell—up to the time of making the will in con'. sultation with his solicitor. It is not for the Probaterourt or anyone else to inquire into or doubt the sanity of the reasons which influenced him in flaking a will in favour of his sweetheart shortly ' oefore committing the dreadful act of self-destruction. That he had reasons there can be no doubt, as he was clearly capable of reasoning at the ' time, no other verdict was, in strict justice, ' Possible. We are aware that much public sympathy extended to his mother, who is, apparently,thus i nenrived of the comforts due to her old age, but ' this fact does not affect the issue. Everybody , Will be unfeignedly glad, however, that the agreeant.. made by the deceased's wish, and signed by v Niss Turoock, is to be carried out, so that the bereaved mother will be fitly provided for. Popular °Pinion will probably disagree with the verdict, but we have tried to show—what is our conviction that it was the only possible one under the °lellrnstances.  -The Warrington Education AEc c°oßmm oSCHOOLnaT Committee has realized that toN. the school accommodation question is one of pressing urgency. Even are now in hand when the two new schools which are completed the provision will still be inadequate and the committee is now about to negotiate for a site for a third school in Well-15eld-street. All this cannot be done at once and in the meantime steps are being taken to relieve the pressure by providing a temporary iron building. While this structure will first be used to tneet the needs of the Bank Quay neighbourhood, it will be so constructed as to admit of its removal to other districts when there is no longer any use ler it in the original position. We are glad that the Education Committee has awakened to the ernand for immediate action. The only question vihich suggests itself is: Why was not the prol'ision of temporary accommodation undertaken qarlier This course was repeatedly urged upon the committee, but for a long time it was hardly treated seriously. At Monday's meeting of the llthority Mr. Plinston contended —and his sugkestion was not contradicted—that if the onamittee had come to its present decision ~ :Wo years ago there would have been a great , "big to the town. Warrington has con' 4ilerable leeway to make up in educational laffairs and the prospect for the ratepayer is not a .r„etY pleasant one. The members of the Education 'clrmoittee were told on Monday that they must be threpared to erect a new school every two years Rome time to come. With the growth of the town, this will probably be inevitable. The average . ,atepayer does not as a rule complain at having to PY for what is absolutely necessary for the / advancement of the rising generation. All he tialgs— and he has a perfect right to do so—is that 9 B authorities shall not be too lavish with the Public funds or, in the case of new schools, fritter a ' Way money on useless ornamentations. A circular his been issued 'VACCINATION by the Horne Office to the EsnAtrTlcN, Magistrates' Clerks up and down the country, for the ' of assisting them in the guidance of the t' Vstiees they serve in the administration of the the Act, 1898. The circular is plainly " outcome of complaints which have been