The Warwickshire Herald. — 1895-02-14 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SUICIDE AT ASTON.  A NIORTI'ARY FOR TUB DISTRICT. On Monday afternoon, Mr. Joseph Atwell, deputy coroner for the district, held gn inquest at the Alhambra Inn, Clifford Street. touching the death of Frederick Joseph Coxon, a gun action filer, of 82. Porchester Street, who committed suicide on Saturday morning by cutting his throat with a razor. Harry Coxon. of 83. Porchester Street, said the deceased WWI his brother, and was 35 years of age. He went to witness's house on Friday night lass about. half-past ten and remarked, "f have come again, Harry,." Lie was slightly the worse for drink. He stayed all night and slept on the sofa,. He had slept there on two or three previous occasions. Witness went to bed about half-past one o'clock on Saturday morning, and about a quarter to eight the same morning when he came downstairs he found his brother on his knees in front of the fire. He had a razor in his right hand and there was blood on the hearth. Witness spoke to him but received no answer. He then went out to his brother-in-law's in New Street, who afterwards went for the police; Two constables came upon the scene and were followed by Dr. Morris, assistant to Dr. Jones, of Alma Street —The Coroner: I am told that your brother has made an attempt before. Is that so? Witness: Yes.—How long ago? A little 0,-r eighteen months.—How was that? By placing :I rope round his neck, and throwing himself through the bedroom window. The rope was attached to th.• bed. Somehow the rope caught under his arm and saved him. He was then living in Great King Street. He. was lirrested on a charge of committing suicide and subsequently discharged. Since the:, he bad been undergoing six nice imprim amiv lit. and only came out of gaol last Saturday week. This seemed to affect his mind. Ile never made any complaint, but did not seem to settle down. Ile had been drinking a good deal sines, he left the ga.d. Witness had never seen the razor before. Herbert Knight. carter, 34. Nee Street. Aston. brother-in-law of the last witness, gave similar evidence.  --i'olice-constahle Wright deposed to going to the house and finding deceased in the manner described by the previous witness. On deceined was found Ss. 2d., a pledge ticket, and a knife. .There were no other papers upon him. Dr. Morris stated that in consequeriee of a communication made to lim he went to the house 83, Porchester Street. and saw deceased in a kneeing; position on the hearth-rug. Witmes made an examination of the body and found that death had ensued about a eouplo of hour + previous to his arrival. There wa i larze m-ounil in the throat about 41 thee in length, the larynx being completelv severed. Such a wound would be roused lir the riaor pmduced. There new no other marks of violence on , tht__• body.  The i umming up. briefly reVICWI4i the evidence. remarking that there was no doubt the : wound was ,elf-intheted. and that he alone was reg. pine:dile for the Act. In regard to hi state of mind it was quite clear that he was not himself at the time. Another thing he (the ( 'tinnier) would like to mention was with reward to Hit house when, was. and the increased neoeffity for mortnary acomimodation in the district. Ile jury would bear in mind that the man Wati found on the ground floor, and there was only one way of going into the house. go that, pending this inquiry, the family bail bad to have it entirely. It was quite obviomi they mild not live and eat in the same hou,e who're the. body existed, neither mild the body be removed upstairs, because the family could not sleep in the 0.11110 room. They (the jury) would In glad to learn that we are to have a mortuary for the di— triet, and this is to be provided bellied the pollee station in Victoria Road. The time was not far distant when an order would be given for the removal of bodies to the mortuary, and facil&es given to the jury for inspecting them there. and holding the inquest in some of the rooms in the building atone of the courts. This, he hoped, would remedy many of the evils, and reform many of the disail vantages under which inquests had previously twee held in Aston.  IThe jury afterivar& returned a venliet of "Suicide, vtbilet temporarily insane."