The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1904-01-06 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

JONES. The Workhouse Committee reported that the case of John Henry haddocks, who committed suicide through jumping through a! window, had been referred to the Workhouse Committee. That the clerk was requested to so arrange that the Guardians shall he legally represented at all ooroner's inquests held upon the body of any person who has met his or her death whilst chargeable to the Union, whether on the WOrkillOC•6o premises or elsewhere. A letter bad been received from Dr. Starlikeld, the medical officer of the workhouse, etating that he regretted not having been asked to give evidence at the inquest as Madded's, as hia evidence, backed up by * letter from Dr. Floyd, would have materially =edified the. verdict of the jury. He also protested . autt:ef such offensive terms as "gibbering . . --,; having been introduced and pubbelied, as the terms sooner or later would get to the poor creatures and cause them pain. Mrs. Lam,gmsn proposed the confirmation of the- minutes. The Clerk mad a letter from the deputy coroner, which stated that the jury, in re turning drir terdiot.et the inquest on the body of the deceased man haddocks, held on Thursday. 24th •December, who died as the ✓esult of throwing himself from -the window of a ward of the sanatorium, expreeeed *heir opinion that thesanatorium-was trader, staffed, and thathhey did not consider that. an inmate of the workhouse 70 years of age was a fit and proper person to not as wnrds-. man at the sanatorium. Mr. Mersey Jones, in seconding the! minntee, eaid he would like to say that the Guardians desired in express sympathy with the relatives and the widow, .At the same time, to also wished to refer t the facts of the case. The number of harr leas lunatics in the male ward was 21, the. being 14, sane epileptics, the total number, in the ward being 98. There were two paid day attendants and one paid night attendant- The Guardians sometime ago had raeognieed the necessity of proposing to the „Load Government Board the erection of ! -small male and female observation warda r attached to the sanatorium for extreme . cues, and plans for au& had been made and ,atat to the Local Government Board, and I were at present under -the consideration of the Board. He was happy to be able to ear -that, notwithstanding the fact that over 1,000-cases had been praesed through their sanatorium during the last eight years,. there had not been one case of fatal accident or suicide previously. With regard to the diet given to these poor men, he was told, on theauthority of the medical...officer,. Dr. Stamfield, that itwas man as was lately suited muted to thismase, antiwar in ncrvar an economical 41st. Generally 1,.., he thought the solicitor who had ..si. the Cantrell 'behalf of the friends of the deceased' -wasimosedingly courteoue in hia demeanour but he thought that they, as Guardians, must protest against one expression that weemade, and that was that the deceased man V.idocks- was placed amongst gibbering idiots. He (the -speaker) must my, as, • chairman of the Sanatorium Committee, that .they had no such cases in the sanatorium. With regard to the case -being one that we. rightly sent to ,thein for treatment, Dr, ,RanA, old had a statement to make and this statement was that Dr. W. Floyd supplied a certificate to Mr. Robin-son, a relieving-officer, in which he-said that the man was-clangeroastodlimself and,ought -to be removed for safety. Threedays after-wards—thje was Dr. Stansfaidfs oomph, .Dr. Floyd aunt a letter to Dr. Stansfielt the dammed's wife ouggesting that the, ceased might be released to go to an es .in the country. Dr. StheM said he-was -notystfflt to be removed. Tatat the inquest Dr. W. Floyd not only said that the than wag dangerous to himself, but would, from his known affliction, ham that made away. with his family before committing suicide. Dr. Stang:field was annoyed, sad he thought - 'doctor ought naturally to be aeries:sly - A. about it. With regard to the _ _— made by the jury, that theplacerwas- verteretaged, this was a matter that: had been under the nonsidecation of the .thisidians, and they wooed give-it *prim -attention. The.mattar had Jam reflected' the fienatoriu. at Committee,,and they ver go very astionsty isito the question of 1... er eleettendants if it was necessary, r.atansey, whciaaid hishad been si ' to attend on behalf of the •Local- Goserur Board, said (he would NW, fast of all. .. ' even if they had had double the-staff thatthis this accident ecialdnot very well base ham) prestatecL So far as he- could other,, the man had so far recovered that Ise (masted to he-a certain distanceamer his attendant, and in this ewe he , lime been allowed to go out of the dv .00m into the adlaatne mom, whole the =faisti..7 behaingmobtatytinnugh. by- Ase=oir-of nal On-thequestio :=l:g inight.say that tie was of , hicannrivom. y stoold.cieweaLto cowlicks- -, ought not to increase their staff thessoatorium. Upxn the-hooks-them •at theit-timeabout43B males an the buil about ten of whom were confined to _ ,- ware-in absegoofthirneeftlittllndiall"'bot . _three pad attenittata one was ' adtendaut so that in the-day tine. , ventweniy_ two aWandanor-all- emptiness to. tea .liiiron* ,sa.. ir Ia. basil  Edin-1  othei  thei  r•qma4  "idTcli,l  aeiiingj  I^Pe';ta—rl3l  T4.9.I,IUtISge6UTI  t 4.54  Ire_m4  pre-.  in-I  _efol  lot• I  _ harm--.  ere,  4-1  aunt,  iI-4  :seal  =tl  B!al?o,l4—'°ml;laTflr  4er49°M+ ;ASO  peenrcli7inte