The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-11-24 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

SHOCKING SUICIDE ON THE  RAILWAY. An inquest was held on Monday at the Grapes Inn, Warwick-lane, Coventry, before Dr. C. W. Dille, Coroner, on the body of Arthur Charles Norbury, whose body was found on the London and NorthWestern Railway, at the Folly-lane crossing, on Sunday morning.—lnspector Squires, Birmingham, with Mr. Rivett, Stationmaster, watched the inquiry for the Railway Company. The following evidence was taken : James Norbury, 150, lh, Gosford-street, dyer, said deceased was his son. Be was a moulder, and lived at home, his age being 21. During the last two months deceased had been working as a labourer at Mr. Madeley's, Bishop-street. Deceased served his time as an apprentice with Messrs. Matterson, Huxley, and Watson, and on the 21st August, when he completed his time, he was discharged. Since then he had never looked up, and had appeared to be depressed in mind. Before he was discharged he was very cheerful, but afterwards he seemed to have lost his spirits. There was nothing else to make him low-spirited, so far as witness knew. Deceased left home about nine on Saturday morning to go to his work as usual, and as he did not return at a quarter to twelve at night, the door was left open for him. _  Isaac Yeatman, wagoner, in the employ of Mr. Z. Binley, of Willenhall Farm, said that on Saturday night, about half-past eleven o'clock, he was going In company with three other people over the brick bridge at Folly-lane, when he observed by the light of the moon, something lying on the rails. He went down and found it to be a dead body- The entrails were torn out, his left arm lay on the metals, and his head was nearly off. He shifted the body so as to be out of the way of a passing train, and then went to Stoke Aldermoor and gave information to a platelayer living there. Inspector Golby stated that he took charge of the body. He found the right side and shoulder completely shattered; the head and shoulders being almost knocked off. He had ascertained that the last seen of the deceased was in the Coffee Palace, about eight o'clock at night. In reply to the coroner, Mr. Rivetts said he had been unable to fix the time of the occurrence. It was on the down line, but he did not know when. Mr. Squires said he wished to say that he had been told that several publin-houses *fusel to admit the body. If that was right it would be right for all the pablioans of Coventry to refuse to accept corpses, and what then would they do? Would it not be for Coventry then to, build • mortuary The Coroner said thia question had been before the Council a long time, but he was afraid that body was very much like Parliament--long-winded, and a great deal of red-tapeiam had to be gone through. He did not know that they were any nearer the settlement of the question than they were some time ago, and there seemed to him no better method of approaching the Council than by such remarks being endorsed by the citizens. Mr. Rivett said that his men, with a policeman, were at least forty minutes carrying the body about the streets before they could get anyone to take It in.  The Coroner said the only thing they could hope for was that expressions of that sort, endorsed by juries, would urge the Council to take into consideration, without delay, the necessity of providing a mortuary in some part of the town. The diffioulty of finding a suitable situation seemed to be the plea on which the matter had been shelved, but there must be some place provided ,11here people found on the railway, or who 'bad otherwise met with an untimely end, 'should be taken, rather than impose them 'on the publicans of the town. Proceeding  I where  to sum up the case, the Coroner said that no doubt the fact of his being out of work bad tended to depress deceased's mind and induced the act. The jury returned a verdict of suicide whlit temporary insane. 

Article type: Incident