Sad Suicide of a Waggoner at Newton: An inquest was held on Wednesday evening by Mr. H. Michelmore, coroner, at his offices, and a jury consisting of Messrs R. Risdon foreman), W. White, sen., J. A. Cowell. H. Scawn, D. Vile. J. Chenhall, J. Tancock, J. Lombardini, W. H. Stranger, A. Quick, J. Crooke, J. Steer, and G. White, touching the death of George Skinner who committed suicide that morning hanging himself. The jury having viewed the body, the following witnesses were called: George Skinner, a lad about 15 years of age, said was the son of George Skinner, the deceased, who was about 42 years of age. His father was a wagoner for Mr. Pinsent. That morning about eight o’clock his mother asked him to go and look for his father and he did so. He went to Pinsent’s wagon house and there found his father hanging up to the beam. He ran away and fetched two men from the stables adjoining, and one of them went, and cut the rope by which he was hanging. He last saw his father alive about 6 o’clock. He then “woke the witness by shaking him but did not speak, neither did he speak to witness the previous night. His father has been much altered in his looks during the past few days. He would look at the witness and his mother for a minute or two and not speak. He was in the Newton Cottage Hospital about a year since and was a little out of his mind during which time he would often complain of his mother who resides in London not sending to him. People said at the time he drank the same benzoline oil but he did no such thing. He unscrewed the top of a lamp and set fire to the oil. His father often used to be tipsy but not lately. He never heard his father say he would kill himself as he was tired of his life. He has two brothers and three sisters who live in one house with their mother and grandmother. Witness and his brother slept downstairs and the rest of the family upstairs. There are only two rooms in the house. William Tirrell, brewer Messrs. Pinsent’s, said he knew the deceased and last saw him the previous evening. He thought the deceased was nothing near as cheerful when last saw him as he generally was. The deceased was ill about twelve months since and appeared to be out of his mind. About hall-past eight that morning the last witness fetched him and went to the wagon house and there saw him hanging to a beam. He cut him down and felt his face was quite cold. His feet were only a few inches from the ground. The rope was a small one. During the past few months, he had been much more temperate than previously. He had not been the worse for drink for some time. He went to Chudleigh the previous day and after returning he was asked to have glass of ale at the brewery, but he refused it which was rather unusual for him. – Mr. Thomas J. Pinsent, a brewer of Newton Bushell, said the deceased had worked for him for about ten years as a waggoner. About twelve months since he drank some Benzoline mistaking it for cider in the night and was obliged to go to the hospital. He was ill for three weeks and he thought it had weighed on his mind ever since. – Sarah Skinner, wife of the deceased, said she last saw him alive that morning ten minutes before six when he went to work. About eight o’clock a man named Miller called and enquired for him and as he appeared to be missing, she sent her boy to look for him. He had been low spirited since Monday and was so about a year ago when he set fire to some oil in a benzoline lamp and tried to drink it, but witnesses prevented him. He had been low spirited about a week before he attempted to drink the oil. He was 42 years of age. Last Thursday and Friday he went to Exeter and did not arrive home until between twelve and one on Friday and Saturday mornings and when he started to go to Torquay on Saturday, he put his hand to his head saying he must knock off the drink as he was bad. He drank freely both days in Exeter and should have thought that was what drove him to do what he had done. Since he had been to Mr. Pinsent’s he had been quite a different man to what he was before. He never drank before. Coroner, in summing up, said it appeared that the poor fellow hung himself, but in what state of mind he was in when he did it, it was for the jury to say. The evidence went show that he drank heavily, and one time he appeared to have attempted suicide burning himself with lighted benzoline oil, but he was luckily stopped in the act and sent to the hospital where he recovered. He seemed to drink as before and last week very heavily which led him to commit the rash act. Therefore, saw no other reason for the insanity except the curse of England “Drink,” and that would always be the same as long as drink was given to such men, and he hoped this would be a warning to brewers and publicans not to give men drink when they deliver what was consigned to them. In his annual return of the inquests held he had to state where deaths were caused by drink, so if the jury thought such was the case now, they were to say so in their verdict. The jury returned a verdict of “Temporary Insanity produced by drink. At the suggestion of Mr. Risdon, the foreman, the jury gave their fees to the widow who is left with six children, the youngest being only six weeks old.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0518 Devonport: John Ball Pinsent: 1819 – 1901