SAD SUICIDE AT NEWBURY
INQUEST LAST EVENING
On Friday last people living in Northcroft-lane were shocked by the news that George Tull, of no. 5, Northcroft-terrace, had cut his throat. It appears that Tull has always been somewhat strange, and about fifteen years ago he tried to hang himself, and a short time afterwards attempted to drown himself. He was then sent to the Asylum, where he was confined for seventeen weeks.

The unhappy man appears to have been troubled with religious mania and whilst suffering under a fit of depression attempted to put an end to his life. On Friday evening Tull was in the house and called to his wife, who was upstairs, and asked where her brother was. She replied that he would be there directly and said she was just coming down. Her brother Richard Pearce came in about a minute after and asked where the deceased was. This question frightened Mrs. Tull who ran downstairs and helped to search the place.

Her brother eventually found him in the wash-house lying in a pool of blood and a great gash in his throat done by a razor, which was lying on a box. He was lifted up and taken into the house, while his wife tried in vain to stop the flow of blood which was issuing from the wound. Pearce went for Dr. Adams, who arrived quickly on the spot and ordered his removal to the hospital Deceased never rallied and died yesterday (Wednesday) morning at about ten minutes past eight. Deceased had not done much work for some years past and had to be watched more or less all the time. His family had been affected in the same way.

THE INQUEST
The inquest was held last (Wednesday) evening in St. John’s Parish Room, before Dr. Henry Watson, J.P., Borough Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. James Freebody was the foreman. Having viewed the body, which was lying in the Mortuary at the Hospital, the jury returned, and evidence was taken.

Tryphena Tull, the widow, identified the body as that of her husband. On Friday last at a quarter to four she was upstairs and deceased called to her from the bottom. He asked why her brother Richard was so long in going to the garden for some greens. She told him she would be down in a minute and then her brother came in. He said “Where’s George?” Witness replied that he was not, so witness ran downstairs to look for him. Her brother found him in the washhouse, his throat being then cut.

She was apprehensive about the state of her husband’s mind. He had seemed worried for some time, having then been out of work owing to ill-health. The doctor said he had a weak heart but had not said anything as to his mental state. Witness had hidden the razor on the Wednesday before because deceased seemed so strange in his mind, and she didn’t know how he had found it again. About fifteen years ago he had tried to hang himself, but was discovered. Soon after that he tried to drown himself by throwing himself into the river.

He was then considered insane and taken into an Asylum and was there for seventeen weeks and three days when he was discharged. Since then he had been living at home.

Richard Pearce, brother-in-law to deceased, said he was a labourer. He came in from the garden and called to his sister and asked if George was upstairs. She said “No! he’s down there.” She then ran down and went to the washhouse but could not see him, calling “George, George!” No answer came and she went to the front door to see if he was in the garden.

When she was gone to the front door witness himself went to the washhouse and saw the deceased near the copper in a bending state, and bleeding very much from the throat. He called his sister and went for assistance. There was no razor or knife in his hand, and deceased could not speak. Witness went for Dr. Adams, who came. Deceased had been very curious at times, but sometimes he was better than at others. He was not accountable for what he said sometimes, but he never said anything about suicide.

Sergt. Skeats said on Friday last, about 4.40, he went to Tull’s house in Northcroft-terrace, and was shown into the wash-house, where he found a large pool of blood and the razor (produced) lying on a box. He was informed that he had been taken to the Hospital just before.

Dr. W. Jenner Clarke, on the staff of the Newbury Hospital, said on Friday, about 5pm, he saw deceased at the Hospital in company with Dr. Adams. He had a very long wound, extending the whole length of the front of the throat from above down-wards, not across. He had severed the whole length of the windpipe, and as far as they could see he had wounded his gullet.

He had lost a large quantity of blood, and was very collapsed, but conscious. He was unable to swallow, but a tube was put into his wind-pipe to enable him to breathe. He had been seen by most of the members of the medical staff of the Hospital, but he gradually sank. He was able to speak in a very faint whisper. Such an instrument as that produced would inflict the wound. He died on Wednesday morning, at about ten minutes past eight.

The Coroner said it was a very sad affair, and he had never seen so singular a wound in his experience. The whole of the evidence pointed to the fact that he was not in a right state of mind at the time of the act and they could do nothing but return a verdict to the effect that the poor man had cut his throat whilst in a state of unsound mind.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the Coroner’s summing up.