Obituaries & Newspaper Announcements

 Article Source: Reading Mercury Date: Saturday 2S March 1899

DETERMINED SUICIDE AT SANDLEFORD NEAR NEWBURY

On Monday evening the Borough Coroner (Dr. Watson) investigated, at St. John's Schoolroom, the circumstances attending the death of a man named John Laing, which occurred in the early hours of Monday at the Newbury District Hospital. The evidence revealed a sad series of events leading up to the rash act, which Laing perpetrated on Saturday, when he cut is throat in a most determined manner. The deceased, who was 52 years of age, was a painter by trade, and lived in London. He was in the service of a London firm of painters and decorators, who during the past two months have been engaged in renovating Sandleford Priory for Mrs. Myers. Laing was in the receipt of excellent wages, but his health has been periodically bad, and this had caused him to fall in arrears with money matters. He was not naturally a man of depressed spirits, but this pecuniary trouble appears to have preyed upon his mind. He was a quiet respectable man, and never went to excesses, while it was stated that he had been a total abstainer for 20 years. These facts made the sad event even more regrettable. The jury, of whom Mr. Charles Robinson was foreman, having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken:-

The first witness called was Mrs. Henrietta Laing, of 22 Harold Street, Edgware Road, London, who stated that the body viewed by the jury was that of her brother, who was by trade a painter, and lived at 99 North Street, Edgware Road. He had been working in this locality for some seven weeks for Messrs. Hewetson and Milner, of Tottenham Court Road, London, who were carrying out decorating work at Sandleford Priory. The deceased was a martyr to gout, and for some time had been in ill health. He was occasionally subject to depression, but had always lived a good life, and he had never spoken of shortening his life.

Albert Hill, a gardener in the service of Mrs. Myers, of Sandleford Priory, said that early on Saturday morning he was working in the rhododendron beds when the deceased came through the shrubs. Witness spoke to him, but received no reply, and deceased moved off in the direction of the lake. At a quarter to nine he met two of the painters working at the house, who said they had missed the deceased. He (witness) showed them where he had seen the deceased earlier in the morning, and after searching the grounds they found the unfortunate man lying on his back in some laurels, with his throat cut. He must have walked through the water, which was very shallow at this point. The wound was bleeding profusely, and when spoken to deceased did not answer. Witness came into Newbury to inform the police, and on returning with a constable he found the deceased in the same place. He was then conveyed to the Newbury District Hospital. When witness found him the deceased had a knife in his hand, which was produced, and was marked with blood.

Joseph Barson (a juryman) was then sworn, the object of this being to ascertain the state of the mind of deceased. Laing had lodged with him at Montagu Terrace, Newtown Road, for seven weeks, during the greater part of which he had been cheerful and bright. He complained occasionally of trifling home troubles, and about a fortnight since went to London. On his return he spoke of some rent which he would have to make up shortly. He complained of pains in the stomach, and sought medical advice, which appeared to benefit him. On the early morning of the day on which Laing committed suicide he (witness) was aroused by the deceased calling out to him about half-past one. Witness went to his room, and found him dressing. He told witness that he "must take him to the station" or else "to the doctor". He was very much excited, but witness eventually quietened him, and he went back to bed and slept until his usual time for going to work, when he left the house apparently quite calm and well.

Henry Peverell deposed that he was foreman of the painters employed at Sandleford Priory, and the deceased was under his directions. He (witness) had known Laing for the last nineteen years as a very steady and industrious man. He had, however, been frequently laid up by illness, and in this way had got into money difficulties. He had never observed any eccentricity in the deceased until the last week, when he was away from work for a day or two on account of illness. He returned on Tuesday, when he said he was much better, and continued to work until Friday. He worked for a short time on Saturday morning, when witness noticed him leave the room where he was employed. As he did not return, witness despatched his men in various directions to find him, with the sad result stated. Laing had been a total abstainer for twenty years.

Mr. W. Jenner Clarke, surgeon, of Oxford Street, said he went to the Hospital to see the deceased who was very cold and collapsed. He had a wound across his throat, extending practically from ea; to ear. The wound had severed the windpipe, and also injured the gullet, but the principal arteries had not been interfered with. The deceased had lost a great deal of blood, and everything that was possible was done for him. During the day he improved a little, and up to Sunday evening he took a little milk. At times the deceased was very violent, and succeeded in tearing off the dressing of the wound. In the course of Sunday night he gradually sank. Death must have been due to the loss of blood and shock.

The Coroner said he chanced to be at the Hospital when Laing was brought in, and he was very cold. From the evidence it appeared that he had been lying on the bank in his wet clothes for some time. In summing up, the Coroner said there could be no doubt that the deceased had been greatly worried by pecuniary matters. The visit of the deceased to London had unbalanced the unfortunate man's already harassed mind, and he had never been the same since. He was a very good living man, of most temperate habits, and the only conclusion they could come to was that the deceased took his life while in an unsound state of mind. It was a most unfortunate occurrence, and must have greatly disturbed Mrs. Myers and her daughters, following as it did so closely upon a discovery of a shocking character made in the locality.

(The Coroner alluded to the finding of the of the decomposed body of a child in the neighbourhood of Sandleford, the inquest on which, held before Mr. J. Cockburn Pinniger at the "Rokeby Arms" public-house, on Saturday, as reported below).

The Jury expressed concurrence in the views taken by the Coroner, and a verdict of "Suicide whilst in an unsound state of mind," was returned.

This report also appeared in the Berkshire Chronicle dated 25 March 1899.