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The
Bucks Standard – Saturday May 6, 1899
DETERMINED
SUICIDE
– A sad case of suicide was brought to light on Tuesday
morning, May 2, at Wolverton, the victim being an elderly
man named Ephraim Wootton, residing in Church-street.
Mr Wootton, who was very much respected, had for
the last six weeks suffered from influenza with
melancholia as its after effects, and on Tuesday morning
just after 7 while left for a minute by himself, cut his
throat with a razor, severing the jugular vein, the
carotid artery, and the larynx.
He lived about 10 minutes after the infliction of
the wounds, and Dr. Symington, who was fetched, arrived
too late to be of any assistance.
Deceased was formerly well known s a Wesleyan local
preacher and used to express the greatest abhorrence of
self-destruction, and his untimely end was undoubtedly
brought about while he was in a fit of temporary insanity.
He leaves a widow and grown up family.
– The inquest was held on Wednesday morning at
the Victoria Hotel, before Mr. E. T Worley and the
following jury:- W. Knight, D Gosbell, N. Jones, H.
Muscutt, E. Jones, E. Sigwart, C. F. Moore, W. Hutchinson,
J. Harley, J. Robinson, W. H. Bickley, and W Strange.
Mr W. Knight was foreman of the jury.
The coroner said he was sorry they had been called
together so soon, and the only thing they had to do, after
hearing the facts, was to determine in what state of mind
Wootton was when he took away his life.
The following evidence was taken:- Mary Wooton,
daughter of the deceased, said her father lived at 61
Church-street, and was a mechanic.
He was 72 years old last October.
He had not done any work on account of ill health
and his throat for more than 4 years.
About 4 weeks ago he had influenza and was attended
by Dr. Symington. On
Monday he was rather low but not so low as he had been for
some days. He
went to bed about 9.30.
He never said he was tired of life, and though he
had suffered much he had never murmured.
He and her mother occupied one room.
She did not see her father yesterday morning, but
when she heard a thud about 5 minutes past seven she
rushed out of her bedroom to him.
Her mother would have left her father about 15 to
20 minutes. She
went into the room; no one was in the room but her mother
and herself. He
was undressed just as he got out of bed, and lying on his
back. He did
not say anything; only gasped.
She saw the razor lying by the side of the bed.
The razor was always kept in the room but had been
kept locked up as they were rather nervous.
He must have unlocked the drawer himself to get the
razor. He was
the last man they should have thought to do such a thing.
– Dr Symington deposed that he knew Ephraim Wootton
well, and he had been attending him for the last three
weeks for influenza.
He was probably suffering from cancer of the larynx
as well. His
state of health was of a low and miserable condition. He saw him on the Monday and told them they must keep him
cheerful. He
saw the body on Tuesday, and noticed some very severe
wounds in the throat, sufficient to cause death from
hemorrage. The razor had evidently been used for the
purpose and he was satisfied the case was one of suicide.
He had no doubt whatever that the man was suffering
from extreme melancholia.
The jury returned a verdict that the deceased took
his own life while suffering from temporary insanity.
The foreman was asked by the jury to convey their
sympathy with the family of the deceased. |
