| Died |
26 Feb 1842 |
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Worcester, Worcestershire, England |
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- MELANCHOLY SUICIDE On Saturday morning, about nine o'clock, |
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- Mr. Hardman, a bacon and cheese factor, & c., residing in the Shambles, |
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- shot himself with a gun, near Porte Fields Farm, in the parish of Claines, |
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- about two miles from this city. Deceased was in his 51st year, and has left |
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- a numerous family. An inquest was held the same evening by Mr. Hughes, |
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- at the Virgin's Tavern, when the following evidence was adduced: |
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- Thomas Bennett, of Claines, labourer: I was loading thorns in a field of |
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- Mr. Edward Tills on Saturday morning, a little before nine o'clock. I saw |
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- the deceased standing in the road between Worcester and the Virgin's Tavern. |
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- I did not see where the deceased came from. The first I saw of him, he was |
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- standing in the road. I did not perceive that he was doing anything, nor did I |
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- see anything in his hand. I saw him suddenly fall, and at the same time heard |
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- the report of a gun. I saw the smoke from the gun when deceased fell. No one |
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- was near him at the time. I afterwards went to him. I found him lying on the |
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- side of the road; the gun was about two yards from him it was a single- |
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- barrel gun. The deceased's head was blown to pieces, and his brains about the |
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- road. William Hudson: I keep the turnpike-gate leading from Worcester |
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- to the Virgin's Tavern. I heard the alarm and went up. I found the deceased as |
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- described by the last witness. Mr. E. Corles, of Worcester, solicitor: I was at |
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- Mr. T. Brampton's on business, this morning. On ascending the hill near |
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- Jones's farm, I heard a gun; I continued up the road, and found the deceased |
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- as already described. Mr. Ledbrook, of Worcester, surgeon: I saw the |
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- deceased this morning. I found a circular wound above the ear a gun-shot |
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- wound which had carried away the whole substance of the brain. The |
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- cranium was shattered all to pieces; he must have died instantly. I have no |
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- doubt the deceased shot himself, regarding the nature of the wound, and the |
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- gun being found near him. Stephen Wilks, of the Shambles, joiner: The |
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- deceased was my father-in-law. I saw him yesterday. He was quite well. The |
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- deceased was used to go out with a gun, hedge-popping. I am not aware of |
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- anything to have caused the deceased to have destroyed himself. This was |
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- the whole of the evidence; and the Jury returned a verdict "That the deceased |
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- shot himself, being at the time of unsound mind." The unfortunate deceased |
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- was buried on Tuesday afternoon at St. Helen's Church; and an immense |
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- concourse of spectators assembled on the occasion. |
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