Yet another suicide of someone who'd served in the ABW and had contracted enteric fever in South Africa. Would this be 1790 Sapper A. Egerton, 10th Railway Company, Royal Engineers?
Be aware before reading that part of the evidence is extremely gruesome.
A TATTENHALL TRAGEDY.
WHAT A WIFE SAW.
A SUICIDE'S VIOLENCE.
Mr. J. C. Bate, the West Cheshire coroner, conducted an inquest at Windmill Farm, near Tattenhall, on Monday afternoon, touching the tragic death of Arthur Egerton, aged 32, of Whitening Farm, Burwardsley-road, Tattenhall. Egerton was until recently a foreman platelayer at Crewe railway works. He served in the Boer War as a platelayer, caught enteric fever and was invalided home. He seems to have recovered from the attack of enteric, but during the last month he had suffered from mental depression, and lived at Whitening Farm, Tattenhall, where he died on Saturday as the result of self-inflicted injuries.
The first witness was his wife, Betsy Matilda Egerton, who said her husband was brought home ill about a month ago. His head was wrong, but at times he was himself. He had threatened to take his life, but she had not told anyone except her mother. On Tuesday he was in the yard, and she followed him, because she thought there was something wrong with him. He went into a field near the brook and drew a razor from under his waistcoat. She saw him cut his neck with it. She tried to take it from him, and did so. He was not in his right mind then.
Supt. Hicks: I believe he went out to South Africa with two other men as a platelayer, and during the Boer War he caught enteric fever? - Yes.
Richard Egerton, labourer, Burwardsley, said the deceased was his son, and lived with him up to January last. Prior to that deceased was in South Africa. He was engaged at Crewe, and went out with the first lot of Crewe Engineers. His son was in hospital nine weeks at Queenstown with enteric fever, and since he had come back he had complained of his legs. While deceased lived with him he seemed quite right in his mind. His son got married about the end of last year, and had lived with his wife at Whitening Farm. He had been at his (witness's) house occasionally and seemed very happy. His son was brought home ill, and on the Saturday evening following witness saw him, and he seemed to talk all right. He never heard his son threaten to take his own life.
The Coroner: If you had known he was in the condition he was in I suppose you would not have allowed him to remain there - Witness: No, sir, I should not.
Thomas Large, a young labourer, residing at Tattenhall, said that on Tuesday evening, at a few minutes to six o'clock while he was engaged cleaning out a pit in a field near Whitening Farm he heard screams, and a woman's voice calling for help. He went across the field and found Mrs. Arthur Egerton and her mother holding down the deceased, who was on the grass. He was given a pinafore to bandage the man's neck. As soon as Egerton saw him he said he would have nothing to do with him, and was very violent. Witness put the pinafore round his neck, and then went for help. Deceased seemed about to run at him, and was bleeding so much that he (witness) did not expect him to live many minutes. Witness and a man named John Roden got Egerton into the yard.
P.C. Edward Wm. Morgan, stationed at Tattenhall, said that at about six o'clock on the 23rd May he was passing the farm and heard people running and the screams of a woman. He saw deceased and two or three persons holding him. He was bleeding very freely from the neck, and was striking out with his arms, kicking and attempting to bite. His conduct was very violent, and he continued so for about twenty minutes. When witness went to join him Egerton had his left hand in the gash and two of his fingers at the back of the windpipe which he was trying to pull out. Witness seized the hand. With the assistance of two or three other men he got him into his (deceased's) own house, put him to sit on a sofa, and applied cold water bandages to the wound. He had sent for Dr. Brierley, of Tattenhall. Deceased became quieter and seemed to realise who was about. He mentioned his (the constable's) name for one and said, "I hope you won't take me away to the asylum."
Dr. Brierley, Tattenhall, said that on Wednesday, May 3rd, he was called in to see Egerton whom he found in a condition of mental depression. He had seen him every day since. He had no knowledge of a tendency to suicide. He had asked if deceased had ever threatened suicide, and had been told that he had not.
The Coroner: You saw no tendency yourself? - Not the slightest.
Did you consider him safe? - No, I did not, and therefore left instructions that he should not be left. I told them that if there was no improvement I was afraid he would be obliged to be removed. I also told them that they must never take their attention off him, and must take every precaution, such as moving knives and anything else away from him. I never was told of his threat to take his life until the evening of the day on which it was done. I saw him on the morning of that day, and he was just the same as he had been for a week. He talked quite rationally. His was a condition of depression without delusions or anything that would lead me to believe it would be necessary to remove him. When I saw him after he had done it, he said he was sorry for what he had done, and did not know what he had done it for. I was told after the occurrence that he had told his wife on one or two occasions that he thought he should shoot himself. He had cut through the cartilage and the trachea was completely separated. There was a great loss of blood, and there was not the slightest chance of recovery.
The Coroner, in summing up, said it was evident that at times deceased was unaccountable for what he did. It was a very unfortunate thing that the mother-in-law and the wife kept from the doctor the knowledge that deceased had previously talked of taking his life. The doctor was unable to ascertain that material fact. If a medical man was called in it was a duty to give him all the information asked for.
A Juror: Quite right. That is where the mistake was made.
The Coroner: If you do not do that you might as well let the doctor stay at home.
The jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide, and that he was of unsound mind at the time.
Cheshire Observer, Saturday 3rd June 1905
Tattenhall is 8 miles south-east of Chester.
Edit: Betsy Matilda Egerton is in the 1911 census, born c.1882.
