Webbes Almshouse, Copse Cross Street, Ross (General)

by dink999, Tuesday, October 01, 2019, 12:37 (1873 days ago) @ Dowercottage

George Dean's suicide was certainly a sad case. The details were reported in the Ross Gazette on 29 July 1920 and were as follows.

Ross Gazette 29 July 1920

Distressing Fatality

Depressed widower who never smiled

Another distressing case of suicide was the subject of an inquiry, held at Ross Cottage Hospital, on Saturday afternoon, when Mr. Capel, the deputy coroner, attended in the place of Mr. E. L. Wallis, the district coroner, to investigate the circumstances, which brought about the death of George Dean, a widower, of Webb’s almshouses, Ross, who died in the above institution at 7.30 a.m. on Friday, as a result of a self-inflicted wound in the throat. Mr. Bayliss was chosen foreman of the jury.

The first witness called was Albert Dean, a son of the deceased, residing in Broad—street, Ross. The body the jury had seen was that of his father, who was 70 years of age. On Wednesday, July 21st, his father was staying with him. During the afternoon he went out to the back of the premises and found the door of the w.c. locked from the inside. As he could not gain an entrance he climbed to the top of the door, and in looking over the top he saw his father lying on the floor up in one corner. On getting in discovered his father had a razor in his hand and that his throat had been cut. He immediately got him outside, and sent for Dr. Duckworth who came down. And after attending to the wound the doctor accompanied his father to the hospital. The witness further stated that the deceased and his wife had lived together for about 50 years and were a most devoted couple during the whole of that time. But since the wife’s death about six weeks ago, he had never seen his father even smile, and he always appeared to be depressed and downhearted.

Dr. Duckworth, of Ross, said he was called to the deceased at the son’s premises in Broad Street and found Dean as stated by the last witness. He ordered his removal to the hospital, and on further examination he found a very jagged wound in the throat, which pointed to the fact that the deceased must have made more than one attempt to inflict such a wound. The wind pipe was severed, and death was due to the failure of the heart’s action owing to the wound in the throat. From the time he entered the hospital until his death on Friday morning, Dean’s mind appeared to be in a very hazy condition.

The jury returned a verdict of suicide whilst of unsound mind.

The funeral took place in Ross churchyard on Monday afternoon and was largely attended by members and relatives of the family.