Sarah
Hawkins Genealogy Site
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Taunton Courier. Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser. Wednesday 12 Dec 1894
Page 6 Column 3
SUICIDE BY POISONING.
A REMARKABLE LETTER.
An inquest was held on Tuesday at the Compass Inn, Shuttern, by Mr. Foster BARHAM, coroner for West Somerset, relative to the death of Solomon HILLS, Army pensioner, of Cann-street, which took place by poisoning on Saturday evening. Mr. James CLARKE was chosen foreman of the jury, and P.C. RICE had charge of the case.
The first witness was Emily HILLS, wife of the deceased. She identified the body as that of her husband, Solomon HILLS, who was a discharged Army man. He was 55 years old last September.
The Coroner: Did you have a quarrel with your husband?
Witness: We had a few words, sir.
The Coroner: When?
Witness: On Saturday afternoon, but it was only a few words.
The Coroner: Did he seem upset about it?
Witness: He did not seem to be, sir. It was all about a shilling. He went out, and I told him to buy a pair of spectacles, because he suffered so much from his eyes. He did not buy the spectacles, and did not bring back the money. He told me he had lost the money, and I told him I did not believe him. He then said he had been into LOCK's with a friend. I told him I would go to LOCK's and see if I could find the money. I did not go to LOCK's. When I got back he had gone out.
The Coroner: Was he down on his luck? Was he sickly?
Witness: He was sickly, and he was down because he thought he would not be able to do any work for me.
The Coroner: When was he discharged from the Army?
Witness: On the 8th or 9th September.
The Coroner: Had he done any work since then?
Witness: No, sir.
The Coroner: Had he a pension?
Witness: Yes, sir; 9s 4d a week, which was sent to him.
The Coroner: What money was it he went to the barracks for?
Witness: It was a small engagement he had while he was in the Army, and the money amounted to 4s.
The Coroner: You did not accuse him of having behaved improperly?
Witness: No, sir. He lost a shilling, and I said I would go and find out if he did lose it, but I never went to Mr. LOCK's.
The Coroner: What time was it you left the house?
Witness: About half-past three, sir.
The Coroner: Did you go in by the back door on your return?
Witness: Yes, sir.
The Coroner: How long were you away?
Witness: Only about 20 minutes.
The Coroner: And when you came back you found he was dead?
Witness: No, sir; he was gone out then. I went down town again afterwards to see if I could see him anywhere, but I could not. I met my sister and her husband, and went shopping with them. I got home again at about ten minutes to seven, and he was lying dead on the sofa then.
The Coroner: At what time did you find him dead on the sofa?
Witness: At ten minutes to seven, sir.
The Coroner: Was there any cup or anything near him?
Witness: My sister found a cup yesterday on the back table turned upside down, and pushed back under a shelf.
The Coroner: Do you know whether your husband kept any oxalic acid in the house?
Witness: I don't know, sir. He kept a little drawer to himself. He used to buy oxalic acid for cleaning his belts and buttons, I can't say whether there was any acid in his drawer or not.
The Corner: You never had any acid in the house?
Witness: I didn't, sir. I didn't know whether there was any in the house or not.
The Coroner: Was he cold when you found him on the sofa?
Witness: No, sir; the body was quite warm.
The Coroner: Did you return home by yourself?
Witness: Yes, sir; but when I saw what was the matter I ran for my sister and my father and they both came back with me.
The Coroner: Did you send for a doctor?
Witness: For a doctor and a policeman.
The Coroner: What is your sister and your father's name?
Witness: My sister's name is Mrs. HAYMAN, and my father's Samuel PRING.
The Coroner: What doctor did you send for?
Witness: Dr. HENSMAN.
The Coroner: You found nothing at all to account for his death?
Witness: Not at that time. We did not find the cup till yesterday.
The Coroner: Were did you find it?
Witness: In the back room on the table under a shelf.
The Coroner: Is there nothing more you can say about it?
Witness: On the Friday he got up from his chair and said “What have I done? I feel I have done something wrong.” On Saturday he spoke rather strange. When he got up in the morning he said he could not think what day it was. He asked me what day it was, and I told him it was Saturday. He had been rather strange before; he suffered so in his head, and his sight was failing him.
The Coroner: He was an out-patient in the Hospital, was he not?
Witness: Yes, sir; under Dr. LIDDON.
The Coroner: What was he there for?
Witness: For pains in his head and giddiness.
The Coroner: Had he any good-conduct badges?
Witness: Yes, sir.
The Coroner: How many?
Witness: He had four, sir; and a medal for long service.
Dr. HENSMAN said he did not think deceased was discharged from the Army for doing anything, but because of his age.
The Coroner, to Mrs. HILLS: Why was your husband discharged from the Army?
Mrs. HILLS: He was invalided out, I believe, and he was of age, too.
Brigade-Surgeon William HENSMAN, of the Taunton Depôt, next gave evidence. He said he had often seen the deceased about the Depôt, but he had never medically attended him. He was a very nice, respectable, quiet soldier; at least that was what he always struck witness as being. He had four good conduct badges. Witness was called to 16, Cann-street, on Saturday at seven o'clock, and he saw the deceased lying on the sofa in the front room. He had vomited on the floor, and witness had it taken up and removed to his house. The body was still warm, thuse showing that he had only died shortly before witness arrived. The constable endeavoured to restore him by artificial respiration, but without effect. Deceased's coat and waistcoat were on a chair behind the sofa. The sleeve of the coat had some of the vomit upon it as though he had wiped his mouth with it. His face had a very bloodless appearance, and his tongue and gums were whitened, softened, and corrugated. The nose also contained vomit. That was all he noticed on the Saturday night. He and the constable looked about the room, and found two bottles of medicine which deceased was taking, but no poison. He afterwards examined the vomit, and found it intensely acid. The filtered solution gave characteristic re-actions to the tests for oxalic acid. Witness had made a post-mortem examination, and found no marks of violence. The body was bloodless. The brain was healthy, and had no signs of disease at all. The nervous structure was perfectly normal, but the lungs and air passages were deeply congested with dark venous blood. The heart was sound; the cavities were emply, but the large vessels showed traces of degeneration from old age. The liver and spleen were normal. The kidneys showed slight traces of disease. The gullet and lining membrane were white and softened, and the stomach, which showed signs of inflammatory irritation throughout, contained about a pint of greenish black thick matter. The intestines also showed bits of inflammatory irritation. On being put to the same tests as the vomit the contents of the stomach gave the same characteristic re-actions. He considered the cause of death was poisoning by oxalic acid. Oxalic acid was used by soldiers for cleaning their belts. He had not seen the cup mentioned by the previous witness.
P.C. RICE then produced the cup, and handed it to Mr. HENSMAN, who said he did not see anything at all in it.
Questioned by the Coroner as to why he did not send the cup to the doctor immediately he received it, P.C. RICE said it was not found till the previous morning. Both he and the doctor looked on the table, where the cup was ultimately found, when they were in the house on Saturday, but they did not see it then.
The Coroner examined the cup and pointed out to the doctor a mark near the rim. - Mr. HENSMAN replied that it was only the least spect.
P.C. RICE produced a broken spirit bottle and a medicine glass. The former, he said, smelt of whisky, and the latter of cod liver oil. The constable also handed in a letter found on the table in the room where deceased was found and supposed ot have been written by deceased. It was as follows:-
“Ladies and Gentlemen, - This is simply to say that I have had the misfortune to lose one shilling to-day, the 8th December, 1894, and my wife, she accuses me of going astray. It is not the first time by many. I cannont put up with life in this manner I have of late had to do. Although we are not in want, life in intolerable. I hope some kind people will see my wife righted. I have a trifle in the bank at the top of High-street.”
The letter was not signed.
The wife of deceased was then re-called, and asked by the Coroner if she had see the letter before. - She replied that she had not.
The Coroner: Is that your husband's writing?
Witness: I think it is. - After examining the letter more closely she said “It is not much like it, it is too much of a scribble.”
The Coroner: Have you any of his writing at home?
Witness: I have some letters at home.
She was accordingly despatched to fetch some letters in order to identify the writing. In the meantime
George Lee FROGBANK, engine driver, living next door to deceased, gave evidence. Deceased, he said, had been ailing for some considerable time. He had not been queer in his conduct to witness's knowledge.
The Coroner: How has he got on with his wife?
Witness: I believe the same as other married people, he has had words at times.
Continuing, witness said he saw the deceased last at about 5.15 or 5.30 p.m. on Satuday. He passed witness's window to go into the house. Witness did not speak to him, but he noticed that he looked pale, as though he had been worried or felt unwell. He heard him go into the house, but did not hear or see any more of him until his wife came home. There was nobody in the house at the time deceased went in.
The wife then returned to the Court with a wrapper addressed in deceased's hand-writing, which the Coroner and th e jurymen considered was the same hand-writing as was in the letter.
A juryman asked whether there was any evidence to show whether deceased had bought any acid just before his death.
P.C. RICE said that some oxalic acid was sold at Mr. G. W. SHORT's to a man about 50 years of age. Soldiers were often buying that sort of acid to clean their belts and buttons with.
The Coroner said that there was no restriction on the sale of oxalic acid The jurymen on a recent inquest at Taunton recommended that oxalic acid should be placed under the same restrictions as other poisons. If, however, people were determined to kill themselves they would do it somehow or other.
The jury returned a verdict of “Death by taking oxalic acid during temporary insanity.”
<NOTES: Solomon HILLS married Emily Garland PRING
Emily HILLS is Emily Garland PRING daughter of Samuel PRING or GARLAND and Mary Ann TEMPLER, married Robert TUCKER and Solomon HILLS
Mrs HAYMAN is Selina or Sissie PRING daughter of Samuel PRING or GARLAND and Emily TEMPLER, married Frederick George HAYMAN>