Sad Suicide of a Conisborough Young Woman.

July 1887

Mexborough and Swinton Times July 1, 1887

Sad Suicide of a Conisborough Young Woman.

At the Bradford Town Hall last Friday the Borough Coroner (Mr J. G. Hutchinson) held an inquest touching the death of Mary Lindley, 18 years of age, a domestic servant who was found hanged .

The deceased entered the service of John Light Harrison, bank manager, of 18, Ashgrove, Bradford, on 29 March last, and was a native of Conisborough. She was troubled with deafness, and was given notice to leave on this account. The notice expired on Wednesday week, but the girl was allowed to remain. She was described as being quiet, in disposition, and spent her spare time in reading.

On Sunday week she spent a great deal of time in burning a number of papers. On Thursday night she was standing cleaning a bedroom window, and her mistress remarked that she might fall and break her neck. She answered that this would be the best thing she could do. On another occasion she was assisting to measure the distance from a bed reel. She said. “This will be a splendid thing to hang anyone with.”

On Friday morning she was found hanged in the back kitchen, at about 6:50 o’clock, on her mistress coming downstairs.

The mother of the deceased, Mary Anne Lindley, widow, who lives at Conisborough, attended the inquest, but was unable to throw any further light upon the cause of the suicide. She stated that her daughter had complained of pains in the head, and was hard of hearing, and that she had lately become worse.

The jury found that the deceased committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.

The remains of the deceased were interred at Conisborough churchyard on Sunday. Mr Appleyard superintended the funeral arrangements.