Tragedy of Grief & Ill Health – Denaby Suicide

March 1922

Mexborough and Swinton Times, March 18.

A Denaby Suicide.

Tragedy of Grief and Ill Health.

Last Thursday night, James Preston, a miner, aged 50, of 54 Blyth Street, Denaby Main, committed suicide by hanging himself in the attic. An inquest was held at the Denaby Main Hotel on Friday by the County coroner, Mr Frank Allen.

Henry Preston, labourer, of Loversall Street, Denaby Main, identified the body as that of his father, who he last saw alive on the previous Wednesday. He had been run down for a long time, ever since his wife died, a year ago, but had not been heard to threaten suicide. Witness was summoned to his father’s house at 8.15 on Thursday evening, by a sister, Elsie, and found his father, hanging by a clothes line from the banisters in the attic, quite dead.

Witness cut him down, laid him on the landing, and sent for the police.

Elsie Preston, aged 19, said she was James Preston’s daughter, and kept house for him. There were three other children, all girls, aged 16, 10 and eight. Her father had been poorly for a long time, and had not worked for the last three weeks. She last saw him alive on Thursday afternoon, about 2.30. She left him in thehouse and went out to attend a funeral. She returned at five, and not seing her father, she supposed he had gone upstairs to lie down. At eight she went upstairs to take him some tea. She discovered that he had not been to bed, and looking round she saw him hanging. She sent for a brother.

PC Baker said he was summoned at nine. He saw the body line on the landing, and noticed the mark of the rope round the man’s neck. He knew Preston, and had noticed that he had seemed troubled since his wife’s death.

A verdict of “Suicide while of unsound mind” was returned.

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