Deadly !

 

At Hertford Borough Sessions, Frank Saunders, of Fisher’s lodging house, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by cutting his throat on the Monday.

Police Constable Knight said that he had been on duty in Fore Street when the defendant had come up to him, shouting, and saying that he wanted a witness to go with him to the lodging house.  He was very excited, appeared to have been drinking, and had no hat on !  The Constable went with him to the lodging house and saw the deputy who said that the other lodgers had been “getting at” Saunders, and that he had then kicked the dining table over.  She said he was always like that when he was in drink.  After that, she said, he cut his throat.  Blood had streamed down his shirt.  The witness produced the knife, with blood on it.

Mrs Gilham, the deputy lodging house keeper at the Leather Bottle, Bircherley Street, said that the defendant had been very excited when he had cut his throat, but she did not think he had meant to injure himself.  He had often threatened to drown himself when in drink, she said, but it “.. had never come off.”  She added that, when not in drink, he was very harmless.

Doctor Hall described the defendant’s injuries, stating that he had a flesh wound in the throat, and added that he believed that the defendant had done it in a fit of temper.  He did not think that the defendant had made any serious attempt to take his life.

The defendant said that he did not intend to cut himself.  He had done it accidentally whilst flourishing the knife across his throat, in a temper.

The Bench remanded the defendant in custody for a week.