Well, for a while we had a hung jury until some late comments came in.
Three said murder but, no, it was definitely not a murder. In the end, the majority came out for suicide although some stated they felt the suicide was due to a head injury. I simply gave you the facts based on the Coroner's Inquest to see what conclusions you would arrive at.
I cannot give you any definite answers, the mystery remains to this day. I can tell you that the verdict given was “Found Drowned”.
Now, this is annoying because it really gives no answers but it was common practice. Since registration began in 1837 and well into the last century, it was a verdict given to any body that was taken from any stretch of water unless there were evident and obvious signs of violence. A person could be walking along a riverbank, accidentally fall in and, being unable to swim, forfeited their life. A person could wilfully throw themselves off a bridge intending to end their life but unless they had left any sort of note or witnesses came forward to state they were suffering from depression, the same verdict was given. Only in the event of stab wounds, gunshot wounds, throat-cutting, bludgeoning to the head or a ligature around the neck would the case be treated as murder. So, hundreds of people died in unexplained circumstances and were classified as “found drowned”. One has to wonder how many of them could, in fact, have been murder victims.
“Found Drowned” was also a kind verdict to give for the relatives of the deceased. Remember, in those times suicide was still considered a crime - the crime of murder - self-murder. A suicide could not be buried in consecrated ground and the stigma of such a death fell on the family.
As for myself , I concluded it was suicide and for the following reasons.
There was no proof the gentleman had been knocked down by a bicycle. Nobody seemed to have witnessed the accident, no cyclist came forward to admit to it and there were no signs of injury. The gentleman did not seek medical attention at the time. All that remains is what he told his daughter. Several days had passed after the “accident” by the time his daughter came to stay, she then stayed for around a week. I would have thought that any brain injury caused by such an accident would have shown itself by that time. Any concussion, brain haemorrhage or skull fracture would surely have thrown up symptoms apparent to his daughter and his landlady. Also, there would in all probability have been an autopsy and a doctor did give medical evidence at the inquest. No mention was made of brain injury or possible tumour.
Why was he not working when the daughter came to stay? Of course he could have taken holiday to be with her but….. maybe he used the excuse of being knocked down to explain his absence from work because he did not want to admit he had lost another position. In the telegram he said “sorry you went” - not sorry you had to go back or sorry your holiday had come to an end. This could mean that the daughter decamped back to London because there had been an argument between them.
This gentleman left his homeland ten years before and settled in London. He had almost certainly lost his job, perhaps due to a general decline in the industry and the family were poor and times were very hard. He had children to think about, how to feed and clothe them. He had already suffered tragedy in his life. His eldest daughter had collapsed and died within a week at the age of sixteen. Two months later his wife died at the age of 35 from a bacterial infection. This left him with two sons aged 8 and 4 and four daughters aged 15, 13, 6 and 3. The three year old had been born brain damaged and was destined to spend her entire life in institutions once it became apparent she would not be able to attend school.
Within a couple of weeks of burying his wife, the family uprooted to England. The prospects were much better. The salaries would be higher. This gentleman could write a good hand and had obviously benefited from what education he had received. Although they settled in a poor area of London he did obtain gainful employment as a clerk. The eldest daughter would have taken the place of her mother and brought up the rest of the children whilst he was working. That daughter was the one who attended the inquest.
He had been a man of reasonably sober habits before the move but whether the loss of his wife and daughter prayed on his mind or whether he missed his homeland, it was only after moving to England that he took to the drink. He did not have a happy relationship with his two elder daughters, the youngest of whom ran away on several occasions because he became handy with his fists. The relationship in the household must have been very strained.
Little is known thereafter although it does seem likely that he lost his job in London at some point. The children were grown up, the two sons both went to sea, the daughters married.
It could have been the loss of that job that sent him to the boarding house in that seaside town and to a new position. His work involved shipping although he was employed in the offices. He had no connection with the town and no reason to be there unless he had employment in the area.
His drinking obviously continued evidenced by the number of bottles found in his room. He had, unbeknown to his family, lost another position because of his liking for alcohol? What was he going to do, his family were grown and had lives of their own, his drinking was spiralling out of control, his job possibly lost and with no prospect of another. He was only 45 years of age but must have felt that he had nothing left.
I think he had had enough. I think he had gone into a depression, maybe he had been depressed for a long time. Little could be done about depression in those days. Did he see shades of the madhouse descend upon him, or the workhouse, a place to be avoided like the plague? People lived in utter dread of the workhouse in those days. He was probably a very lonely and unhappy man. It was the tenth anniversary almost to the day of the loss of his eldest daughter. She died on the 13th September and he walked into the sea on the 14th September. It would also have been only a couple of months to the anniversary of the death of his wife.
Of course, the coroner and the jury did not enquire into his past life at the inquest as far as we know but the newspaper report was brief and who knows what the daughter told them that was not reported.
No, I think that on that September morning he had reached the end of his tether. He saw no future. That would account for him not sending that last telegram to his daughter. He intended to and then changed his mind. He left the boarding house without his wallet and carrying no identification. He remarked he did not want to see many more mornings in this world. I think he deliberately walked into the sea in an act of utter desperation. The black eyes were probably acquired whilst he was in the water.
I think that the jury might well have suspected suicide, but taking pity on the family and ensuring he could receive a Christian burial they gave the verdict of “Found Drowned”.
His family were later to fabricate a story about how he met his death, totally by accident at the London docks. They said he had been hit by something being unloaded from a ship, had fallen into the water and, being caught between the quayside and the ship, had drowned. Patently untrue. They knew, in their hearts, I feel, what the real truth was and maybe they felt guilty. Each generation of his family was told this false story.
So, why did this story intrigue me, why did I spend so much time trying to piece together the likely solution and finding every scrap of information that I could?
That gentleman who walked into the sea on that September morning one hundred years ago in 1906 was my Great-Grandfather.
33 comments:
oh Jeannette that is so truly sad. your poor great grandad, he had such a terrible time. i'm so sorry. love Joanne
That was a great twist when I read it was actually your Great Grandfather. . . amazing!! Oh God rest his soul. . he would be very proud of you Jeannette.Have you got a photo of him too? I should have known. . I would be hopeless on the Jury.
So sorry Jeanette I didnt realise that you were talking about your Great Grandfather, I guess this is one family mystery that you will never know the answer to,
take care Lynne xx
Jeannette, that made very sad but interesting reading. I think you were right in your assumptions. I too, am inclined to feel that he took his own life, what an awful thing to have to decide, he must have felt very, very lonely in his last few weeks.
I have traced my family back to the 1700's but as yet I don't have as much information as you on what happened in their lives. It really was a sad piece.
Best wishes, Pat
so sad to hear itwas your great grandfather...
Astra!
How fascinating , yet sad, I really wish I had so much information about some of my relatives
I am so sorry this was your great grand father you were writing about. So sad when it is a member of our family. I also want to tell you, I think your a very good writer. Your stories are well written and keep me wanting to read more of the story. Have you ever thought of writing a book of short stories? I'd buy a copy. Have a nice evening. ((((Hugs)))
Cindy
wow I bet it is hard to have your mystery and have it be that it was him. could have have taken some drugs (like cough medicine ) and cuased him to fall in and not alert enough to react???????? I wonder about that as people were not as aware back then that drugs like cough meds and other things could have adverse affects on you. either way its very sad.
How sad that he gave up hope, but good that you have been able to piece together part of your family history. I have a family tree a mile long, but I know little about the actual people themselves. Thanks for sharing that mysterious bit with us. You are a good story teller. 'On Ya' - ma
Oh my gosh Jeannette, what a story. How sad...wouldn't it have been wonderful if one of his married children had taken him in? Linda in WA
((((((((((((((((((((((((JEANNETTE)))))))))))))))))))))))))))wow,that is a sad story and when I rad the end were it said He was your Great Grand father,its just sad.Do you have any pics of Him?I am sory you had to go through all that.I hope you have a good night.
Oh man I missed something somewhere.
Lisa
Fascinating story! I was going to guess head trauma that caused him to be delusional and walk into the water and drown. Your entries are so well written. You have such a great talent for writing.
Hugs, Kathy
Jeannette, you wrote that beautfully. You should submit that to a magazine for publication. Your poor great grandad must have had a very tortured mind after all the tragedy and disappointment in his life. God bless him and I think he would be very pround of you. I like to hope we will all meet again, so it will be fascinating for you when you meet him "upstairs". Terry
As I read this entry I had a feeling he must be a relative of yours. I too have found some pretty harrowing tales about my ancestors and I have shed several tears for them.
I don't think any of us in JLand can fully imagine how harsh life was for our great grandparents and their forebears, I also believe that it is good for us to find out about them and feel compassion for the trials they endured that resulted in us being here.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Linda x.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/lindaggeorge/GeorgeMansions/
Jeannette that was so sad ,your poor great Grandfather must have been so worried and frightened about the circumstances he found him self in ,there were no benefits in those days either ,he must have reached the depths of despair,Whilst reseaching this you must have been very excited as well as saddened to find this out about your relative ,is there grave somewhere ? ,.,.,.,Janxx
Suicide eh? I thought so. I wondered if it was a relative of yours as you wrote so passionately about it. It is fascinating but sad to know what our ancestors went through isn't it? Thanks for this intriguing mystery. Love Conniex
In the United States, committing suicide is still considered a crime and if one does so, his life insurance funds are not passed on to the bequeathed.
Susie
I was really intrigued by this mystery and couldn't decide how he had died ~ He must have been under a lot of pressure which could have been caused by that head injury ~ "Found drowned" seems the only conclusion they the jury could have reached ~ I am glad for the family that is the verdict they came to ~ Ally
Thank you for sharing that with us. You should get yourself a publisher!!!!
It is so sad there was such little help in those days for depression and I am sure in those days it would have been regarded that a man was weak if he admitted such a thing as depression and needed help for it! I think in that days they just muddled through and got on with things the best they could! So sad to think of people without help though!
SO sorry to hear it was your Grandfather but I was expecting it to be a realtive! You are a wonderfull writer Jeannette! X
Jeanette...this was a fab story and one that made me want to know the outcome of it, so sad that your Great Grandfather went through what he did, thanks so much for sharing it.
bella xx
Thank you for sharing this very personal story with us did not suspect the way it turned out. Love Joan.
Fascinating, Jeannette! Thank you for sharing part of your family history with us. I most definitely agree that it is is the way you think considering that it was 100 years ago and times were far different. Poor guy had so much loss and must have felt his back was against the wall. Very entralling but sad. xx Chris
That was a great read. Thanks for sharing. I didn't expect it to be a relative of yours!
Missie
Perhaps there was another reason for his family to shun a suicide verdict. If there was any insurance. It was common practice in those days for insurance companies to refuse to pay out on a proven or even only an 'accepted' suicide. Perhaps the coroner was more sypathetic to the family than you think. 'Death by misadventure' might have been a truer verdict. It might also explain the walk into the water
That was a compelling read Jeannette, though I had no idea that it was a relative of yours. After reading this I have to agree with your verdict. Your great-grandfather must have been at the end of his tether and must have seen this as an escape from an unbearable existence. An excellent entry indeed. :o)
Sandra xxxx
Oh Jeanette you did a marvelous job in fleshing out your ancestor! You really made him come alive for us. I know that you have delved into your genolgy (I'm so tired right now I probably misspelled that..sorry) I really enjoyed reading this one a lot...Sandi
You really should get your work published...great entry...many hugs and love, have a great weekend...hugs and love,
Joyce
Jeannette, this true story is brilliantly told. Thank you for sharing.
Love Sylvia xxx
I must say that when I read the very last line of your story here....I gasped!
Pam
OMG. Jeanette! I haven't been to you in a while and rediscovered you at CarnivAOL... I was so shocked when I got to the end of your story.... very sorry for your loss. Even if it was 100 years ago.
be well,
Dawn
I found you through CarnivAOL and couldn't help but suppress a gasp at the end of the story. I am so sorry for your loss.
Best Wishes,
Dianna
http://journals.aol.com/sazzylilsmartazz/DiannasMindlessMusings/
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