THE LINCOLN TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12545, 14 July 1906, Page 4

THE LINCOLN TRAGEDY.

♦ I THE INQUEST. Tho Coroner's enquiry into the circumstances surrounding tho death of Charlie McCutchcon, who shot himself at Lincoln on Th;irsc?ay under some- » what sensational circumstances, was £ I held at die morgue vestcrday before |i Mr H. W. Bishop: I Mr H. Quanc was chosen foreman of p' the jury. i The Coroner, in opening the inquest, § asked the jury, v.lun viening the 'body, fr to satisfy themselves ;;s to the correetj ness of the statement that there were. , facilities by which the deceised could J , have concealed the revolver from the J , police when they Avero searching him, J for that would have some bearing on I any allegations of negligence that might I be made against the detectives. j Evidence was then called. Detective Bishop recounted tho events leading up to and following tho j arrest at Lincoln, as reported in "The ! Press' yesterday. The deceased was | thirty years of age. Detective "Ward j gave similar evidence. The Rev. William Spence stated that Jho had known the detv-ifcd for a w<vk, j although ho had known his family for four years. A week «co tho man Raw him about getting married, and he ar- | I rang«l to marry him :it (ho Lincoln jPm by to-r> an Church at 11.30 a.m. on ] July 12th. McCuiohcon arrived on j Thursday at a tjuarter past eleven, and I was then arrested by the detectives. By I permit-ion of the uei.:i'iivo.-, he took j McCutchcon into tlt.» front 'room of [ tl:t? man'-. , , ar.d the ;it-c :\-ed ivii:l : "'Now * ; that things lu:vo taken this turn. 1 I i would like to make a will." Winiccs 1 then pof. a .--ini-t of j-at/jr and dre-w it up at ):[• d:r':it:on. }J." that I Ward should 'v r-allrd in ns'tlie second I wilr.t-iv.. but ?.!rCu!c!'.' , 'r i n si:-! If. , would I prefer Mrs Spence to tLc detective. He I left the room tn a.- , !: 31 r* Spcneo to ■ come in, and she came into tho room \ ' with him, spoke to the deceased, m<! ■ witncissed the will. rilcCutchcon t!:r:i [ . asked if he could otttside to an out- | j houso before he l.ft v.-iih the dciccI I tives. Witness replied that lva I ] had better take the detective with I him, and the deceased replied. "I can't J run away, and I want to go :it o;ice.' iI Ho showed the man the way. .-.nd I J motioned to tho detective tn follow ; I him. Shortly afterwards tho detective , called him, and told him that the man ■ had shot himself. MeCutchcon was in ! the front room for from five to ten j minutes altogether. Tho man soemcJ to bo quite collected, and there was nothing in his manner to indicate that he intended to shoot hiinsclf. ! Dr. Lyon, of Lincoln, stated that at about half-past eleven tho previous morning he was called to attend tho deceased, and on examining him found a largo wound in tho forehead. He j cleansed and dressed the wound, and ■ I examined tho head, but found no I wound of exit. The man was brought to town, but died before reaching Sockburn. Ho had examined the body that morning, and found that another shot ! had penetrated the lung just above tho heart. That shot must have been fired first, for it would not havo rendered him unconscious. I Tho Coroner said that the only question tho jury had to consider was as to J the condition of mind of the deceased. The legal difference between a felo do so and tho ordinary vordict of suicide while of unsound mind was practically nil, and it was more a matter of senti- ■ mont than anything else at the pre? ) i sent day. It was open to the jury ; to give any expression of opinion they i might desire as to the conduct of the [ detectives, whether they neglected i I their duty, or whether, on the other hand, the circumstances woro such as to render it reasonably impossible for them to have foreseen such an occurrence. Tho main point for tho jury to consider was as to whether they considered that the man had deliberately committed suicide by shooting himsclr I while under arrest, or whether they would follow the moro' merciful course and say that ho committed suicido whilo of unsound mind. The jury, aftor a few minutes' retirement, returned a verdict that tho deceased had committed suicide by shooting himself while in a state, of unsound mind, a rider being added that tho detectives in the case took every reasonable precaution under tho peculiar cir- ( cumstances.