The Suicide of John James Watson

Shocking Suicide of a Halifax Tradesman – Yesterday forenoon, Mr John James Watson, ironmonger, Northgate, Halifax, committed suicide by blowing his brains out with a revolver. An assistant in Mr Watson's shop went upstairs to tell Mr Watson he was wanted, when to his surprise he found that deceased had shot himself. An alarm was at once , and on two other persons going upstairs, they found Mr Watson laid on his back on the floor with a pistol-shot in his forehead. Deceased was breathing very heavily. On the floor, near deceased, was a five-barrelled revolver.

A surgeon was quickly in attendance, but medical aid was useless, as Mr Watson very soon breathed his last. On examination, it was found that the ball from the pistol had gone through deceased's head.

Deceased had, only a few minutes before his death, procured, at the shop of another ironmonger in the town, the revolver with which he shot himself, and had asked the assistant who had supplied him with the weapon to load it for him, that it might be shown to be in working order. This would excite no surprise, as it is customary for ironmongers to get firearms of each other.

It seems that a few years ago, deceased, who at his death was not twenty-four years old, attempted suicide by cutting his throat.

Nothing seems to be known as to what could have impelled deceased to to destroy himself

The Suicide of a Halifax Tradesman – On Saturday, an Inquest was held at the Town Hall, Halifax, on the body of Mr John James Watson, ironmonger, Halifax, who committed suicide yesterday week.

Mr Bairstow was the coroner, and the first witness called was Charles Hanson, of Gibbet Street, assistant to Mr Watson. Deceased's name was John James Watson, and he was twenty-three years of age. He resided at Green Hill Terrace. He had appeared very low-spirited for some time since the accident at the shop, when a beam fell through a window, and did a great deal of damage. He asked me if my late employer, Mr Smeeton, was ever low-spirited. and what he did when he was so. Again, when he has received letters from Southport, he has told me that his wife's illness was completely upsetting him, and he did not know what to do. I have not ascertained where he had been from the Wednesday till Friday. He was very steady, in fact he told the apprentice that he was teetotal.

Mr John Nicholson, printer, said deceased in my son-in-law. On Wednesday afternoon, he went from here to Liverpool. I met him there on the Thursday morning at the station, and we went from there to Southport to see his wife. He left Southport on Friday morning by the 6:15 train for Halifax. Deceased's wife was very ill.