From the Folkestone Chronicle 19 June 1859. Transcribed by Jan Pedersen.

COUNTY COURT

Wednesday June 15th:- Before C. Harwood Esq., County Judge.

Harrison v Baker. – An action to recover £4 15s. 6d. Balance of an account. Mr. John Minter appeared for the plaintiff, who said he was an innkeeper residing at Folkestone. The defendant lived at Hythe. In October, 1857, a Mrs. Baker came to the plaintiff's house, and engaged for board and lodging. She paid the bill at the end of the first week, and then said, that if she went to her uncle (the defendant), at Hythe, he would engage to see him paid for the future. He went, and saw the uncle, who promised to pay a reasonable amount, say about 10s per week. Mrs. Baker remained with plaintiff from 18th October, 1857, to 14th February, 1858; she then left. The bill amounting to £9 15s. 6d. Was sent in, and the defendant paid £5 on account, leaving the balance unpaid.

John Harrison, sworn, said, I keep the "Black Bull." In 1857 Mrs. Baker came to me for board and lodging, she paid me the first week and then referred me to her uncle at Hythe. I gave the bill to Mr. Baker (the defendant), at Hythe, who said if I came again in a few weeks he would pay me. On the 31st July, 1858, I received £5 on account from Mr. Baker. It was paid me at my residence, - the bill had been sent in three months before. When Baker paid me the £5 he promised to pay me the remainder in a month or six weeks. I have since applied several times for the balance, sometimes I went to Hythe, and sometimes wrote. The receipt I gave to defendant was not stamped, and he threatened to prosecute me. I consulted an attorney, and by his advice forwarded a stamped receipt.

By his Honour – I did not give the receipt to Mrs. Baker – no other person was present when the agreement was made, - she told me her uncle had money of hers. I went to Hythe to enquire if it was correct, and found it to be so.

Defendant, on being examined, said he might have had £40 in his hands belonging to Mrs. Baker. At the time the £5 was paid, he gave her £12 in all – he had never promised to pay the balance. When she came to him for the money, he told her he would pay the amount to plaintiff in her presence; he had never received a bill from the plaintiff, neither had he threatened to prosecute him for the unstamped receipt; in fact the receipt was not given to him, but to Mrs. Baker, and he had not received a stamped receipt.

The plaintiff was non-suited, but had permission to renew the summons at the Hythe court, and to procure Mrs. Baker as witness.

From the Folkestone Chronicle 27 July, 1861. Transcribed by Jan Pedersen.

CORONER'S INQUEST

On Sunday last, an inquest was holden at the "Black Bull Inn," before S. Eastes Esq., coroner, on the body of a travelling man, named John Jones, who had destroyed himself that morning at Walton Farm. The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the body, which lay in a cart lodge at the above farm. The body was fully dressed and had, loosely tied around the neck, a red handkerchief, with which the shocking deed had been perpetrated.

The first witness examined was Amelia Jones, a young woman with a child in her arms, who deposed she was the wife of the deceased, whose body she identified as that of her husband. He was an umbrella mender, and was about 30 years of age. Witness had been married to him about 7 years, and had three children alive. Her husband had good health generally, until about nine days ago, when he complained of a pain in his head. Deceased was a very sober, steady man. He was obliged to go to the Elham Union, on account of his illness. He went there on Saturday last. Witness heard nothing of him until Friday the 19th, when she went to the union, and he discharged himself, and came part of the way to Folkestone with her. They separated on the road and witness gave him a shilling to pay his railway fare to Dover, as he expressed a wish to go into the union house there. Before they left the union, deceased said he was not happy there, and if he stayed there he should make off with himself. When they parted, witness came to one of Mr. Jeffery's lodges, and when she got there, to her surprise, she found her husband, who, it appeared, had not gone to Dover. He returned witness the shilling, and after a while they lay down together with the children to sleep. Early in the morning a policeman came into the lodge and woke witness, and asked where her husband was. She had not then missed him. She knew of nothing to trouble him, except the illness, and did not know if any of his relatives had ever destroyed themselves.

Richard Sharp, a police constable, deposed to finding the body hanging by the neck to a ladder, that morning about 4 o'clock. The body was quite cold and stiff. Had seen him on the previous night about 10 o'clock, lying in the lodge with his wife and children. On finding the body, witness went and woke the woman in the lodge, and she knew nothing about her husband having left her during the night.

This being the whole of the evidence, the Coroner briefly summed up, and the jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict that the deceased destroyed himself whilst in a state of temporary insanity.