Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News 19 June 1909
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY at WYCOMBE.
A CHAIR MANUFACTURER KILLS HIS WIFE.
A terrible tragedy occurred at High Wycombe on Sunday morning, a local chair manufacturer killing his wife and then cutting his own throat. At about eleven o'clock the wife went into the bath- room, followed by her husband, who immediately shut the door A servant heard a scream, and, finding the bath-room door locked, called in Dr. Bannerman, who lives next door. He forced the door, and found the husband in the act of cutting his throat, but wrenched the razor away from him. The doctor then turned his attention to the wife, who, however, was nearly dead. The husband, who is expected to recover, has been depressed for some time, and it is supposed that he was seized with a sudden fit of madness.
The inquiry into the tragic death of Mrs. Gibbons was opened by Mr. A. E. W. Charsley, Coroner for South Bucks, at the "Carrington Arms," on Mon- day afternoon. A large crowd of spectators gathered in the vicinity, evidently expecting to see Mr. Gibbons, but he had not sufficiently recovered to be removed from his residence. At the inquest Mr. A. J. Clarke appeared to represent the family; and there were also present Dr. W. B Bannerman, Dr. W. Fleck, Chief Constable Sparling, and P.S. Davis (Coroner's Officer)
A Jury of sixteen was empanelled, with Mr. H. Jolliffe Cox as foreman.
The jury having viewed the body, Mr. Albert Thomas Goodearl said he was a chair manufacturer, and resided at "Belmont," Priory-avenue, High Wycombe. The body the Jury had viewed was that of Mrs. Sarah Ann Gibbons, his sister-in-law, and the wife of Mr. Albert Gibbons, of Oxford-road, chair manufacturer. Her age was 38 years last September. He last saw Mrs. Gibbons alive on Saturday evening when he was at her house. He had been out walking with Mr. Gibbous, and left the house at about a quarter to nine o'clock, when he left them together in the dining-room. On June 13th he went to the house by arrangement about 10.45 for the purpose of taking Mr. Gibbons for a walk, and then learned what had occurred.
The Coroner - From whom did you learn what had occurred - From my own observation.
Dr. Walter Biggar Bannerman said he resided at Oxford Road, High Wycombe, and was a registered surgeon. His residence was next door to that of Mr. Albert Gibbons. On Sunday, he was in his conservatory about 10:15 am. speaking with his man Jones. He was on the point of going in to pay a professional visit to Mr. Albert Gibbons, who had been under his care and treatment, when Miss Thompson and the mad, Annie Campbell, came rushing in screaming and told him to go up to the bathroom, as Mr. Gibbons was doing something to Mrs. Gibbons. He immediately rushed in, and upstairs, and found the bathroom door locked.
He put his shoulder to it, and burst the door open, and found Mr. Gibbons kneeling over Mrs. Gibbons, who was on the floor face downwards, and Mr. Gibbons was hacking at her neck with a razor. There was a large pool of blood beside her. He knocked Mr. Gibbons sprawling and tackled him and tried to take the razor from him. They struggled on the floor, and he tried furiously to cut his own throat. Witness still struggled with him, and got four of his fingers cut by the razor. Mr. Gibbons succeeded in making some gashes in his own throat before he could wrest the razor from his hand, and the handle broke, leaving the blade in his hand, and witness threw it on the floor across the bathroom. He continued to
struggle on until his man Jones came on the scene, when he handed him over to Jones and turned to Mrs. Gibbons, whom he found still alive but moribund. She expired in the course of two or three minutes. His brother, Dr. G. D. K. Bannerman, having telephoned for Dr. Fleck, came up and assisted him to arrest the haemorrhage of the wounds inflected by Mr. Gibbons on his own throat, and Dr. Fleck arrived very shortly afterwards.
The Coroner-What was the actual cause of death? - Haemorrhage.
The Coroner then intimated that the inquest would be adjourned until Wednesday.
At the adjourned inquest on Wednesday, Mr. Goodearl, re-called, said that Mr. Gibbons and his wife were on excellent terms, and when he left them on Saturday night there were no signs of a quarrel. Mr. Gibbons had been medically attended. When he called on Sunday morning it was for the purpose of going for a walk with Mr. Gibbons, and not to take him for a walk. He did not consider Mr. Gibbons was not capable of taking care of himself. He was very depressed, and witness's idea was that he wanted more lively company to take him out of himself, and to get him away from his troubles. His finance was perfectly sound. Mr. Gibbons imagined that he had some business trouble, but in reality he had not. He did anticipate that in short time he would be bankrupt, and that he would not be able to educate his children in the way he had started. In consequence of these worries, witness went through the books with him in Whitsun week, and to the best of his ability proved to him that his business was going on satisfactorily. In spite of that, he had come to him crying and saying that he was the only person who stuck to him. He went to Bledlow for a day or two's change. After he returned, witness had a message to the effect that Mr. Gibbons had written a letter saying he intended to do away with himself. Subsequently his son broke his arm, and that further worried him very much. Witness took him in a motor-car to Burnham Beeches, and whilst there lost sight of him for a time. On June 9th Mrs. Gibbons told him that her husband had been walking about for a couple of hours with some poison in his pocket. She also said that he had tried to take the poison, but he found it was such horrid stuff that he could not face it. She obtained possession of the bottle and emptied the contents away. Dr. Bannerman suggested obtaining a mental nurse for Mr. Gibbons, but his wife was opposed to the idea. It was ultimately decided that he should be kept in bed and be given sedatives in order to soothe his nerves, and on Thursday and Friday this was done. On Saturday afternoon he was allowed to get up. There was no doubt, insanity in Mr Gibbons family.
Annie Campbell deposed that she was a domestic servant at Mr. Albert Gibbons, and was a widow. On Sunday, June 13th, she was sweeping down the stairs about a quarter to 10 a.m. when she heard Mr. Gibbons call out from the bedroom doorway to Mrs. Gibbons, who was then in the bathroom, "Are you washing, mother?" Mrs. Gibbons replied "Yes; I have some hot water." Mr. Gibbons said, "I will come and shave then." Some time afterwards, she should say about 20 minutes after, she was dusting the stairs and heard Mr. Gibbons go into the bathroom and shut the door; then she heard Mrs. Gibbons scream. She called to Miss Lizzie Thompson, sister to Mrs. Gibbons, and who was helping to dust the hall, "The master is doing something to the mistress," and she ran and tried the bathroom door, and found it fastened inside. She then ran with Miss Thompson and told Dr. Walter Bannerman, who was with his man in the conservatory, and Dr. Banner- man came at once, and burst open the door, and she saw Mrs. Gibbons lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Dr. Bannerman flew to Mr. Gibbons, and witness picked the razor up, and afterwards handed it to the Chief Constable, Mr. Sparling. She had not heard any disturbance or unpleasantness between Mrs. and Mr. Gibbons. They retired to bed on Saturday about 10.45 p.m., and Mrs. Gibbons got up about 9 o'clock, and had breakfast with Miss Thompson. Mr. Gibbons had breakfast in bed. They had slept together. The nursemaid, Annie Ellis, had gone out with the eldest girl and the two youngest children. The two eldest boys had gone out walking by themselves. The second girl was staying at "Belmont," Priory Road, with Mrs. Goodearl. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons lived together very comfortably. They could not do enough for one another.
Dr. Bannerman said he had noticed a change in Mr. Gibbons during the last two or three weeks. He considered that he was insane at the time he committed this act, from the deliberate way in which he was hacking with the razor.
Dr. William Fleck, of High Wycombe, registered surgeon, said that at about 10.30 a.m. on Sunday, June 13th, he received a telephone message from Dr. W. B. Bannerman, and went at once to the residence of Mr. Albert Gibbons, and there saw Mrs. Gibbons lying in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor, with her throat cut, and also the back of her neck badly cut. Her head was almost severed from her body. She was quite dead. He had her body placed in the nursery, and then caused her to be laid out, and examined her wounds. Mr. Albert Gibbons was also lying on the bathroom floor, by her side, but in a reverse position, with his throat cut, which was bleeding freely, and he assisted Dr. Bannerman to stop the bleeding from his wounds. Pointing to his wife Mr. Gibbons said "I have done it. There she lies. She's dead. I could not help doing it." Mrs. Gibbons' wounds consisted of several large ones on each side of the throat. The windpipe was not cut. Witness noticed that the right jugular vein was cut, and it was from that that the deceased bled so profusely, and no doubt caused her death. looking at the back of the neck he found all the structures were divided right down to the spinal cord from one ear to the other. The bony part of the spine seemed rough and jagged as if it had been hacked at with some sharp instrument. There was also a wound on her chin from the corner of the mouth towards her neck an oblique cut. There was also a cut on the arm, as far as he could remember.
The jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Mr. Gibbons, adding a rider to the effect that they were of opinion that he had been for some time previously of unsound mind, culminating in an attack of raving madness.
The foreman of the jury, on their behalf, expressed deep sympathy with the family in the sad and trying circumstances.