Philips, George 1902 September 26th Winchester
Wished his Sweetheart “Goodbye.”
Mr H White held an inquest on Monday afternoon at the Guildhall, on the body of George William Philips, aged 17, son of Mr and Mrs J G Philips, of the Plough beerhouse.
It appeared from Mr Philips that they been at the Plough, Upper Brooks, only three months, but deceased had lived with them all his life. He went out on Sunday fortnight and injured his hand, and had been an outpatient at the Hospital ever since, but this was no trouble to him. His eyesight was getting bad. He was relieved in his attendance in the bar at 5.20pm Saturday by his father, who never saw him again alive. He had not been quite right lately, for he seemed sullen. There had been no trouble that witness was aware of, and he trusted him implicitly.
Mrs Philips saw her son after death, and her version was that he had good health, and seemed cheerful to the last. She saw him alive about 5.30. She went out and returned in about three quarters of an hour, when her husband wished him to come down. She went upstairs and found him in the bedroom lying on his right side fully dressed, save his boots and socks. He made no answer to her, and seemed dead. He smelt of carbolic acid, and she at once called her husband. No bottle was found in the room. The bottle was kept in the washhouse, and the acid used by her and by deceased for the drains. The bottle was subsequently found on the washhouse floor. There was no trouble to cause the act.
Ada Philips, deceased’s sister, said she saw him in the washhouse soon after 5.30 sitting down, not an unusual thing. Soon after she saw him go upstairs in a hurry.
PC Norgate was called in, and found deceeased quite dead.
Nora Winkworth, sweetheart of the deceased, said he was quite lively up to Saturday night, except when he came from the Hospital. When asked what was the matter, he said, “Nothing much.” He kissed her, and said, “Good-bye,” and burst out crying without apparent reason, and said he would see her Sunday afternoon.
Dr MacNalty said the post mortem showed all the organs healthy, and the cause of death to be poisoning by carbolic acid.
The jury returned a verdict of suicide, but added that there was no evidence as to the deceased’s state of mind at the time.
Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 