Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Wednesday 04 March 1891
Determined Suicide at Wath.
Commercial Traveller Cuts His Throat.
On Monday night Mr. Godfrey Carlin, traveller for Samuel Johnson and Son, wine and spirit merchants, of Wath-on-Dearne, committed suicide at his lodgings at Gore hill, Wath-on-Doarue, in a most determined manner.
He returned home about six o’clock, and after eating a hearty tea, went out about eight o’clock. He came back a short time, and calling for glass of milk, read the evening paper. His landlady noticed nothing unusual in his manner then. About half-past ten he began to make preparations for retiring to rest, and was here that his landlady’s suspicions were first aroused. He took down from the wall his sitting room the framed insignia of the Order of Freemasons, and went upstairs with it under his arm.
Mr. and Mrs. Fenwick, with whom he lodged, listened in their room, and shortly afterwards both came down the stairs from an upper landing, and noticed that his bedroom door was ajar. Just as they got to Mr. Carlin came to it and closed it., They went back, but again heard it open, a most unusual proceeding, for all the eight or nine years he had with them be had not been known to act in so strange a manner. Again they heard the door close, and, reassured, Mrs. Fenwick went sleep. She was awakened by her husband jumping suddenly out of bed, and both rushed downstairs.
They roused their daughter Miss Polly Fenwick, who sleeps in a bedroom on the same floor as Mr. Carlin, and together went into the bedroom. There they found him lying in bed undressed quite dead. He had cut his throat in three places, and so determined had been the deed that the razor, in one of the gashes, had nearly severed bead from the body. Miss Fenwick states that she heard the deceased pacing about bedroom for some time previous to her father giving the alarm, supposed that Mr. Fenwick was startled Mr. Carlin’s cry as first drew the razor across his throat.
The affair is at present wrapped in mystery. No cause is assigned why the deceased should thus put an end to his existence. He was often heard to complain of illness, and suffered very much with his eyes, which were at times very painful, but on Monday visited Rotherham and transacted business as usual.
Mr. Cariin has been in the employ of Messrs. Johnson for 12 or 15 years, and was always of a quiet and unobtrusive nature. Financial troubles are not supposed to have been the cause of the sad affair. The deceased’s relatives live Birmingham, and yesterday afternoon his brother came over to Wath. The inquest will be held to-day.