CHRISTCHURCH.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2644, 29 June 1877, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

This day. An inquest was held at the Lunatic Asylum yesterday evening on the body of Warder Frederick White, who was stabbed by Mark Price, a patient, on Wednesday. From the evidence it appeared that Price has been an inmate of the Asylum since 1858, when he was admitted. He had been drinking hard prior to admission, and had been in goal, where it was said he once attempted to stab a warder. During the past 12 years he has been remarkably quiet, and was allowed almost perfect liberty, frequently visiting Christchurch. alone. E. W. Seager, keeper of the asylum, said : " I considered Price so safe that I have allowed him to sit in my own residence and mix with my family, sitting down to meals ' with me and friends of the institution, freely using a knife and fork daily. He has been in the habit of visiting the attendants' cottages, playing with their, children and chatting to their wives. On the morning of the sad event he visited attendant Wlraxworth's" cottage, and lifted the youngest child on its mother's shoulders." According to this and other witnesses, Price and: White never had . any quarrel, and White .was thoroughly, lik.ed |by every one about the asylum. Price labored under the hallucination that the asylum was his property. This it was caused him to ask White for his keys. When White said he had given the keys to some one else Price picked up a carving knife, and a warder near, thinking Price was only going to cut tobacco, as he had often done before, did not take tbe knife from him, when Price suddenly turned round and stabbed

White before the warder, only two feet distant, could stop him. After this act Price seemed quite unconcerned, not the least excited or affected by what he had done, though, in reply to a question, he said he knew he had killed White. Price, on being brought before the jury for a moment, said, in reply to a question what he wanted with the keys, "to get to my wife for liberty ; what do you call it?" The inquest was adjourned to a late hour for the coroner to obtain legal advice as to whether Price ought or ought not to be taken into custody.