George son of Frank Pearce of Beechingstoke, labourer, and Mary Ann (baptismal record)
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George Pearce died aged 40 years. 4
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TRAGEDY AT MARDEN.
Village Postmaster's Suicide.
FATAL RESULT OF MARRIED MAN'S INTRIGUE.
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The usually placid little village of Marden had its fill of excitement on Saturday last, when it became known that George Pearce, the village postmaster, had taken his own life under circumstances of a very extraordinary nature. Pearce was not only postmaster of the village, but he was employed by the Misses Niven, of the Grange, as gardener and in a generally useful capacity. It was one part of his duty to look after the cows. He was a man greatly respected in the village, and was, as one of the witnesses said, the last man to be suspected of carrying on an intrigue. His wife looks after the post office, and there is a daughter. On Friday night he left his home, after supper, saying he had to attend to some cattle. No particular notice was taken of this, as it was in the ordinary course of his duties. A fellow-servant, who is employed as chauffeur, was about rather late, discussing the war, with friends, and when he eventually arrived home, at an early hour on Saturday morning, it occurred to him that he should go and have a look at some horses at the Grange which were to be taken to Devizes in connection with the Army requirements, later in the day. When he got inside the gates of the Grange, he noticed a ladder placed against the wall near a servant's bedroom. He saw a man get out of the window, come down the ladder backwards, and he then recognised the man as his fellow-servant, George Pearce. He said to him, "George, George, I am ashamed of you, you have got a wife at home." Pearce replied, "I am ashamed of myself, and I'm done for." He then ran away, and what followed is told in the report of the inquest below. It need hardly be said that the tragic happening was the general talk of the village all day. The facts will be best gathered from the full report of the inquest.
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The inquest on the body of the deceased was held at the Parish Room, Marden, at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, before Mr. F. A. P. Sylvester, Coroner for Mid-Wilts. Mr. W. Perren was elected foreman of the jury. P.C. Miles was the Coroner's officer.
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The Coroner very briefly stated the object of the inquiry for which the jury were called together that day, and named the witnesses he proposed to call before them.
The jury then proceeded to view the body, and on their return to the Reading Room the following evidence was taken :—
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Mrs. Martha Ann Pearce, widow of the deceased, deposed—My husband was 40 years of age last June. I am postmistress of the village. My husband was postmaster, but I attended to the post office. He was also in the employ of the Misses Niven, at the Grange. He was at home last night. I had slept with my daughter for the past few nights on account of his being about at night with the cattle. It was Misses Niven's cattle. He left the house about quarter past eleven.
Did he say anything?—Yes, he wished me "good-bye."
Did he say where he was going?—He said he was going to see the cows.
Had he been in his usual health?—Yes, but he had been rather quiet at times.
Did he appear to be in his right mind?—Yes.
Only rather quiet?—Yes.
Have you ever heard of any of his relatives not being quite right in their minds?—No.
Never heard of one of his relatives having done away with himself?—Never.
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Giles Whiting deposed—I live at Marden, and am groom and chauffeur to the Misses Niven, of the Grange. Last evening I went out for a drive with a friend—Mr. Palmer, of Marden. Mr. Palmer had to go to Chirton on business, and I went with him for the pleasure of the drive. We started at 9 o'clock, and went to Chirton. We came back to Marden between 12 and 1 o'clock. We had been talking about the war, with one and another. When we got back we went into Mr. Palmer's and had some supper and something to drink. We were talking about some horses which we were going to take into Devizes on the following day, in connection with the army.
Well, tell us what happened next.—Mr. Palmer went out into the yard, about one o'clock, and saw George Pearce there. He asked him to come in and have a drink.
Did he come?—Yes; he came in and had a drink of whiskey, same as we were having.
Was he quite sober?—Oh, yes, sir.
How did he seem in health?—As well as I have ever seen him for the past 12 months.
What time did Pearce leave?—He went about 20 minutes past 1, I should think, to see to a cow.
Did he say that?—Yes, he told us that was what he was about for.
What next?—I stayed with Mr. Palmer until about two o'clock, in the kitchen, where we had supper. We were talking about the horses which we were going to take into Devizes. I then left Mr. Palmer's and went to my own cottage, which is next door to Mr. Pearce's at the Post Office. My wife had gone to bed, but she had left a candle for me. I went indoors, lit the candle, took off my boots, put on my slippers, and went upstairs. I spoke to my wife. It then struck me that I ought to go back to the Grange to see to the two horses, as they had only been got in from grass yesterday afternoon.
Yes, what happened then?—I went to the Grange, and just as I got on to the gravel drive I saw a ladder stood across the pitching stones, to the servants' bedroom window. No sooner had I seen the ladder, and my footsteps sounded on the gravel than I saw a man coming backwards down the ladder.
Did you recognise the man?—Yes, it was George Pearce.
It was nearly full moon at the time, I think?—Yes, it was light.
What did you say?—I said "George, George, I'm ashamed of you. You've got a wife at home, and you're about with Miss Niven's servants at this time."
Did he make any answer?—He said "I'm ashamed of myself, and I'm done for."
Had you any suspicion at all as to what was going on?—None at all.
Well what happened?—He ran away. I went for the ladder and put it away, in the place where it was kept, under the arch, at the top of the yard.
Yes, what then?—I could hear George Pearce running, up the garden. I called out to him, "Come back, George, it will be all right." When I got just by the potting house I heard the report of a gun. I ran on up to the top of the kitchen garden, and there I saw George Pearce on the ground.
Had he gone through the potting shed where the gun was kept?—Yes, he ran right up through this, into the garden. I went and put my hand on him and said, "George, you have never done anything rash!"
Where was he at this time?—Laid in the path, partly on the garden. I found all was over, so I went and called the servants, also Misses Niven ; and my wife came across. I asked her to go and fetch Mr. Palmer to go for the policeman.
Where was the gun usually kept?—In the potting house or tool shed.
Whose gun was it?—I believe the Misses Niven bought it. Deceased used it for shooting the rabbits in the field, or the birds on the trees.
You say he ran through the house and you followed.—Yes. He ran from me through the tool-house and the potting shed, up into the garden. All the doors were open as I ran through. I ran first of all to the potting shed, where the gun was usually kept.
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Mabel Hunt, a prepossessing-looking girl of, apparently, about 20, neatly dressed, was the next witness.
Where have you been living? (asked the Coroner)—At the Grange.
Where is your home?—In the village, at the Three Horse Shoes, Chirton.
How long have you lived at the Grange?—Five years come the 27th of next February.
Did the deceased man visit you last night?—This morning, early.
There was a bar to your window, what about that?—It had been loosened, so that it could be removed.
Was there anything particularly noticeable in his demeanour?—Not at all.
Had he ever threatened to take his life or to do himself an injury?—No, but he had threatened me.
What do you mean by that?—He threatened to take my life, and bear anything that came afterwards.
Was that if you told anybody?—Yes.
He seemed perfectly all right, beyond this?—Yes.
Now about this bar to the window, will you explain that.—It was supposed to be fixed, but George Pearce made it loose, and it was kept loose.
Was this the first time he had visited you?—No.
Were there any other servants there?—They were in the adjoining rooms. I had a bedroom to myself.
You say he threatened to murder you if you told anybody?—Yes, and not for the first time, sir.
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Mr. Robert Dudley Stone, registered medical practitioner, of Erchfont, deposed: I was called to Marden Grange this morning, and I examined the body of the deceased. The injuries were that the top of the head was blown off by a gunshot wound. I saw the gun (produced), and I have no doubt whatever the injuries were self-inflicted. There was scorching of the eye-brows, and the cap which the deceased had been wearing was blown five or six yards away, and there was a piece of the skull in it. The wound must have been self-inflicted. The gun was by the side of the body and I saw a key which he must have used to press the trigger. The injuries from which the deceased suffered were such that they could not have been otherwise than self-inflicted.
In answer to a juror, witness said he had never attended deceased, though he had attended his wife and daughter. He had known Pearce for many years as a bright, happy, pleasant man, and he always entertained a great regard for him. He would never have thought him capable of such a thing. He was the last man in the parish of whom witness would have thought such a thing be possible.
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P.C. Miles deposed—I am stationed at Chirton. I was called this morning, and I went at once to the kitchen garden at the Grange, where I found the body of the deceased lying on the ground. The breech and stock of the gun (produced) were between his knees, and there was a key near the trigger.
The Coroner—What key is it?
The widow said it was the key of their side door.
Witness continued—The top of deceased's head had been blown off. I opened the breech, and found a spent cartridge in the right barrel. The left barrel was empty. I have looked everywhere but have not been able to find any more cartridges. I searched the pockets of deceased, and found some money and letters, but no other cartridges.
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Mr. Stone added that he and the constable found the wad of the cartridge in deceased's cap, with a piece of the skull, five or six yards away.
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The father of the girl Mabel Hunt said he would like to say something.
The Coroner gave permission, and Hunt proceeded to say that he was not aware this sort of thing was going on————
The Coroner—We are not going into that. We have nothing to do with that in this court.
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The Coroner summed up at some little length, pointing out at the outset that they had nothing to do in that court with the conduct of the deceased and the girl Hunt. What they had to consider was where, how and by what means deceased came by his death, and also the condition of mind in which the deceased was at the time, if they found that he took his own life. As to the cause of death, there could be no question that it was the result of a gunshot wound. There could be no question in their minds that the deceased fired the gun himself. If they had no doubt that this man did take his own life, they would have to consider if he was in his right mind at the time. If so, it was a case of self-murder, or felo de se, as it was called. That meant nowadays that there would be some difference made in the mode of his burial, only a part of the religious service being used. But they might be of opinion that at the time this man took his life he was not in his right mind: he might have thought that it would be most serious for a man in his position to be found out and that he would be, as he had said, "done for," and this might have upset his mental balance. There was another alternative: they might take the view that there was not sufficient evidence to show the state of mind he was in at the time. Having regard to all the facts, he thought that probably they would decide that this was the best course they could adopt. The deceased would then have decent burial, exactly as though he had met with any other death. He suggested that in the interests of the widow they would probably think this was the better course to adopt, and that they would return a verdict accordingly.
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After a very brief consultation, the jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased met with his death by a gunshot wound, self-inflicted, but that there was not sufficient evidence before them to enable them to judge of the state of his mind at the time.
The Wiltshire Advertiser, Thursday, 13 Aug 1914, p. 4
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George Pearce of Post Office Marden Wiltshire, gardener, died 8 August 1914. Administration Salisbury 15 September to Martha Ann Pearce, widow. Effects £243 18s. 9d. 5
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