Overdose Man Collapsed and Died in Police Station

By Angela Gooch on February 5th, 2010

UNUSUAL SUICIDE CASE AT SKEGNESS.
Fruit Hawker Collapses and Dies in Police Station.
“I HAVE TAKEN 200 ASPIRINS.”

Fatal Sequel to a Fit of Depression.
How a Skegness fruit hawker committed suicide by the unusual method of swallowing a large number of aspirin tablets was related at an inquest on the death of George Bricknell, aged 41, living in Grosvenor Road, Skegness, at the Primitive Methodist School-room last Monday.

The inquiry was conducted by the District Coroner, Dr. F. J. Walker, sitting without a jury.

Deceased, who collapsed and died at the Police Station —where he had been taken—on Saturday, stated repeatedly, just before his death, that he had taken 200 aspirins.
Violet Ethel Bricknell, wife of the deceased, identified the body as that of her late husband, who was a baker at Eastwood, Notts. prior to coming to Skegness, in June, 1926. She last saw him about 11 o’clock on Saturday morning, when he went round as usual on his fruit round. He had been very depressed since the previous June and had once threatened to destroy himself, but how she did not know. He had not had good health and had suffered from asthma since he was a child. She believed he once had an operation for something in his stomach and was afraid the trouble was returning. Dr. Menzies attended him in June last for a breakdown in health, but had not visited him since. She knew nothing of what happened after 11.30 on Saturday morning.

May Crowson, High Street, Skegness, said deceased used their cellar as a store for his fruit. He came into her kitchen about 4.30 on Saturday afternoon and said “I have committed suicide.” She replied “Don’t be so silly. What have you being doing?” He did not answer at first but then said “I have taken 200 aspirins.” He did not seem any different from his usual self, and she asked him who had supplied him with all that number. He replied “I got, them from several chemists. Good-bye, I shall be dead in an hour. Don’t think any the worse of me.” She fetched her husband, and when they came in deceased went out of the side door to the upstairs lavatory where he was sick. Her husband went up to him and said he would take him home. She afterwards found several aspirins in the wash-house and on the cellar floor. He used to come to see her every day. He seemed very depressed and very often said he wished he were dead.
Harry Ingham, Brunswick Drive, said he was passing the Town Hall shortly before 5 o’clock. Deceased was standing with his back to Lumley Road and called to him, ” Oh, I say, will you call at the Police Station and tell them to send a policeman”. He looked very white, and witness did as he was requested.

AT THE POLICE STATION
Pc. Mapleson said he was stationed at Skegness and on receiving the message went along to deceased who was leaning against the Council Offices. Witness said, ” Now then, what’s the matter.” He replied, ” I am ill”. Witness noticed he was very pale and assisted him with difficulty to the Police Station. He asked permission to sit down and witness gave him a chair. Insp. Corden came in and deceased said ” I am fed up. Everything is against me. I have taken 200 aspirins.”
Insp. Corden said that deceased said, ” I have tried to get on, but I can’t wait any longer”. Witness asked him what he meant, and he replied, ” I have taken 200 aspirins, I shan’t last much longer”. He said he had spent 4s. on aspirins.
The Coroner Do you know how far that sum would so. Insp. Corden - They cost 2s, per bottle of 100.
Continuing, witness said he gave him an emetic, and he then began to vomit, complaining also of pain in his chest. Witness had telephoned meanwhile for a doctor, deceased being alive when Dr. Wallace arrived. He suddenly seemed to faint, and fell off the chair. Witness loosed his collar and laid him on his back. He died at 5.35, 28 minutes after arriving at the Police Station. Witness searched the body and found several documents, a wallet, knife, an invoice book, and a letter from a firm of solicitors. The last entry in the book was February 3, and concerned a cwt. of potatoes. The book also contained a letter to his wife. He found further aspirin tablets in the clothing, and three or four in the store room. From inquiries he learned that deceased purchased the bottle of 100 aspirins from a local chemist about 2 o’clock on Saturday, he having been in the habit of buying small bottles from the shop. The young lady assistant remembered him because he was the first customer that day and took the only 100 bottle she had.
NO FOOD iN THE STOMACH
Dr. Wallace said he found the deceased’s pulse fairly good. He died within two minutes of falling on the floor. He had made a post-mortem examination and found no external marks of violence. He was a thin spare man, and had no food whatever in the stomach. It contained three or four ounces of yellow fluid which on analysis he found contained something like 75 per cent. of aspirin. His heart was small, and his lungs were very much affected as the result of asthma and chronic bronchitis. The brain was congested but all the other organs were perfectly healthy . The stomach was not in any way ulcerated. Death was due to cardiac failure following an overdose of aspirin. It would have a marked effect on a man having degenerated muscles.
LAST LETTER TO HIS WIFE
The Coroner, summing up the evidence, said the cause of death was perfectly clear. The letter of January 13th from a firm of solicitors referred to an account but was not out of the way. Deceased had also written a letter to his wife on January 18th repeating what had come out in the evidence. His disability had led to depression. There had been some mention of a previous attempt, but as to the condition of his mind he would return an open verdict, simply recording one of ” Death by suicide from an overdose of aspirin”.

Source: Skegness News 8th February 1928

The original newspaper article spells the name of Pc Mapleson wrongly, it’s actually MaplesTon. Unfortunately, just weeks after giving evidence at this inquest, Pc Mapleston, aged 23, met with a horrific accident which cost him his life: