Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Monday 08 April 1929

Miner’s Jump From Bridge.

Son’s Sad Story at Goldthorpe Inquest.

A tragedy due to illness and depression, and culminating in a death from a jump from a 37ft. high railway bridge on to the line below, was revealed at an inquest held at Goldthorpe on Saturday, when a verdict of “Suicide while of unsound mind” was returned.

The deceased was Thomas Gregg (54), miner, of 18, Sankey Square, Goldthorpe. A haulage hand, John Williams, was cycling to work on Friday morning when he saw Gregg jump off the bridge at Straight Lane, Goldthorpe. He informed the police, who on going to the spot found Gregg dead with his head crushed and neck dislocated.

The circumstances leading up to this terrible end were told by a son, James William Gregg, of Thornley Crescent, Thurnscoe, who said that the police fetched him on Thursday morning to pacify his father, who just before he got there had seized his mother by the throat. Witness told how he quietened his father and hew the latter went to work in the afternoon, and returned home apparently natural about nine o’clock.

Deceased went to bed about 11.43 p.m. About 1.45 a.m. he rose and said he was going to the police. He said that if he did not get up he should go mad. Witness followed him downstairs, but his father threw slipper him and told him to back to bed. Shortly afterwards the police came and reported what the deceased had done.

Witness added that his father had attempted suicide a year ago and again on Thursday morning. He had been depressed for some time, and for the last three weeks had been receiving medical attention.