“There can be no doubt that he was in fairly serious financial difficulties,” said the East Northants Coroner, Capt. J. S. Parker, at the inquest on a 52-year-old Rushden man, Mr. Harry Roughton, 139, Wellingborough Road, Rushden, who was found dead in a gas filled bedroom on Monday.

The Coroner said Roughton had received a letter on Monday morning about financial matters, which had come as a great shock to him, and he took his life whilst in a sudden fit of depression.

Vera Olive Felce (24), housewife, 44a, North End, Higham Ferrers, said that when she went to her father’s home at 2.20 p.m. on Monday the house smelled strongly of gas. She found her father lying on his bed with the bedclothes half over him. She opened the window and then went for help.

Good Health

Answering Capt. Parker, she said she had no idea that her father was in financial difficulties and that his health had been quite good. Mrs. Felce went on to say that her mother was ill and that she had been staying with her for the past few days so that she (Mrs. Felce) could look after her.

Another daughter, Miss Gwenda Mavis Roughton, who lived with her father, said that she had stayed at the home of her sister in Higham on Sunday night. When she arrived home on Monday morning her father was still in bed, and he told her he was “tired but all right.” She took him the morning paper and he said that he would stay in bed a little longer and then prepare dinner for them.

On arriving home from work at dinner time the meal was not ready however, and she prepared her own. During the meal she heard groaning noises from upstairs which she attributed to a cat. She then left for work, noticing nothing unusual.

Full On

P.C. Charles William Houghton gave evidence of being called to the house, where he found Roughton lying fully dressed on the bed. A gas bracket, from which the burner had been removed, was full on. He made a search and found a letter which said that Roughton intended to commit suicide but gave no explanation as to why.

Medical evidence was given by Dr. W. A. T. McKendrick, who said that when he arrived at the house he found a police constable giving artificial respiration. A resuscitator from the Fire Station was also used, without success. In his opinion, death was due to coal gas poisoning.