1846

On Wednesday morning Sharrock Bragg, a bricklayer, rose at an early hour, and while his wife was in bed with an infant by her side, he struck her violent blows on the temple with a hammer. He then committed the like violence on a little girl five years of age, which lay in a side bed, and then destroyed his own life by cutting his throat immediately afterwards. The particulars attending the dreadful catastrophe may be gathered from the subjoined evidence, which was adduced at the Coroner’s inquest on the bodies. It was held at the King’s Arms Inn before Mr. T.T.Delassaux, one of the county coroners. William Jaggers, a schoolmaster, residing in the village, said that he had lodged at the house of the deceased about ten months. The family consisted of Sharrock Rudd Bragg, his wife Mary, and two children; the eldest name Ellen, aged about five years, and an infant aged about four months. The conduct of the deceased man towards his wife and children was most kind. He had not heard an angry word uttered by him towards either of them. About four weeks ago the deceased went into his room, and remarked that he expected he should be transported, on which the witness said, “I suppose you have committed some great crime that deserves transportation”. He replied that he did not know that he had. He t he observed that he had been a bad man to his wife, and witness asking him what he had done, he replied that he had not acted rightly to her, but did not say in what manner. The deceased appeared not in his proper senses. He frequently seamed low and melancholy. On Tuesday night, about half-past ten o’clock, witness went to bed. Deceased, his wife, and children had retired before that time. About half-past five on the following, he heard something heavy fall on the floor in the room of the deceased; shortly before which he believed he heard the wife of the deceased groaning. The groans continued, and at times grew loader. About six witness got up and dressed himself, and on looking out of the window saw a little girl knocking at the front door. He immediately went downstairs and opened the door, but the child was gone. He then discovered some blood lying on the floor of the front room, which is under the apartment occupied by the deceased, and on looking up he perceived more dripping through the ceiling. He instantly called up a female named Quested, and desired her to go and open the bedroom door of the deceased. Ann Quested, the wife of a blacksmith, was next examined. She deposed that at about half-past six o’clock on Wednesday morning, she was called by the last witness to go into the deceased’s room. She did so, and was horrified on seeing the deceased man lying on the floor covered with blood. She also noticed the bedclothes saturated with blood. Being much alarmed, she hastened down stairs for assistance. James Bragg, brother to the deceased, said, that on Tuesday evening, about seven o’clock, he met his brother and some conversation with him. He accompanied him to North Elham, for some cabbage plants which he had purchased. For the last month, deceased has laboured under a depression of spirits. Witness was at work with him about three weeks ago, he was then strange in his conversation, and different from what he had been in the habit of being. He asked him several questions with a view to ascertaining the cause, but his answers were far from being collected. By the Coroner: From what he had seem and heard, he believed that the deceased was jealous of his wife. He had heard the deceased say, “If I was to die, there is another man ready to marry my wife.” Sarah Bragg, the wife of the last witness, was then called. She was one of the first to enter the deceased’s bedroom on the alarm being given. She saw the deceased man lying on the floor. He was quite dead and the upper part of his body was covered with blood, On a chair near his corpse she found a razor covered with blood. The one produced is the same. She went to the bed and lifted the infant from it. The mother was perfectly insensible and was groaning heavily. The little girl was in a side bed. She was covered with blood. They were both breathing. George Gale corroborated her testimony. The hammer produced he found near the body of the deceased on the floor. Several witnesses were then examined, who spoke to the melancholy and desponding state of the deceased’s mind. Upon one occasion he said he was done for, and hoped it would be a warning to others. Mr. James Beatie, surgeon, of Elham, described the injuries in graphic detail. The Jury found that “the deceased, Sharrock Rudd Bragg, killed and slayed Mary his wife and Ellen his daughter, while in an unsound state of mind, and whilst in that insane state did destroy himself by cutting his throat with a certain razor. The shocking catastrophe has created much sensation in the neighbourhood of Elham. The wretched man was in his twenty-ninth year, and bore a very good character.