Isaac Softly

Level 221

D Wong on 1st February 2015

Isaac was 40 years old and his native place was Armagh County, Ireland. His crime was listed as "Robber bleach green". 19/7/1834: TOL Maitland 1840: TOL Parramatta 1/1/1847: CP 13/9/1851: Married Rose Kerr 1/12/1851: Sydney Morning Herald: A magisterial inquiry took place before David Forbes, Esq., P.M., (in the absence of the Coroner), on Sunday last, the 23rd instant, touching the death of Isaac Softly, late of George-street, at Mr. Garvie's, in George-street. John Kennedy being sworn, deposed: The deceased took his dinner with me yesterday about one o'clock, and went away immediately after. I expected him again to tea, as he took his meals at my house; but he did not come, and I went to his lodgings and knocked at the front door, but got no answer; the door was fastened, and I went to the back, but met with the same success; about eight o'clock I went again; the woman brought a light, the door was fastened at the bottom; I forced it open, and found the deceased suspended to a beam by the neck, and quite dead. A person present got a knife and cut the body down and laid it on a sofa; I then reported the circumstance to the chief constable; deceased was a middle aged man; a little time since he had married a young woman, when they quarrelled, it was decided that he should pay her a weekly allowance; and he has been heard to say that rather than pay anything to his wife he would hang himself; deceased purchased a rope from the shop of Mr. Pass on the previous Thursday. Mrs. Drury, who lives on the same premises, deposed that deceased went into his house about four o'clock in the evening; he told the witness that an order was made by the magistrates to allow his wife seven shillings a week, but he said that he would hang himself before he would let her have a shilling; that it had cost him £50 since he had been married. Dr. Parsons stated, I was called to visit the deceased about eight o'clock last evening; I went immediately, and on my arrival at the house, I found the body lying on the sofa quite dead; and cold his tongue protruded between his teeth, and his eyes protruded also; there was a mark on the upper part of his neck, as if a rope had been drawn tightly round; I am of the opinion, from the appearances before mentioned, that death was caused by hanging. Mr. Forbes was of opinion, from .his observation of the character of the deceased, that he had destroyed himself whilst labouring under a fit of temporary insanity.