The Crookesmoor Dam Mystery - Sheffield October 1899

I have just posted an article to the site titled The River Don Tragedy - October 1901 in which a two year old boy named Sydney Talbot was drowned near Hillfoot Bridge by his mother Susannah

At the subsequent inquest and criminal trial reference was made to the death of her brother EDWARD BISHOP two years earlier by drowning in Crookes Dam.

And so I decided to check the details out using the British Newspaper Archive

Sheffield Evening Telegraph - Wednesday 01 November 1899

SHEFFIELD NOTES & JOTTINGS . 

Yesterday afternoon the body of man was drawn from the Ralph Dam, Crookesmoor Rjad, Sheffield, It has not yet been identified, but the deceased was apparently between 40 and 50 years of age, and dressed a style indicating that he was of the part.of the labouring class. In the pocket of the man clothes was found a bill-head from F. Mills and Company. Hanover Works. 63, Division Street, and made out to E. Bishop. The body, which was much decomposed, was taken to the mortuary. 

INQUESTS IN SHEFFIELD. 

THE CROOKESMOOR DAM MYSTERY. 

At the City Mortuary to-day the City Coroner held an inquest upon the body of Edward Bishop, aged 31 table-blade cutter, of Burton Road. Sheffield whoso body was found in the Ralph Dam. Road. last Tuesday. The deceased, had been drinking heavily for some time, He left home on October 5th. and was not seen alive again. Potice-constable Tomllmson, of Broomhill Police, fouud 'the body floating in the Ralph Dam Crokesmoor Road last Tuesday, Judging from appearance it had been in the water for several weeks. The man was fully dressed. The wife said her husband had neglected his work on account of drinking

The Jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst temporarily insane, brought on by excessive drink"

The details given at the trial were not strictly correct. Edward Bishop was foung in Ralph Dam not Crookes Dam. The former was adjacent to Crookesmoor Road just up from the wonderfully named Misfortune Dam. And secondly The Jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst temporarily insane, brought on by excessive drink," which was also not mentioned in the trial. The reader was led to believe that the family had a history of mental health problems when in fact the narrative is rather different.