DETERMINED SUICIDE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1426, 7 December 1886, Page 2

DETERMINED SUICIDE.

Auckland, December 6

At Parnell a young man named Thendare Behrens, only a few months in the colony, blew out his brains with a pistol in a i carding boose this morning. The bullet entered the right temple and gashed the head, p going opt at the left temple. The revolver with which the deed was committed was owned by deceased, who kept a large supply of catridgea in his box. Deceased had been a'aying at the tv use for some days past, and daring that time noth ng very atraog • was noticed in his behaviour. He always appeared to be a must quiet unassuming young man. When the breakfast h >ur c»me round o >e of the servants called deceased in the usual w*y, but received no answer. Very little importance was attached to (hi., as deceased was very reserved Shortly after the breakfast Mrs Fletcher thought she

h ard a noise la deceased's bedroom, aa if so mething had fallen, accompanied by a st fl d Bound. On Mrs Fletcher remarking this, several lodgers want to the room and there saw deceased lying dead on the fl i< r. Brhiens had a revolver in his band, and was m that position when found by the police. Tie motive for suicide is not very clear, aa deceased was not suffer* ing from pecuniary embarrassment, as be bad money in the bank. Bis demeanour of la e seemed in no way strange Among his < fftots w re found several letters one of which was addressed to a Lady Vincent in France, and another, sealed, to Mr Cooper, which was opened by that gentle* ma», rnd found to o ntain a kind of will. His Prayer-book be left to bia a ster, and his Bible to his mother. Ray, who came out with deceased, «aw him last night. [ He all right then, and several | friends saw h m yeg etd«y afternoon, when I he was even j dly, and he appeared then .to have nothing on bi» mind. Ou the lefer being opened it was found to contain instructions for money left by deceased at the Bank, soma £9O, to be amonust time friends, Messrs Ray, 0 auJe H. Hooper and Yaung.and finished op by “ damning this confounded conn* try " Deceased was a young man, somewhat between twenty and thirty years of age. and was well connected, being formerly an officer in the ' Navy, where h did acme good service on the coast of Pern by rescuing a Bri ish Consul, who had bean imprisoned by the authorities Deceased came to the colony as a second ola s passenger by the s.s, Rnap-bu but since his ar ival in thecoiouy he visited 'he *ooth Sea Islands. He aso went to Waikato where ha had worked for a tim--forest planting at bangirlri, and oamq to town a week sgo