INQUEST.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 131, 12 January 1877, Page 3

INQUEST.

(- *» ■/ ■;?"■- Air inquest, into the cause ofthe death of James Robbie, late of Balclutha, was held in the Grown Hotel, on Friday afternoon, by Dr J. G. Smith and a

The jury haying been sworn in, and Jjavimg' viewed the body, the following evidence was led : — Susan Robbie, widow ofthe deceased, bein£C sworn, said : — I last saw (my husband on Thursday afterndon, 28th December, about half-past 3 o'clock. He was then going down the paddock from the house towards the river. On the morning of that day tie said he was ■going to drown himself. He had not slept all the previous night. I tried to ret him to. bed, and once or twice he laid bis head down on tbe pillow but just- got up again. .He said he would never sleep until he took Lis last long sleep. He was not so much excited on the 28th as he' was on the previous nio-ht, when he spoke of cutting his throat. About three weeks ago when he was returning from Tapanui his horse fell and rolled over him. He was cut about the head and nose. Since then he has complained ot a. pain in the head, and said he never was right since he got the fall. He sometimes threatened to commit suicide as far back as three years ago, and pn two occasions bought poison for the purpose, .sa} r ing he had got it for a dog. He again threr-.Way the poison, and on one occasion; she got some in his pocket. Ever since he left Stewart and Gow's he has been low-spirited, and often said he wished he was out of the world He never cared fbr seeing anyone. I never thought he intended to carry out his threats of suicide. On the 2?th I began to get alarmed about him, and •was to go to call in a neighbour, but he prevented me and looked tbe door, putling the key in his pocket. On the :28th, in the morning at about ten •o'clock, he kissed the children and said he was going away to drown himself. After thnt he continued walking about; -and sometimes would lie down on the •sofa. He had breakfast befoi'e I got up that day ;he took no dinner. About nn hour before he left the house he was very -quiet. At -that time I was dressing myself in the' bedroom, when he came in and put the baby in my arms. I am not sure whether he spoke then, but he had several times said that when he did go I might take my last look at him, as I would never see him again. When he went out I watched him from the back door, and saw him going toward the river. I then called my niece to follow him, and not lose sight of him till I got dressed. My niece came runring back and said that her uncle had go 4 .,*** into tbe flax I followed after dressing, and went toward the flax by the river, thinking that he might have lain down, when I found his hat by the

river side. He had had no drink for two. days previous to the 28th. He had not been drinking much before that at home, but I heard while he was at Tapanui that he had been drinking there. He was there about a month prior to the 20th, and remained for ten •days. During the past three years he had been pretty steady. Sometimes we had " a few words." In repty to Sergeant Daly —My husband went away to Dunedin about a fortnight after he returned from Ta- [ pantri. He remained for four days. I When he returned I noticed he had a ! "-strange h-at, and asked him the reason. He said he had been picked up in the street insensible by a policeman, and taken to the hospital, where he remained for Shree days. 1 accused him of having been drinking, and said I heard his name was in the papers. -He said he •only had had three glasses all the time he was away, but seemed much annoyed at his name being published as having, been charged with drunkenness. Sargeant Daly here said that the constable who found Robbie in Dunedin told him that her had found him lying , within four feet of the water's edge in an insensible state. He conveyed him to the hospital, where he lay for 24 hours insensible, but was afterwards discharged from the police station. Witness continued— l was going to Dunedin by the 5 o'clock train on the evening of the 28th of December. Mr Robbie did not, in words, object to my going, but by his mariner I thought he did not wish me to go. The police called at my house on the day Mr -Robbie disappeared, and asked if he had left any papers or letters which would .\\ount for his disappearance. I informed them that he had not; but I thought he had some letters in his I pocket-hook. [ afterwards found two letters, one addressed to James Mooney, Tapanui, and one to Mr Roberts. They were purely business letters. ('i'he letters were laid on the table for the inspection of the jury.) Mr Robbie had been in receipt of several pressing demands for money which seemed to affect, his mind. Among these there were two lawyers' letters, and one from the Build-, lag Society threatening to sell his property. The time was up in' November, and he daily expected the Society would sell the property. To Mr P. Mason— lt was about 10 o'clock at night when Mr Robbie came home from Tapanui. ; There was then v no one in the house but myself. - I did -■/ "\otknow what was his business into **• town. "',".',-. ; ' 'y'A :' V To the Coroner-^During tbe^first "two or three years of "'bur - marriage,; "when he. was drinking, he often threat-

ened to cut his and my throat, but when he got' sober again he always apolo' gised,; saying it was his.. fault; it was idl.throu-jh , drink,,, a.nd .that he had no recollection of what had occurred- " Ori the day he disappeared I was going to town to stop. . , I was to try and get a situation if I could get anyone to keep the baby. ;It had been previously arranged that he was to keep the children. It was on account of his embarrassment that I was. going to. leave and take, a situation. He was quite agreeable to my going. When *1 saw him lowspirited on the 25th, "1 repeatedly asked him as to tne cause, and said if it'was on account of mv going- away I would not go, if any arrangement,, could be. made to meet our debts. He agreed to my going, and said it was now too late to make any 'arrangements., as he -could not redeem himself. We sometimes had

a* few words, but it was about money matters,' as Purged him to go, out and, see people, and try and get something to do like other people. He then got cross and told me to mind my own-busi-ness. He had been out of employment for about six months. *--....**

By the Foreman — If I had thought he intended to carry out his threats I would have told some one, and I intended to do so, the night he disap peared. By Mr Mason— Before Mr Robbie went to Dunedin we mutually agreed to separate. in-the, presence..©-? my sister. Susan Graham (? years old) said— l -"emembSr Thursday week, the 28th, •and saw Mr Robbie in his house that day. I saw him go out of the front door of the house and go down to the river side. I went after, him to the road near the river's edge, and saw him disappear into the flax. I then went home and told Mrs Robbie where Mr Robbie went to. Mrs Robbie then went down herself.

John Graham, a, miller, . residing in Dunedin, deposed — I came to.Balclutha oh the Snd inst. 1 was telegraphed for on the 28th ult., and informed that Mr Robbie was missing. I could not get away myself^'but sent .my. wife out on. the 30th. On the 3rd inst. I watched the river all day, and ori the 4th I went out shortly after daylight to the eddy, where I made repeated trials with pieces of wood, and all seemed to draw to it. On the morning of the 4th the body was not in view when t first went to the eddy, but after I was there awhile the body came into view, and I managed to get it ashore. I recognised it as the body of James Robbie. Samuel Hughes, police constable, at Balclutha, deposed that a report was made on the 28th ult. by Mr Gow, that he had found Mr Robbie's hat on the bank of the river. In consequence of that report . he proceeded to the spot where the hat wa3 found. Apart from the main bank of the river there existed a knoll of earth, a . slip, whereon he observed the footprint of a man's left boot. He then saw Mrs Robbie, who said that Mr Robbn left his house thut.afternoon, and that she was frightened .he had drowned himself. He then with others dragged the river for the body that and the following day. At halt-past eio*ht on Thursday, morning he received information that the body had been found. He proceeded tothe spot, andhadthe remains removed to where they now lay. , .- ; - John Graham, re-called, was asked whether he searched the body of the deceased after finding it. He replied that he put ; his hand into his outside pockets, _ but did not fiad anything in the . shape ,of a letter or writing of any kind upon his person. This concludedthe evidence.

The. Jury returned the verdict — •- *'- That the deceased committed suicide while suffering ' from temporary -insanity.'' . , .