THE CORNWALL MURDER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 3

THE CORNWALL MURDER.

PRISONER A FORMER POVERTY-" .;•■■ . BAY SETTLER.;;, y. ' y/yjj - (By Telcgraptiv-Fresa Associatfon.l V S.ii . ' : ' yAuckfantf,'August. £ London cables 'Stated^-that; .Janiee'-.-i Hamilton; Nicholas, who .murdered'^lris-'; ! wall, had been confined in the Auckland'"'i Mental Hospital, •/and* that ; Surgeon-- ; J Major Nicholas ihad. refused, to: engage': a keeper despite,-the fact ihat his , . sottC : . ; . had. suffered from- religious melancholia'-■'■'■ and sunstroke.'/;,,;. . ':'' . ' ■'■\ : Nicholas ;was formerly a settler in the. / . Gisbornis district, where ho took up land;■':■ on'his arrival front-England; , ' - , Hs.lived'/;: in. a lonely, spot,-. and seldom: saw 'other people. , The loneliness so-preyed on hie'iif: mind that,eventually .he- became ; merit-;' ally afflicted,and had'tb be Sent to' this" .-.■'■ Auckland.'Mental •Hospital..;.When'his ! ; father had been., informed of■ the 1 'fatfc'.'y he came out from Home, and asked for:-:; the release of his son,;declaring that he/.> was merely eccentric. ;.There' .was- ni'fc sign of. homicidal , mania,: but :'the : > ; : authorities, fearing thai Nicholas might-''; jump overboard .while being .taken ;i home, refused .to '.discharge, the .patient;':■" As/a result of his' pleas,; the father wae'il:: permitted to tako his son out-'of'tha;;. ''hospital.-; Por some-tiine , his.father, did' , '; not t-ako- him.- from the Dominion,, sb-yi Unit he might be able to judge , a's'to'liie , -:. : mental condition.. At'.length ; MajirT'! .Nicholas, said he believed his. sbnywaß:'.; in a fit. condition-to' ho taken.home::. He.;'-; did not take : him.to- England,-'howe vefp,; but took him baMi; 'to ,the asylum -prior: : -;, to Jiis departure I ;from the. Dominion".'-:■:, Major, Nicholas-had scarcely: l arrived!' ■ back when he wrote-Hiat'ihe was coming.;; out .for, his. son, and as 'the;patient tlien;y; showed some improvement'lie, was'per-; initted to return '.with"-his fatheiv Vh'd' ■';■'< was_ told by- the.authorities', that, ho- 5 - 1 should place hini under .>. restraint 'oh'. arrival Home, lest in. a fit of . melau-■/'-■ choliaho should attempt .suicide. Tho; i father, however, still refused to. bolievo - ;: ; that his J son:was.'of iirisqund mind.; :,Hev'.' evidently retaiiisd tlio.jamo iiiip.rcssion ■'■,i on arriving Home,'judging from the'' fact that ho permitted his. spiv:toehter;V' the room in which tho sword was.huug.v -