DROWNED AT MAKARA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 304, 19 September 1919, Page 8

DROWNED AT MAKARA

WHILE" MENTALLY DEPRESSED.

Aa. iwmesfc was held yesterday by Mr. W G.-Riddell into the circumstances attending the-. deat.lu.of. Gertrude Sarah . Knight, a single woman, whoso body was found''ott'the beaoh at Makara. . Lilian Harriet Wilson, wife of David T. Wilson, residing in 70 Harbour Yiew Road, said that Miss Knight bad been staying with her, and was at her house on September 16. ■ The deceased was « years of age, arid' was a flag and tentmaker." aid had -managed her late fath%'s r tone'ss. She had a breakdown in "health'- about two years ago, and again Quito Recently. She had.been attended ' ; bv "Drr-Shand, and had been with wit- ■ about three, weeks. She. had a ..nervous - ''breakdown,.-.and was examined v ZbyHbra;'-IVffe and Shand, who said that ' there was no organic trouble, it was a v-matter-of .nerves,, and there was.no rea- ' -Jon whv'she should not go back to work in a month if she rested in the meanwhile. ■ .She' was of a quiet disposition, and read books and talked freely. At first'she had fits of depression, and. had the idea that the business was going to be taken from her. On Tuesday she appeared bright, and got up early, and helped witness in the household work. She went to bed about 8.30 p.m.; at 9 p.m. there was still a light in the room -occupied bv Miss Knight. On the W morning witness-looked into Miss . Kni"hfs room, but sho was not to be •■found. Witness had not seen her smoe Tuesday night. ' . , Ernest Knight, brother of the deceased, Kave evidence as to identifying the body at the morgue, and Constable Couzeno testified to recovering the body on Wed'nesdav morning from the Makara beach, and bringing it into the city. ' The< Coroner found that the deceased met her death by drowning, and the evidence iwinted to the fact that in a fit of mental depression she -walked into the .sea at Makara. \ •