GREYTOWN TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 223, 15 June 1921, Page 4

GREYTOWN TRAGEDY

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST VERDICT OF SUICIDE WHILE MENTALLY AFFECTED (From Our Own Correspondent.) Greytown, June 14An inquest was held to-day before Mr. E. G. Eaton, S.M., into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mnry Lindsay, late matron of the Greytown Hospital, whose body was found on Sunday night near the Woodside railway station, after Miss Lindsay, had been, missing since Th'ursday night. Aliss Lindsay had been at the hospital for four years. The father of the deceased, John Lindsay, a retired farmer living at Palmerston North, identified the body as x that of his daughTer. He said she was .28 yours of age. and had lately been in illhealth. He saw her last at the hospital on the morning of June B—the day before her disappearance. In a recent letter to him, the deceased said she was afraid of a nervous breakdown. Only recently she had returned from a holidav. ’ .. The Mayor of Greytown (W. A. Hutton) gave evidence as to the finding of the body. Eva Wallis, a sister at the Greytown Hospital, said that on account of her condition the deceased was placed under supervision Lind oonfincii to her room. At 3 p.m. on Thursday deceased was apparently normal. Witness was in charge of deceased until she leit the room on a pretext. Deceased had said to witness on one occasion that slie dirt not feel equal to her duties. I think the strain on Miss Lindsay while acting ns sister and matron was too much for her,” asserted the witness She wns of a sensitive nature, and the death of her step-sister affected her. The medical superintendent of the hospital (Dr. W. J. Reed) said that after deceased returned from her holiday she seemed in a worse condition than when she left. She told him she did not feel capable of carrying on her Jmies and. on his advice, wns granted furtherleave When she again returned, at the end of May, she did not eeetn to have improved, and on Jw'e 3 wa’ found bv him, in her bed m a oollapeod condition, her ibrenth smelling of opium. After that, witness ordered that she should be kept under supervision. Rhe suffered later from delusions. Tn the opinion of witness and of Dr. Johnston, of Carterton, she was not in a fit condition to be removed from the hospital. On Juno 6it was reported to witness that deceased had a box of morphia tabloids, hut had given them to a sister, on demand. After this her mental state became worse. Further evidence relnung to the finding of the bodv was given by A. n. Burch and A. B. Balfour. Constable Gregor said the body of d - ceased was found suspended by the neck from a small tree bv the girdle cord of a dressing-gown. The body found about three miles from Greytown and a few chains from the northern side of Humphries line. Mr. Maxton; on behalf of Mr. Lindsay, said that Air. Lindsay placed no blame on the authorities in this paarier. and he wished to thank lhe authorities and all who assisted in finding toe body The Coroner’s verdict was that deceased met her death, by strangulation, self-inflicted, while mentally affected.