The Late Auckland Suicide.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 119, 15 November 1894, Page 2

The Late Auckland Suicide.

(Per Press Association.) Auckland, November 14. At the inquest on William Gadsby Probert, brother of the late John Probert, the following letter was read by the coroner, which had been left by the deceased for one of the newspapers : — 11 Auckland, November 7th, 1894. My dear departed and affectionate wife, — Because we joined our minds at the last moment, after laboring so many years on the Mount Roskill road in making a farm in the early days of the sixties and upwards, on that then very stony place and fearful bad road, by the way of making and learning to farm, what could we learn by constantly labouring amongst the stones so many years? After being ejected by my late brother, we went to the Thames and lived there many years (and were well respected by all who knew us) up to the time of my dear wife's death, which took place at Mount Boskill in '83, when on a visit to Auckland. Ultimately my late brother, on his deathbed four years ago, comparatively speaking left me a pauper, and gave the greater bulk of his wealth, amounting to mapy thousands, to the Wesleyans, which is my birthright. I have appealed to them many times for aid, but they turned a deaf ear to the cry of the poor. Remember the words of One who cannot lie ; He says, ' Sell all that thou hast and give to the poor.' Again, see what He says in the first epistle of John in, 17 and part of 15 ; also Proverbs xxi, 13, and xxn, 16, 22, and 23, besides many other parts, of what the Wesleyans teach but don't practice in my case. I have lived alone on my noble i'loo (see the ddfunct New Zealand Wesleyan of August 9th, 1890) since the death of my late brother, four years ago, trusting that it would last my natural life, and I have no desire to eat the bread out of my children's mouths. They and their families have this world to go through ; my conscience will not allow me to rob them as the so-called Christians have done me. My days are numbered— age, 74 last May. No man can serve the two masters. They believe in Wesley's motto, * Get money, and when you get it stidk fast to it.' They can save the dollars if not the souls of men. My dear departed wife, by the grace of God I hope to be with you shortly, and may the Lord have mercy on them and forgive them as I do, and have mercy on my soul, is the prayer of your affectionate husband. Amen." "To the Editor,— l leave this to your discretion, either to publish it or another you thing more proper to my case, for I scarcely know what lam writing. I send you also the New Zealand Methodist. — Yours, &c, W. G. Probert, Newton road, Auckland. What little I have left will be something towards any expenses I incur." There was a note pencilled on a wrapper of a newspaper produced. It was addressed W. G. Probert, Newton road, Auckland, and was as follows: "November 9tb, 1893. I cannot get from the Wesleyans what would keep body and soul together. 1 hereby exonerate all or any of my family, as I cannot take the bread out of their mouths, as they have large families, and this world to go through with its ups and downs.— W. G. Pbobebt." One of the sons of deceased was then asked by the coroner what he thought of his father's state of mind. He replied that he thought he had been brooding over this affair since his brother John died four years ago last July. That brother left about £15,000 to the Wesleyans, and only £100 in a lamp sum to his father, which he was to reoeive twelve mouths after his brother's death. This preyed on his mind. He was not destitute; he had enough to live on. They all assisted him. Did not think he was in a sane state of mind when he committed this act. He was in his son's house on Sunday night last, and seemed then in good spirits. Deceased was a native of Manchester, England. If he left a will it must be in the box which was not opened. He left a family of eight, five males and three females, all grown up. Deceased got a lawyer's advice to get some of the money, but could get nothing. The Wesleyan body never gave him any assistance, although often applied to, Deceased had about i'4s to his credit in the Post Office Savings Bank. As already telegraphed, a verdict of " suicide while temporarily insane " was returned.