HAVELOCK MAN'S DEATH

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 162, 27 July 1937, Page 8

HAVELOCK MAN'S DEATH

"Worried Over JMoney Matiere" f VERDICT OF SUICIDE The adjourned inquest into the death of Donald Reid Mackay, a lnarried man, aged 37 years, of Havelock North, whose body was found last week in scrub bes'do Ihe Elsthorpe road, was resumed in the Hastings Courthouse this morning. The district coroner, Mr G. Ebbett, J.P., presided. Sergeant J. Mclntosh conducted the proceedmgs. A verdict was returned that the deceased died at Tukituki on July 15 as a result of a rifle-bullet wound self-in-flicted wbile in a state of mental depression. Doris Jrene Mackay, of " Havelock North, wife of the deceased, said that her husband had been worrying over money roatters, but there bad been nothing in his manner to suggest that he intended taking his life. When she returned home on July 15 he was absent, and she heard no thing further ot him until his body was found by the police'some dnys later. He had been in bad health for seveu years i'ollowing an attack of -riieumatie fever. Constablo B. Farquharson, of Havelock North, detaiied the iihdiug of .Mi Mackay 's body. Koadiuen saw the iorry bulonging to Mr Mackay lying on tlie Elsthorpe road for soine days and lni'ormed hua, he said. He at once pniceeded to ihe scene and/ with Alr J. B. tsteel, a brother-in-iaw of Mr MacKay, found the deceased 's body in ihe scrub souie distauce i'roin the lorry. Th'ere was a gun contaiuing u dischurg(,•(1 curtndge uear Ihe budy. A wotiud in the forohoad appeared lo have beeu sell-iullicted. Mr Ebbclt said tliat it appeared otivieus that Mr Mackay had died froui a solf-iufliclod bullct wound und that this Urastic slep had been» taken while he was moatnlly depiessed. Ile returued a verdict accordiugly.