PUKAHU SUICIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 22, 19 October 1937, Page 6

PUKAHU SUICIDE

Farmer's Act the Result of Meatal Depression DEATH BY DROWNING • An inquest into the death of Mr Harold Smith Evans, a farmer of Pukahu, who was found. in a creek on his property at Pukahu- with his throat cut on Sunday, was held. yesterday afternoon before the district coroner, Mr G-' Ebbett, J.P. The deceased was a, married toanj 55 years of age, and a returned soldier. A verdict was returned at the inquest that Mr Evans died at Pukahu on Sunday as a result of drowning after having attempted to cut his throat while in a state of severe mental depression. A nephew. Gordon Leslie Macdonald, described the 6earch ' which resulted in the finding of the body floating in a creek. During the past week, said witness his uncle had appeared to he less depressed and had taken an activo part in preparations for the field day of the Pukahu Farmers' YJnion. " His razor was found to.be missing from its usual place and had not since been found. Constabl.e- B. Farquharson, of Havelock North, said that at 10.30 p.m. on Sunday he was taken by relatives . of ,the deceased to the creek where the body was lying. The deceased had a deep wound across the throat extending from ear to ear, YVitness said he was of the opinion that Mr Evans had walked into tho creek, cut his throat and then fallen into tho water. Ho had found no note and a search for the razor in the water had been unsuccessful. Dr. TI. M. Wilson said that he had been attending the deceased between July and September. He was suffering from depression, but was organically sound. He appeared to have no domestic worries or business troubles. His action in taking his lifo was uot inconsistent with his depressed condition. "I fiud it' difficult from this evidence, to form a definite opinion whether death was the result of drowning or of the throat injury," said Mr Ebbett. "The medical evidence, however seems to show that the fchroat injury in itself was probably insufhcieut to cause death." A verdict as stated was returned.