BOY EXECUTES HIMSELF."

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1928, Page 3

BOY EXECUTES HIMSELF."

EXPERIMENT IN HANGING

LONDON, Nov. 5

Mr Cowburn held an inquest at Camlierw'ell, S.E. yesterday, on Denis Entwistlc, aged 14, of Spalding-roacl. htreatliam, S.W., who was found on Sunday hanging from the bannister’s at his home.

Air A. E. Entwistle, a journalist said that his son was an assistant laboratory porter at his school. He was a jolly boy.

Cecil Entwistle said lit* went for a walk on Sunday afternoon with his mother, and on returning found his brother hanging by a. rope from the bannisters. There was a muffler over his eyes.

Mr Cowburn: Can you account for your brother doing this?—Once be said that it was impossible to hang, because a person could always cut himself down before strangling. He said such a person would have no sense if ho did do so. Had lie ever triied to hang himself before?—No. EXECUTION TALKS. .

Charles Howard Hoi bey, laboratory porter at the school, said there was no truth'in the suggestion that he had bullied the bov. “We went home together on Saturday,” added Hoi bey, “and I lent him a book called ‘Dracula.’ ”

Mr Cowburn: Is that a sensational story?—Yes, it is about a vampire. Did you ever talk about hanging?— He was always talking about executions. duels, and such: tilings. He often asked me if one' felt any/.pain during execution or hanging.

Why did you lend him such a sensational book?—Ho had .read harts of it at the laboratory, and was always worrying me to lonov rt to him. Medical evidence was that death was caused by strangulation. The boy had apparently tied a rope round his neck and thrown himself off the bannisters. The same result was produced by judicial hanging. Cecil Entwistle, recalled, said that his mother found two kitchen knives in the pocket of his brother’s coat. Mr Cowburn said:

It is a shocking thing to contemplate that- a hoy of 14 would deliberately attempt to take his life. This hoy wn obviously of a very highly strung disnosition, and lie tonic a morbid interest in this question of judical execution. PROVING HIS THEORY.

I am satisfied that there is no ground for the allegation that Holbey bullied him. He was aways brooding on this subject of execution, r and finding. him 7 self alone he thoughtt he would - prove his own theory.

That he did not intend to take his life is borne out hv the fact that knives were found in his pocket. I suppose lie thought he would bear out his own theory by cutting down the rope when lie had completed the jump. A verdict of Death by Misadventure coufieonent on hanging while playing at judicial execution was recorded.