DROWNED IN RIVER

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1933, Page 2

DROWNED IN RIVER

YOUNG WOMAN’S DEATH

COMMENT BY THE CORONER.

HAMILTON, February 21. The inquest into the death of Miss Margaret Tidmarsh, aged 22, the daughter of Mrs John Tidmarsh, ol Papatoetde, who was drowned in the Waikato River at Hamilton on February ! 2]“'Was - 'concluded n’t’ Hamilton to-day before the coroner,Mr Wyvern "Wilson, S.M. "When Miss Tidmarsh fell into the river, her uncle, Mr W. Ganley, or Kaipaki, jumped in after her and made a gallant but unsuccessful attempt tu rescue her.

At the inquest, Mrs Dora Ganley, said that deceased, who was her niece, had been spending .a holiday with her at Kaipaki. On the morning of February 2 deceased attempted to take her life. Witness called Dr. Waddle.

Dr. St. L. N. Gribben, nerves specialist, Hamilton, said that Dr. Waddle, of Cambridge, brought deceased to his consulting room on February 2. Witness left the room for a few seconds and when he returned Miss Tidmarsh had disappeared. Witness saw her making for the river and followed, but deceased ‘went out of sight. Dr. N. Waddle, of Cambridge, gave evidence that he first saw deceased on January 31. Her history was that she had been suffering from severe mental stress. Deceased admitted that she had consulted fortune-tellers and had been attending Mr Dallimore’s religious revival meetings. They had clone her a tremendous amount of good, she said, but during the last few weeks before the interview she said she felt miserable, disappointed and incompetent to deal with the problems of life. A broken engagement of three years before had predisposed her to a depressed state of mind. Continuing, Dr. Waddle said deceased told him that she felt life was not worth living and that she sometimes felt like ending it. In witness’ opinion, deceased was not then certifiably insane. On February 2, witness saw deceased at Kaipaki. He was told that she had attempted suicide. Witness advised deceased’s relatives to consult an expert. They left the matter in his hands, and he took her into Dr. Gribben’s. Witness was shown into a sitting room, while deceased sat in the doctor’s consulting room. He heard a cry and then realised that Miss Tidmarsh had disappeared. He did not see her again.

In returning a verdict that deceased committed suicide while her mind was deranged, the coroner said that deceased had been disappointed in love, three years ago and she had been mentally influenced by fortune-tellers in Auckland. She had been attending some religions meetings and apparently had experienced mental ecstaoy. This feeling was succeeded by acute mental depression. On January 3(1 she wrote stating that she was going to take her life and apparently on that day she made two attempts to do so. It was apity she was not taken direct to a mental hospital.