Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 648, 22 January 1859, Page 5

Local Intelligence.

. -{, The two cases of sudden death which we had y the duty^ of recording in our last issue were followed ■;-\ almost immediately by a third, whose circumstan- -, cea throw a still darker shadow over this week. "V{ We allude to the suicide of Mr. George Compton, ,*'s many years landlord of the Mitre Hotel in this '$ town, who destroyed himself by hanging about mid--1 \ -day' on Wednesday last. An inquest was held on | "j. the following day before Dr. Donald, coroner, ' « and a jury of twelve, of whom Mr. A. J. c Alport was foreman. From the evidence there . T^ given, the facts of the case appear to be as follows. p About twelve o'clock on Wedneuday, tlie unfortu--1 : M nate man left his son William in the bar, and went 'jjvup stairs, as he said, to cut some tobacco; it had l£;been his custom to lie down in the middle of the ~ day, and on this day he asked to be called about 'half-past one* o'clock. Shortly afterwards, the ' ' book of the hotel, Morley by name, went up stairs to speak to Mr. Compton about some domestic ; >, '^'matter, and knocked at the door of the room where ■/'he was supposed to be lying down, but, receiving ' /no answer, the cook believed him to be asleep, and refmined from awaking him, going down stairs * v again to the kitchen. Shortly afterwards the boy ..'; heard a noise" upstairs as of something falling, I >>„ »nd begged Morley.to go up stairs again, stating f'„ his fear that something was the matter. The boy's '■' suspicions were confirmed on looking into a cup- ■ - board up stairs, where a rope had been left, and ' '.-* missing it. The door of the room where deceased ; ;<*as being locked, Morley opened an adjoining ! ' * ; yrindo"w and passed along the verandah roof to look ',-^into the room; while the boy went out into the 1 * Street with the same object. Both saw the unfor* ," faanste man hanging, and Morley broke a pane and Unfastened the window, and at once caught the body in his arms, and proceeded to cut it down, «' William Compton and Mr. Bruce, whom he had met* •■:'' |n the street^ coming up immediately and assisting. < Dr.' McCheane.was sent for, but without a chance of .."■ •occess. From the appearance of things the unfor- ' tonate man had gone about his dreadful deed in the „ mosfcdeliberate manner. Takinga small dinner knife With him, which he had caused his son to look for below, he must have gone up stairs, found the rope, .Jdcked himself into the bedroom, taken off his coat ' ijraistcoat and cravat, cut a sufficient length off the '^npe, mounted a chair, and cut the canvas of the filing on each side of a rafter, round which he ftitened the rope securely, tucking one of the ends fjjp, out of, the way. He must then have put a port- ; Buuiteau on a chair, and proceeded to the act of >' :iflf destruction with remarkable deliberateness and '$ wreciaion. The noise of the portmanteau and chair v filling was no doubt what the boy heard in the room beneath. Further evidence was taken as to the state of the deceased's mind at the time, and all „ tended to the opinion that there existed a severe 1 derangement of the intellect, though symptoms of insanity were not always apparent. Mr. Bruce spoke n of conversations in which deceased had told him that 1 his troubles were enough to make a man destroy himself, and he (Bruce) had lately entertained the • opinion that it was really possible such a catastrophe | .might occur. Mr. Cameron, landlord of the Robin ° ,- A Hood Inn, had called upon deceased the same mornI for payment of a sum of money, and had been ;^>toldthatif he went to the Church on Sunday and 'Veavehim a receipt under the pulpit, he would pay .; nim the amount! Cameron could get no sensible ' and left him, telling Bruce (the last witness) .- that the deceased was mad. This was an hour be- ,. the occurrence. Mr Genet's evidence was fully i He had been repeatedly pressed by &| deceased to sit up with him at different times. f$ The previous day he had been sent for and 1$ called into a private room by deceased yj, and had then drawn out a sort of will at his request, -jil which was signed and witnessed. Deceased's eldest / -if" son, George, to whom the property was left, was ' of, summoned to be made aware of the transaction, !T; and Genet recommended the latter privately to keep .; ,aitrict. eye on his father; as he (Genet) believed . him to be insane. This assertion came to deceased's .-. knowledge, and he vehemently assented to jt, dei F daring that he.knew he was mad. Genet stayed 'H a few hours wjtb him the .same evening at his re;|i! quest, and left* him tolerably collected and in a good humour. He saw him again the next morning, but |? remarked no change in his demeanour. He further I stated that he had been very intimate with deceased, .f- and had- often heard him speak of his affairs, of jjl his pecuniary difficulties and domestic troubles. :| For months he had been rambling and incoherent & in hi 3 manner, and on walking round the town with I him (the witness) last Sunday morning, had told him '-|j thatit was for the last time. Expressions to the same ; effect, uttered on - the morning of the event, were ■| put in evidence. At the close of the examinaJt tion, the coronor briefly addressed the jury, who, I wftor a short consultation, returned a verdiofc of Temporary Insanity. • ■ „ ' ,