RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT FOXTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 61, 26 March 1880, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT FOXTON.

»■ Monday, March 22, 1880. (Before R. Ward, Esq., R.M..) ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. John Richard Constantiue was charged with attempting to commit suicide by jumping into the Manawatu river on March 18. Constuntine, wh - ) is a young man abou*. 22 years of age, was undefended. Constable M* Acuity prosecuted. Arthur W. Howe, engineer, deposed — I know prisoner ; I remember the night of the 18th inst; I saw prisoner that night; the first I saw of him was that he was standing at Howe's hotel door ; his nose was bleeding, and he asked me to go to the river with him to wash his face ; shortly | after a man named Collins came along ; i Constantino asked him to go with him to the river ; he refused at first, but afterwards went; a little while later I heard Collins calling out to me ; I went back and saw him dragging prisoner up from the river; Collins said he had twice thrown himself into the river ; and that he would have nothing more to do with him ; I then tried to get prisoner to go home, but after going a short distance he would lie down ; after some trouble he said he would go home ; the moment my back was turned he rushed back for the river; after some trouble I got him back to tbe hotel, on to a sofa ; he was under the influence of drink, but was not drunk ; shortly after the constable oame, and whilst I waß talking to him prisoner broke out of the house again, and got down to the river ; when we got down to the bank he was on the brink with bis coat and guernsey off; I called out to him to stop, but before I could reach him he jumped into the river, and began to swim about ; I kept calling to him to come ashore, but he would not ; be would come in a little way, and then go out into deep water; at last I got a ohanoe, and rushed in and dragged him out; the constable then oame. By the Court — He said nothing about destroying himself. By prisoner— l do not think you intended to drown yourself when you jumped ia. By Constable M'Anulty — I believe he

would hay* beon drowned if I had not resoued him ; he was nearly full o; water when I got him out ; I never heard him s>y he would drown himself. John R Evens, laborer at Howe's Hotel, deposed — I saw prisoner on the night of the 18th March ; about 9 o'clook I went to Howe's Hotel ; Mr A. Howe had accused on his back o ntside, trying to hold him : he called me to help him, and try to get. him inside ; ~wo could not get him home, be asked me to call the polioe ; tbe policeman came with me to the house, and when we got there Mr Howe said he had him all rijjht, lying ou the sofa ; about three minutes after some one hollered out ; he had gone again to the river; the policeman and I went down to the river, and found him in the water ; we pulled him out and brought hira up to the station ; when I saw him he was paddling about in the river near the shore ; I don't know whether he w_s trying to drown himself ; he can swim like a duck ; I have known him for about 8 months ; when he was pulled out he said he was cold ; whon I saw bim he had his pants aud shirt on • ho was a little drunk ; we were afraid he might drown himself; he was perfectly conscious at the time ; he said nothing of why he did it ; he has been in Foxton about two months ; he is from America ; I came out from Boston in the same ship as prisoner; I do not know that I told Constable M'Anulty that the prisoner was dangerous on board ship. Constable M'Anulty informed the Court tbat he had laid the case chiefly owing to a very strong statement made to him by tbis witness, aa to the conduct of accused onboard ship. Constable M'Anulty deposed — On the evening in question last witness made a report to me tbat a mau had attempted to drown himself in the river ; I wont with him to Howe's hotel, and made further enquiries there ; some person ran out and said the man was again in the river ; I went down to the river, and found Arthur Howe trying to get prisoner out of the water ; he pulled him on to the bank ; the man lay theref for a minute quite exhausted, and unable to speak; I then took charge of him and brought him to the station, and oharged him with attempting to take his life ; the man, I believe, was intoxicated. His Worship said he thought there was not sufficient evidence to send the accused to trial. He would, 'if he could, bind him over to keep the peace, but found he had not the power. He would, however, oaution him against trying to play any more such tiioks, a«, however amusing they might be to him, he could not have the pnblio frightened by them. The prisoner was then discharged.