Suicide.

Manawatu Herald, 29 September 1892, Page 2

Suicide.

An inquest was held on the body of Rahera Matenga yesterday, at Motoa by the Coroner, E. S. Thynne, Esq., and a Jury of five. The inquest was held in the old church, and the jury were Messrs A Strang (foreman), J. Birchley, J. Walden, W. Gardner and Poanike te Momo. Mr Hirchley kindly acted . as interpreter. The evidence of the husband, Matenga Moroati was to the effect that having left his wife affcer dinner on Monday to go to work, he found on returning home his door locked and the blinds down. Having called to her, he, in the presence of Whata forced the door open when they found the deceased hanging from the rafter of the house by a flax rope but so low down that her feet could have touched the ground. They cut her down, but she was dead but not cold. He had always lived happily with his wife, who was 44 years old, and had been married since 1873. They had had no children For the last year she had appeared rather eccentric and he had taken her to a negro doctor in Napier who had said her brain was in a Very bad state. Whata wi Kohika corroborated the evidence of the last witness and said that the nail on the rafter to which the rope had been tied was only six feet from the floor. Ani Eanara saw the deceased go infco her house by herself on Monday afternoon aboufc half-past two, and shut the door. j Thomas Norton had known, both I the deceased and her husband since they were children They used to 1 live friendly together. During the

last twelve months deceased had | been foolish in her manner and her ? talk and had been jealous of her btteband, but did not think she had any cridste to be< , This cend ltfdbd the evidenoe and j the jury at once kwaght in a verdict fihait tbe deceased hung herself tfhilei ia an uftsound state of mind, _MM__M___M__-_-_---_: