Inquest.

Manawatu Herald, 2 April 1898, Page 3

Inquest.

SUICIDE WHILST INSANE. An inquest was held this morning at the Courthouse by the Coroner, E. S. Tbynne» Esq., touching the death of Thomas Francis Gibson. The following were the jury : — Edmund B. Oaborne, A. Heaseman, P. Hennessy, Alf. Fraser, J. It. Stansell and W. S. Stewart. Mr Stansell was chosen Foreman. The following evidence was taken : — Joseph Dearlove Gibson being sworn, saith that I am a locksmith living at Foxton with my parents ; I recognise the body lying dead at my parent's residence as being that of my father ; I last saw my father alive on Wednesday night last at seven o'clock ; I saw him leave the room, and I heftrd him leave the house ; he was in a very low state of health and. was seized with a fit last Sunday evening ; he appeared to be suffering from severs pain in the head and the heart; during conversation in the day he expressed worry about matters ; he never threatened to do anything rash ; I again saw him about twenty minutes past seven laying in a bed of raspberries in his garden on his face with his bands under his head ; ha was then dead ; I turned him slightly over sideways and noticed a quantity of blood ; he was limp and warm ; Mr Robertson and Frank Gaul were with me, bat there were other i in the garden Searching ; I then left the body to look after my mother who was coming down the garden ; have not seen the body since ; had no cause for worry, either domestic or financial. By the Foreman. — I considered my father sane on Wednesday afternoon ; I beluve no one went to the garden with my father ; I think he was fit to go out by himself. By the Constable.— l have examined the razor produced and recognise it as my father'?, from the name maks and shape, as I gave it to him; it corresponds with the other razor I now produce which was alio his. By Detective Bishop. -- We were searching for my father as he was longer out than usual and feared he might have fainted or had had a fit. William Woollass being sworn saitb, I am a Minister of the Gospel; I knew the deceased ; I last saw him alive on Wednesday morning ; I thought from conversation with him that his brain was affected ; he said his head was very bad ; I next saw deceased on Wednesday night about a quarter to eight, in his own garden; he was lying on his face amougßt the raspberries ; he was getting cold and stiff; his face and chest was covered with blood ; with the assist tance of Robertson and Ho wan we csrried him into bedroom ; we stripped him and noticed nothing to lead us to suppose but he had not died naturally; I stayed the night at the house and the next morning Mr Joseph Gibson asked me to go down the garden and bury any blood there might be ; I went to where we found him the first thing that attracted my attention was an open razor covered with blood close to where the body had been lying ; |recognised the razor produced by the mark placed on it when handing it to the police ; I kept the razor and waited until Mrs Ooley arrived, who had the key of the room in which deceased was lying, and then examined the body and found the throat had been cut ; Mrs Coley told me that she had not previously seen the wound : I informed the Coroner ; I afterwards told Mr Joseph Gibson. By the Foreman. — The body was washed by Mrs Coley. By the constable.— l knew the deceased was worried; on Monday afternoon he was in bed and told me he fit he ought to get up as it was the end of the financial year; on Wednesday night when I got to house I found that the family had font for Dr Day Jones, and when .he arrived he took a glance at - the body but made no examination,

and said " just as I expected, he tool an apoplectic fit and burst a blooc vessel on the brain." By Detective Bishop. — 1 knew thai deceased had a fit on Sunday previous and had been unconscious five hours, and I heard he was likely tc have another ; the deceased had a large beard and whiskers and when carrying him in we had the head up, and thus we bad! no idea anything was wrong. Alexander Bronte* being sworn, eaith, I am a legally qualified medical man residing at Levin ; I have seen the deceased ; he died from a wound on the upper part of his neck on the front and left side, about five inches long, extending through muscles and large blood vessels, to the spinal cord ; the wound was capable of being inflicted by the razor produced ; there would be no chance of restoring deceased after the infliction of such a wound ; an apopletic fit might produce such changes in the brain as to cause a derangement of the intellect. By the Foreman.— The wound was one clean cut and would require much force ; it was possible for it to be self-inflicted with a razor. By Detective Bishop.— l do not think the deceased had either an epilepic or apopletio fit on Sunday night but had simply given way to excitement owing to his mind being deranged. . John Day- Jones deposed to having attended the deceased and having made a cursory examination after death from which he believed death had resulted from a fit. T. Westwood and P. Hennessy deposed to conversations with deceased, which led them to conclude his mind was deranged. J. B. Stansell deposed to the Borough accounts being correct, and books posted up and money paid into the bank. The jury without delay brought in a ver>diet that Thomas Francis Qibson committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.