A LEVIN SUICIDE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1019, 16 March 1912, Page 3

A LEVIN SUICIDE.

An inquest was held at Devin on Thursday, touching the death of William Henry Signal, at the residence of Mrs Signal, Weraroa. Her husband, Mr William Henry Bigual, was caretaker of the Devin schoulhouse, and about 9 o’clock in the morning he was found dead, hanging to a ladder in the woodworkroom of the school. Evidence was given by David Grant, woodwork instructor for the Wellington Education Board, who, on unlocking the door of the woodwork room, saw the body hanging by a rope attached to a ladder just inside tne room. He went out, and returned with Mr A, J. Harding, who cut down the body. Mr Harding gave evidence to the efiect that he fetched Dr. Kennedy, who was on the scene of the tragedy within ten minutes. The widow deposed that for the past three months deceased had been strange in his conduct, which led him to wandering about in strange places. He had had no food since tea time on Monday night that she knew of. He came home on Tuesday night within a few minutes of half-past ten, and sat out in the shed. He came in later and went to bed. Before daylight on Wednesday morning she heard him going out to do his work at the schoolhouse. It was over ten years ago that he received an accident to his head, and he was never the same afterwards. He was in Wellington Hospital for seven weeks, when he was discharged as incurable. The coroner returned a verdict of “Suicide by hanging whilst of unsound mind.”