Shocking Suicide.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1652, 8 March 1886, Page 4

Shocking Suicide.

.a. very pamnu reeling was created m tbe minds of the community last evening when it became known that Mr George Dundas had been found m a room m his brother's residence m Fitzherbert-street with a gun beside him, which had just been discharged. When found the poor young man was groaning, life beih& not quite extinct, but he passed uwfiy 'before medical aid arrived. From what we ■ can; gather it would appear that the deceased had been m low spirits for 'some time past, and there is every reason to believe that during a moment of sudden mental aberration he had committed the rush act. The weapon was a single barrel fowling.piece, breach-loading, and.it would appear than he had placed: the muzzle against his breast when m a sitting position, and discharged it by reaching, to the trigger with his hand, which he could easily do. The recoil of the gun may have caused it to fall across his feet,' m which position it was, when the discovery wag made. The .deceased was lying partly on his side and partly on • his face, with one liand grasping, convulsively the head rail of the bed-stead. Before medical aid arrived life was extinct. The police were at once informed, of the occurrence, and instituted the customary inquiries with a view to discover, the causes which led to the committal of the deed. The deceased had slept at the Club Hotel on the previous i evening (Saturday) and „ went down to his brother's- house.* about 5 p:m. yesterday* Mr and >Mrsi Alexander/ Dundss were not m the house, but were adjacent_.th|eretOi ■ when they heard, the , report of the gun, and on entering, thb' sad spectacle of the ; p6or young- niari m his death agony met their horrified gaze. The weapon had been, aimed at the heart, the wound being on the left breast, but at the /time' of jwritiug the actual: direction taken 'by the' bullet had not' been ascertained, as a post mortem examination had not been held. Further information will probably be elicited at the inquest. It is rather singular that a few days ago -the 'deceased engaged m earnest conversation 'with a resident of : : J?ahnerston as. to his views of the .future \ state, and' the person interrogated could not ; but notice the extraordinary eagerness displayed by the. deceased when pursuing his inquiries, and interchanging opinions. It seems.;- probable that even then he must have contemplated the aoi of self-destruction which would appear to have been prerniediated. Poor ■fellfiw! He now litiß prohed. the great secret,: and knows .^he-d^ead. mystery of the future beyond, about which so many speculate and theorise "jn-"vahv attempts to raise the curtain. With the family and friends of the late Mr George Dundas we sincerelysympatliise m their ter 1 rible affliction. The deceased was wellknown all over the 'district; as a genial spirit, popular with everyone; and" a--' foe. to ! non'e. He was, clever m, his profe r ssipn'j as a surveyor, of which he* bid fair to Be * come .a rising member.^He ,wiH r be missed m many circles, and those, who, knew him.best.willmpst regret .the .untimely ; fate* tliat bef el him, and deplore ths;:tr4gic termination of a j promising; carper.; .. /i ■'■'■■ ■ INQUEST. " ■•'■ ; •■'■■! • , Before MrG. M. Sne'lVon (coroner) and the following jury : — Messrs F. Mowlem (Foreman), Mitchell,' Hutcheso'n, Bryant, Hamilton, and Coivilie; The jury veiwed the body. Dr Marriner deposed to having been sent for to examine the body of the late Geo. Dundas who was dead. It was lying on. tho bed on the leftside, life wa3 completely extinct, ' and must • have been for fully fifteen minutes. The body was lying in,a, : large pool of bloqd v Oh 'examination found a large charged hole on left side over the left breast, im mediately nearHfre left- nipple. The Stir and 6th ribs on left side were shattered and carried away for about 2 inches m length. ,The iubstanc.c o? the Jung on the ; same side was "completely "destroyed for the/space of 3 inches m dimeter; the wound passed upwards and inwards from left to right .passing through .-the large vessel of the heart causing almost instantaneous death by shock, and subsequent, loss of blood. The thumb, and first and second fingers ot left hand were blackened and charred. Death was evidently caused by a gun Bhot. wound .wTheigun^ must have been field 1 5loW to tfie BribaW,withirt an inch;.or two.' It could (have been Held and fired by deceased. Believed that it wouldhaye been : practically ,im gossible for any other person to have fed the gun. : Had known;the deceased for some years, and discussed his health with him as a friend, not professionally, j As far as he knew he was a man {/of 1 fairly strong, constitution. He was^shb- 1 ject to fits of mental depression, but beyond i this melancholia ;never.<notifted, -other traces pf insanity.^ j; . '-'' ) ,V > •By Foreman : He examined the wound and :f onnd' the'extent of it by probing., Wm. 0. Robison, clerk of Bank of Australasia, deposed to being m company oi deceased on Sunday evening at the Club Hotel. Deceased had heen reading ? .'.'Temple Bar " and smoking; he did not talk much; was ' with him from 2 till 4.30, he left the room occasionally, he 'had said he did not feel well* ' was perfectly sober, said ■ nothing when he; left, there seemed nothing ' peculiar about him. . . ".,..:,. Mary Duhdas deposed to leaving the bouse with her husband Alex. Dundas at about 4.30 on Sunday evening, no person remained behind, came back about 5.30. Mr Dundas went to his office, heard a noise 'as of someone falling about, went : along the passage and saw Geo. Dundas lying on the bed m his room and a gun also lying close by him ; ran and told her husband who. came arid she waited outside the door, looked m once or twice; her husband went for the doctor at once. The gun belonered to her husband, had seen it under deceased^ bed m the morn- j ing. : The cartridges were kept m a chest :of drawers m her room nat locked up. deceased had been : living with them about 3 years. Excepting that he was drinking did not notice" anything else. East saw him alive Saturday morning, he did not stop at home on Saturday night, f: .' •;:,• . : ; . . Alex Dundas gave similar : evidence to that of the last witness, also that on en tenng the room his brother was groaning; slightly anid smoke appeared to becoming from near his chest, on examining brother's coat for letters on Saturday morning noticed a cartridge m one of the pockets, never heard him threaten to destroy himself, he was not generally m good spirits ;; he was m fair health, saw him on Sunday morning at 'about 8 o'clock at tfae Club Hotel m a bedroom. He went there to see him on important business but as he seemed queer and told him that he couid not" collect his thoughts witness said he would call again m the atternopn. „He .was not aware that deceased had any pecuniary difficulties, believed he had lately been offered an appointment. Knew of no traces of. insanity m his family. He was aged 35 years; ' By the ! Foreman : He did notf- appear on Sunday morning to bo under the influence of drink. -•: i . By a Juryman : He did not upeak to daceaeed when he went into the bedroom, after he had shot himself. Mrs Dundas further deposed to putting out the flames while her husband was away for the doctor, the clothes of deceased being on fire. Constable Manning deposed, to being sailed for on Sunday evening. He £i\ve corroborative evidence as to the finding of the body. He produced a inrtridge he had obtained from Mr A* Dund/iP, and it correßpouded exaotly* ?ith tho one used by toe deceased. The lebeased had 1 evjdontly hald his Jeff ; j«nd at tUe rouble of tjie gu n \o gteady

it'whiieTtfptiile.rthe trigger with the ri Bht8 ht - ...; •; Tliis closed the evidence, and the coroner addressed the jurymen. He stated that it was shown that the deceased had been at a hotel, and had evidently been ' drinking. The question which they had to decide was whether he had committed suicide whilst laboring under insanity, or did he while m possession of all his faculties so destroy himself. The jury did not retire,; and unauimonsly found the following verdict. That the said Geoige Dundas, not being of sound mind and understanding, hut lunatic and distiacled, on the 7th . day of March, m the yo.'r aforesaid, with a certain gun loml< d with a shot cartridge did shoot off and discharge the same against his chest, by means whereby the said George Dundas did : instantly die. The i roceedings then terminated.