THE HERETAUNGA SUICIDE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 48, 27 March 1878, Page 2

THE HERETAUNGA SUICIDE.

The f erriains of the unfortunate man v Samuel KempY were committed to the grave Qh S&tui'day night, the body having been kept for four days for the holding of an inquest. Inhere vras, however, no regular eoporiep's inquest, Dr. Todd, who is the officer fot the district, living soius forty miies away* not being able to attend, arid under the circumstahces a judicial iiiq -uirjr was held before Mr Hamilton, The unfqiitunate man, who had beeta wor^irtg atthe Heretaunga Block, about eight miles beyond the ! scene of the former tragedy, had been ; ailing and in a desponding state for some time. Ga; the day preceding the commission of the rash act he said to one of his mates that he was tirod of his life, and thought he; would end it. Oa Wednesday iribrning his fellow-, workmen- went into the bush as.u3ual^ leaving him alone in the tent, aact daiv ing the courso of the forenoon the remark was made by one that Kemp might put ai#end to himself. To this the otheivfeplied that if he so wished, he : could do so easily, as the riSe was in' J the tent, arid already loaded. Scai'cely had the words been uttered tharifea loud report was heard, but no notice was taken* thinking ;thafc it was someone shooting wild pigs. On their return home, ; however, on entering the hut they found the deceased lying on his basic with his head closs up to a fallen tree, against which the tent had bsen pitched, the rifle clutched coavulsively between^ his hands, arid the top of his head absolutely blown away. It would appear that (whether he wai aware or not of the rife being loaded) he had; loaded the weapon, and then lying down," placing .''.the muzzle in his mouth, pulled the : trigger wi th hi s toe by means of a piece of flax, and all was over. On ?a3count«p-f tlie double load with which- the gun was charged it,' burst sonaewhsre at the stock end of the barrel, while the ball, after- tearing away thu : back: portion of the- skriii, 5 lod,?ed deeply in the trunk of the tree afc ins head. Three letters were found upon the body wiiieh left no doubt that the ra^h act had not been ooantnitled without dua arid mature deliberation; One was written to M^ Ebbdtt, his employer, stating that he had deterimne'cV to end his misery, another; to his f t'iertds in England, and a thir<i to Major Scully, the police oflfoer in charge of the Jfapieri)istrictj telling him 6£ Uis

intentions, and requesting that his body should be opened, and a jpast mortem examination held to ascertain the causeof the malady under which he suffered! As we hare before stated 1 ,- tfiis- was not done, the services of a medicajU man beting unobtainable. It would 1 a"ppsar that since the perpetration of the brutal murder in which he was called upon to give such material evidence, tue sadi affair has preyed upon his mind, ami he .has been in a desponding state, to which being added his physicalailmsnts: ;and bodily pain, life became unbearable, and he, sought relief by rashly taking; his own lifo. Having heard it sugl gested that Kemp might have been connected with, the murder, other than as ; a witness, our reporter made special inquiries regarding such a supposition, and was informed by Mr Murphy, of Woodville— to whom he is indebted for those particulars — that such a suspicion had not a shadow of foundation, for* during the better part of the day on. which the crime was committed, and at that particular time at which it was perpetrated, he was at the Woodville Hotel. It has, however, been reported that he has been heard to say that he had not told the truth at "the trial, and consequentaly he hai been mnchj troubled in mind. Our. reporter further learned that he had made an attempt to shoot himself the previous week, under" the following circumstances. He had boen burning and clearing land— and being very dilatory owing to I^| bad health, Mr Ebbett, threatened fcT get some one else to finish the work,, it his risk. TTpon that E^mp Mite. down the gnu with "Which' he afterWards committed^ the- deed, and attempted to shoot himself, but was prevented from doing so by Mr Ebbett. Although there cannot be th6 least doubt that Kemp met lxis death by hisu>wu hand, and, consequently, the necessity for a coronial inquiry was somewhat obviated, the fact that his last request was Unattended to still remains, and we certainly think the facts of the case are such as to warrant the Grovrirnrmmfc to maV3 suelr provision in the future that bodies will hot have to bs kept for a timo which makes it dilSonlt to ascertain the cause of death, or be commitfed to the grave without any investigatipa. . .^^*'