CORONER'S INQUEST.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 449, 21 November 1849, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held- on Saturday at the Victoria Hotel near .the Te Aro barracks, before Dr. Fitzgerald, coroner, on the body of Serjeant Mangin of the 65th Regiment, who had shot himself on the previous day. George Dalrymple Monteith, being sworn, stated ; lam a Surgeon, practising in Wellington ; on Friday morning last, the 16 th of November, between the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock, a.m., I was sent for to see Serjt. Stephen Mangin, of the 65th Regt., who was reported to have shot himself; I found him in one of the wajrds of the military hospital lying on a bed with a gun shot wound on the left breast, extending into the long*, and a .corresponding wound immediately above jtbtf left scapula.; there was a large escape of. blood and- air with each expiration; he then told me that he had shot himself, and that he had done it-through love ; he was in a state of great collapse, from which he never rallied ; I have no doubt but .that this wound was the cause of death. Richard Buckley Ttoyfort Thelwall, deposed; I am Acting Adjutant of the 65th Regt. ; about 8 o'clock yesterday morning it was reported to me that Serjt. Mangin had shot himself ; I immediately proceeded to the barracks, and found the Serjeant lying on one of the beds in the hospital ; about ten minutes afterwards he asked me to take his hand as he wanted to say something to me ; he said — ," God bless you, Mr. Thelwall, you have always been kind to me ; tell the Colonel and officers that I respect them all, that I bear no enmity towards any person ; but love for — — — — has been the cause of it all:" I sent for the Rev. R. Cole : the man has always borne a good character in the Regiment ; I had previously sent for Dr. Monteith, who had been acting for Dr. White in his absence; the deceased appeared to me to be perfectly collected whan I was speaking to him;

William Alexander, deposed ; I am a Serjeant in the 65th Regiment; 1 hare been well acquainted with the deceased, Stephen Maogin; yesterday morning, the 16th Notv, I went out in company with the deceased about half- past 7 o'clock ; we took tbe direction of the upper gate of Lower Mount Cook; we went round by the Magazine for the purpose of picking some water cresses ; be said to me as we were walking along, that he felt a very great depression of spirits this morning; I asked, |him if he felt it more so this morning than at any other jiime, of if be felt in his bead, or heart, or where ; he said he could not describe, but he felt it all over him ; we went to the water-cress bed, and he picked some ; We then went home and went into the Sergeants' mess room ; he left his cresses there and went out ; I remained ;it was near 8 o'clock when I saw him after this, they were carrying him to the Hospital ; it was in my room where he shot himself. The man who went into the room after the act/ gave me two letters through the -window wfifctf ha picked up, one of them was addressed to me the other to Miss '. The contents of the one addressed to me are as follow : — Note, No. 1. November 16, 1849. Dear Alice, — Will you deliver this note to . Apply what I have got in the Bank and every other thing belonging to me to your nwn use if you please; write to my sister, Mrs. Ettingsall, 12 Merchants' Quay, Dublin, and tell hereof this proceeding. I die in friends with every one, enmity to none, and love only ,to one individual, and that one ■; the latter is the cause : don't neglect giving her the note. Good bye, Alick : I die in the hopes of a better and happier world. Farewell. ' S. MangiH. See me decently buried. Note, No. 2. Mount Cook Barracks, 16th November, 1849, This is my last epistle to you :' all that I have previously told you will have* been complete by the time you receive this note. If I am considered unworthy ot you, I consider myself unworthy to live. Tell Ainsley what I have done for you, and if be has the same love for you, let him make a similar sacrifice. I die in love with you. The coldness of your manner towards me lately I considered rather i wrong, and in fact deceitful on your part. I could not after that (without being mean) call to see you, and not to do so would be to live in awful misery. I could not apply myself to anything but the thought of you : you are the ideal | being of which I dreamt long before Isaw ypu; any one else would have been obnoxious, .to me ; I therefore I chose this proceeding rather than to I live a life of misery the most awful that can be imagined; pure and undefined, love for you alone jis the cause. I die in the hopes of a better and ! happier world, and the hope of meeting my Redeemer. As Christ died for mankind, 1 die for you. Farewell, them my beloved girl. I never dreamt a dream these six months but yon were the substance of. I forgive your friends' hardheartedness towards me. Once more, my only love, good bye. Farewell Isabella, and your father, mother, and all your little sitters and brothers. Adieu for ever, my love. , S. Mangin. George, good bye. John Frost, deposed ; lam a Private in the 65th Regt. ; yesterday morning I was sweeping out tbe room belonging to Coloux-Serjt. Alexander; the deceased, Serjt. Mangin, came in and said he wanted to write some letters, which he could not do outside ; I took notice of his being very low spirited; I asked him if he was sick, he told me he was not ; I came out and left him inside; 1 saw him come out of the room, and I saw him go to his box ; he appeared to be regulating hi* things which were in his box ; he then locked the box, and walked out of the' room; while he was out I found a Bible and Prayer Book on the box ; I asked him if they were bis, and be said yes, and took them from me; he then went out and remained some time away ; I saw nothing more of deceased till I heard, the report of a gun in Serjt. Alexander's, Eoom ; as soon as I beard it Ijran into 'ffirrobibi and saw his cap TyTog'SfflTbe floor, and tbe fusee dropping out of his band ; he appeared reclining against the bed, which was rolled up on the iron bedstead, but waa just dropping down on tbe iron when I went in ; his coat was open, and his stock on the table; his shirt over the left breast waa on fire, and his breast was bleeding ; some of .the other men came in, and I ran up to Serjt. Alexander and told him ; I afterwards fonty) the I Bible, Prayer Book, and two letters,, which I latter were in his paper case ; dnrrng this occurrence .there was no one in the room, which is a small one belonging to Serjt. Alexander ; the deceased appeared both this morning, and for some time previously, very low in spirits, and different from what heused to be, which made me think he was sick. John Kennedy, deposed ; I am a ColourSerjt. of the 65th Regt. ; the faiee I now produce I found in the room with the deceased, Serjt. Mangin; it waa recently difcburged, and the string which is now ttift round the trigger is tbe same which wa» on at the time. Tlje 4ury returned a verdict thifc the

« deceased shot himself while labouring trader temporary insanity." The remains of the unfortunate man were interred yesterday ' with military honours, being followed to the grave by his own company and the greater part of the men quartered at the Te Aro barracks. Several of the officers of the regiment also followed the mournful procession. Deceased bore an excellent character in the regiment, and was generally liked by his comrades. An inquest was held, on Monday at Porirua, before Dr. Fitzgerald, coroner, on .the body ■of Thomas labourer, who com. mitted suicide, -by. hanging himself. The left home early on Monday morning and was found shortly afterwards suspended from the branch of a tree. After a patient investigation the Jury a verdict to the effect that the deceased had committed' suicide by hanging himself, but j@g gjilfeigme. in fjfttejjlwiS" B'oußjf ,miad,/>r not there- was^ngt. sufficient , evidence for r them to decide. Deceased has left a widow and seven children. ,