Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE LATE SUICIDE IN THE ADE-LAIDE-ROAD.

An inquest was held at . the Caledonian Hotel on Sept. 13th, to inquire into the circumstances connected with the death of Hannah Stinson, before Dr. Johnston; coroner, and a jury of whom Mr. Thomas Evans was foreman; The jury having viewed the body,-the following evidence was taken ; , ,

Dr. Watts, legally qualified medical practitioner, deposed; On Tuesday evening about 10 o’clock I was called to see the deceased by her husband. I went to the house. As we went along he said his wife had wounded herself with: a razor on her left side. • On arriving at the house I found the deceased lying in bed in her nightdress. She was alive. There was a wound on her left side immediately under the ribs. There had been considerable bleeding, both externally and internally., I closed the wound by stitches and bandages, but told the husband she would not live through the night. She was sensibH whilst her; wounds were! being dressed. .She told me she felt so full hhd , in such pain in her left side that she had made the wound to relieve ■ herself. T directed the husband and daughter to keep her perfectly, quiet, and how to attend'to her during the night, and prescribed: some medicine for her. I left the house about a quarter to 11. About 7 o’clock next morning I was informed that she had died at about 6 o’clock. I have since made a post mortem examination of the body. T found the body well nourished. The external wound was 4 inches long, and the internal wound 2 inches by a depth of 3 inches, penetrating the liver, which was much enlarged. The lungs were extensively diseased. The wound was sufficient to cause death. I do not know anything of the state of her mind.: I had not seen her before. The character and direction of the wound cpufirmed her statement that the wound was self-in-flicted.

Henry Stinson (husband of the' deceased), deposed; I last saw deceased on Tuesday morning at a quarter to 6 o’clock, when I left home to go to work. She was then in bed. She had been ill in bed for a week. She was apparently better that morning. She had been ailing some time. , No medical man had been in attendance on her, as she said she would rather not have one. She was occasionally subject to fits of lunacy and low spirits. She sometimes labored under the idea that some one was pulling her by the sleeve and wanted to drag her down. , Myself and daughter usually attended to her. There was no quarrelling or ill-feeling between us. She was never sufficiently had for ihe to have her certified to as to the state of her mind. About three years ago she' was taken to the Court and examined by two medical men, who said she was sane. ■ At that time I thought she would have to go to the asylum, and I made .application; hut they could not take her in unless she was certified to. I came home on Tuesday evening about twenty minutes to 8 o’clock, and soon afterwards went into her room with a newspaper to read to her. She held out her hand to me and said she felt better. I took, hold of her hand and saw blood upon It. I asked her, where the blood came from. She pointed to her side and said she “ had made herself easier.” On further examination I saw a had , wound on her left side, and immediately went for medical assistance. She had apparently been holding both her hands over the wound, as both were covered with blood. In my shavingbox, about - a foot from the bed, I found my razor stained with blood. Deceased must have got out of bed, used the razor, replaced it, and then got back to bed. I asked her what she had done it for ? She replied that she was in great pain and had done it to relieve herself. My daughter sat up with tire deceased until between three and 4 o’clock. I then sat up with her until about 6 o'clock, when she died. Deceased did not say anything during that time. She lay quite quietly, but breathed heavily, She apparently died without a struggle and without pain.

Hannah Stinson, daughter of deceased, deposed: I am 17 years bid, and have been living generally at service, but I was latterly kept at home in order to wait upon my mother, who was not well, either in mind or body. She used to wander in her mind, and was subject to delusions, but I never heard her threaten to commit suicide. On Tuesday evening deceased was in bed, and I was in the next room knitting stockings. I could see into her room as the door was open. I saw deceased at about a quarter to 5 o’clock- p.m. at the dress-ing-table, where my father kept his razor box, and X heard the lid of the box snap as if on its being closed, and X saw the end of the razor in her hand. At first I was frightened, but afterwards I thought she had taken *it to cut her corns, as she had done before. -Shortly afterwards I went into the room and-found her lying quietly in. bed. I asked her if she would have a cup of tea. : She said yes, and I took it to her, but she did not attempt to move to-take it. She .asked me to put it to her lips, and I did so. She drank it a little at a time. -She was covered with the bedclothes, and I could not think ; that anything had happened, until after my father caine home. He usually felt deceased’s pulse every night. Oh this occasion, on taking; her hand,: he remarked “There’s no shamming this time ; she's, sinking.” Ho then observed blood on her hands, and he said he must see where it came from. '; I held the candle from him while he made an examination, and found the wound. He asked her what she had: done it for.' She replied that she was bursting with pain, and had done it to relieve herself, and that it ought to have been-done- twelve years ;ago. The deceased was at times . intemperate in her habits, but not of late. She was forty-two years of age. The jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst laboring under temporary insanity.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18770921.2.37

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,091

THE LATE SUICIDE IN THE ADELAIDE-ROAD. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 6

THE LATE SUICIDE IN THE ADELAIDE-ROAD. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 6

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert