PUKEKAWA SUICIDE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 594, 21 December 1920, Page 1

PUKEKAWA SUICIDE.

FINANCIAL WORRIES.

CORONIAL INQUIRY.

An inquest touching on the death of James Granville, farmer, at Glenmucray, who committed suicide by shooting himself on Saturday, December 11, 1920, was held at the Courthouse yesterday before the coroner, Mr. R. F. Webster.

Detective-Sergeant Cummings conducted the proceedings on behalf of the police.. Charles Flanagan, farmer, residing at Glenmurray, and employed by Granville, identified the body as that of his late employer. At about 2 p.m. on the day of the.tragedy he received a message to go over from

lis whare to see deceased. Witness went over, and called out "Is there

anybody in?" Granville sni(t "Come in." Witness entered the hOTBc and deceased ' came out of; hfs room undressed, with the 'exception of his singlet. Granville gave witness a drink of beer, and then opened a bottle of whisky, gave witness a drink, and took a nip himself. Deceased talked about farm work and the Thorn case. He said, "This Thorn case is preying on my mind. I am in the horrors." While they were talking they had about four drinks of whisky each. Deceased then put on his trousers. He went into the front room and showed witness a photo of his * children. • They wore both drinking all the afternoon, .and at about 7 p.m. witness went outside, being away about a-quarter of an hour. He went back into the kitchen, but did not see deceased. Witness called out, "Are you asleep," but got no reply. He walked to his room door and saw deceased Jying on the edge of the bed with one leg hanginn; over. He saw the ?jun lying along the side of the leg which was resting on the floor. Owing to the darkness

lie could not see deceased's features. He did not hear a shot fired, but as boon as he yaw the body he went over to the camp and called tha boy. They both retumed( and the police were notified. Witness had no reason to think that deceased had any intention of killing himself. He was very much under the influence of liquor when witness left the house to go outside. Another employee, Cyril Wrothall, tged 17, and a teetotaller, corroborated the previous witness's evidence. Ho w%s at a whare on the place, when he heard a shot, and in answer, to a call from Flanagan he went over

to the house, looked into the room, and saw Granville lying on the bed with blood issuing from his. mouth. He could also see the barrel of the t>un pointing up* towards his face. Witness and Flanagan then informed the police. Constable Millar said that in corner iju'ence of a telephone message he received, he proceeded to Glenmurray, accompanied by Dr. Wake and Constable Wolfendale. Upon arrival he saw the deceased lying on the edge of the bed undressed, with the exception of his singlet. The left leg was on the bed, and the right foot was touching the floor. Attached to the right foot was a loop of cotton material forming h connexion with the trigger of a double-batreiied gun, the indications being that he had put the muzzle of the gun (produced) to his mouth, und had pulled the trigger with his foot. On examining the gun, he found an empty cartridge shell in the right barrel, the left barid being empty. Congealed blood was formed round the mouth, nose and cars, there being no other narks of violence on the body. Philip Sidney Eyre said he was a farm labourer working on his mother's farm at Pukekawa. The first time that he met the deceased, Granville, was at the trial of Samuel Jofau Thorp for the murder of his

father, the late Mr. S. S. Eyre. So far as witness knew, the deceased Granville had never been to Eyre's home, nor did he know any member or! the family. The.first time he became acquainted with the deceased was on October 14. 1920.

Dr. C. H. Wake, Pukekohe, said he found deceased's body lying partially on the edge of the. bed. Deceased was a thick-set, fleshy man, between 45 and 50 years of age. He was dressed in a singlet only, the head resting on a pillow, the left ioof' against the bottom of the bed, ana' the right leg had fallen to the floor. Around the foot was a piece of blue material attached to the trigger of a gun. A considerable amount of flood stained the bed and the pillow. Conwas also visible on the mouth, ears, and nostrils. Projecting from the mouth was a fragment of dental plate. On examining the skull, he found that it presented the impression of the bones being extensively brokerr' up, even to the upper jaw. Beyond this there was no sign of any external wound. The condition of the room showed that some heavy drinking had taken place, presumably by the deceased. A beer bottle was on a chair alongside the deceased, and the clothes had been flung about, and the whole house was in a filthy condition. In an adjoining room were two whisky cases, one being empty, and the other half full. In nearly every rcoin were either whisky or beer bottles in various stages of emptiness. In his opinion death was caused b> -the deceased putting the muzzle of the gun to his mouth, the shot being distributed throughout his brain, the trigger evidently being pulled by placing his foot in the sling which was attached to the trigger. The cartridge was evidently one of very low explosute capacity compared with the one used in the Eyre case. The dissimilarity of the two were very marked. In Eyre's case, the top was blown completely ofF his head, some of the fragments being four feet and mere away. In deceased Granville's case, the skin was not "perforated. There were more cartridges similar to the one in the breach of the gun in the house. This was the only brand of cartridge in hotac he , noticed. Frederick William Gardes, Heensco of the Pukekohe Hotel, said he knew deceased personally, who frequently stayed at witness' hotel. About a fortnight .ago deceased endeavoured to borrow £IOOO from witness, asking the. latter to take a second mortgage on his farm at Glenmurray. Deceased said he had not sufficient money to carry on the farm. Witness was not prepared to lend him '.'looo on second mortgage, and he referred him to Mr. Clarke. Deceased "said that if he could not get £IOOO he would not be able to carry on. Miss Ward, domestic servant, said she. had known ihe deceased James Granville for abo(|t three years prior to his death.."'She was housekeeping for him wjien he lived at Dannevirke. After disposing of his farm at Dannevirtoe in November 1819, he came to Auckland, and towards the end of February or beg in - .ning of March, li»20, he acquired < fi.nn at Glenmurray, where he resided up to the time of his death. He often visited Auckland, and on thes' occasions drank to excess, and at times ho came drunk. While at Dannevirke he was prohibited. He kept a large stock of liquor, generally two caseM of whisky, at the house. When in Dannevirke, while in a drunken condition, the deceased tried to commit suicide nn four occasions, once by attempting to take lysol, and the other, three occasions by attempting to cut his throat with a razor, On each occasion she prevented hint from doing so. Deceased was not away from his home on the night of August 24 last (the m-Jit Mr. Evrc was murdered). He retired to belt et tf.3o' p.m., and did »oV

leave the house that night. On Wednesday, December 8, witness accompanied deceased, to the Mount Eden Gpol to see Mr. E. E. Macky. who had been a solicitor at Wanganui for the deceased. (Macky is ise-rving a term of imprisonment in Mount Eden Gaol.) Deceased had an iutertfew with Mr. Macky. and he then learned that Macky had defrauded him of some hundreds of pounds. The deceased then began to fret. Hi* had never known the deceased Eyre. Of late Granville had bee'n in financial difficulties, and had endeavoured to borrow money, but was unsuccessful, and this was worrying him. Witness identified the bills produced as being those in possession of deceased on December 8. On this date witness left a letter in deceased's room at the Commercial Hotel, stating that ch<: was leaving him. He was worrying about his wife and family. Robert Henry McGough, land and .estate agent, Pukekohe, said he first met deceased about six months ago, and he frequently called at witness" cflice. About three weeks agt) deceased tried to borrow £3OOO from witness, and later endeavoured to borrow £2OOO, Witness knew Granville was pushed for money, and he discussed with witness the selling of hi? property at Glenmurray so as to relieve him of his fuiancial worries. To the coroner: cecep.sed wanted to borrow the money on a second irortgage. He informed witness that he had £7UOO mortgage on the place. The coroner returned a verdjet that James Granville met his death at Glenmurray on December 11, 1920, the "cause being a gunshot wound in the head, which was self-inflicted, while under the influence of liquor, r.nd mental strain on account of financial difficulties.