ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2208, 15 April 1880, Page 3

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

A most deliberate attempt at suicide was made early this morning by a prisoner in the Timaru lock-up. The man in question, George Gustave Schmidt, was brought up before the Resident Magistrate yesterday afternoon just before the rising of the Court, on a charge of obtaining goods by false pretences from a Christchurch jeweller of the name of Grossman, to whom he represented that he was possessed of property in this district. Ho was remanded to Christchurch and put in the lock-up here for the night. He was all right at a late hour, hut on the constable visiting his coll this morning shortly after 6 o’clock he was found lying in a pool of blood on the floor, and in a dreadfully weak state from loss of blood. Medical aid was at once obtained, and the sufferer was removed to the Hospital, where he lies in a very precarious state, although the doctors entertain hopes of his recovery. It appears that Schmidt, after obtaining the jewellery from Christchurch, came South, and was recently at Geraldine, where he left the valuables as security for his board. This was on Tuesday. Yesterday he proceeded to Waimate, where he was arrested by Sergeant Gilbert, being sent on to Timaru. His injury was inflicted with a small penknife, which he must have carefully secreted about his person ■as he was searched both at Waimate and in Timaru without the knife being discovered. The only motive suggested for the act was that Schmidt lias been suffering for years from asthma, which was unusually painful yesterday, and it is supposed that he attempted his life in a Jit of desperation. The affair has created considerable excitement in the town.