EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2288, 17 July 1880, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.

Further particulars respecting the suicide telegraphed, from Dunedin yesterday, shows that the name of the deceased was Bandsman Russell and that the suicide did not take place at the “ Queen’s Head Hotel ” as wo deciphered the message, but at “Queenstown.” The “ Star’s ’’ correspondent wires the following details . The suicide of Mr Jones, bank clerk at Arrowtown, fired a similar train of thought in the brain of Bandsman Russell here at about 1 o’clock this morning. Russell said after midnight, when talking ro Jones’s military funeral at Arrowtown that the Queenstown corps should not want a start. He then described how ho would shoot himself, but no notice was taken, as he had often said the same thing before. He then laughed and talked about other matters, and went home. When he got inside his house he put his handkerchief to the trigger of his volunteer rillc, placed the muzzle to his left eye, and blow out Lis brains. Singularly no one in the house or next door beard the report. He was found dead at b o’clock this morning. He was eccentric. He was 21 years old, was a butcher’s assistant, and was generally liked. He had concealed away for over a month a package of carl ridges. Ho was quite sober at the time, and it was proved clearly that he bad boon so during the last two months at least. Four months ago lie had an attack of delirium Iremenv. A touching letter was found by Ids bedside from his sister at Martin’s Ray._ A coroner’s inquest was held this afternoon. A special jury was chosen, and. from it Avcrc excluded all Volunteers. The jury returned with much discussion a verdict of ” Committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.”