SWITZERS.

Southland Times, Issue 1564, 16 April 1872, Page 3

SWITZERS.

(from a correspondent.^) One of those thrilling and mysterious incidents which occasionally break the monotony of our inland goldfields life, occurred on Sunday last, at Waikaka, in the Switzers district. A man of the name of John Hatmah, who has been in these parts nearly four years, committed suicide by hanging himself, duriug the absence of his mate. The facts of the case as shown at the Coroner's inquest, held by J. N. Wood, Esq., are these : — Hannah accompanied his mate some miles on his journey on Saturday, and talked a3 usual of their prospects, etc., which were, they both hoped, improving. He was seen that afternoon on his return by Mr Barberry, and appeared rather more lively than usual. Nothing more was seen of him till his mate, May hew, returned on Sunday morning, when he rushed up to Barberry's hut, exclaiming, " G-ood G-od ! Hannah has hupg himself at our place ! " Of course, Barberry ran off at once to the hut, but what was his horror and surprise^ to see a figure in female attire swinging from the beam ! Yet so it was ; but the dead figure was Hannah's. When Mayhew came home, he found the door locked inside, and, thinking his mate had walked to the claim, went to seek him. Not finding him, he returned, broke open the hut door, and on seeing the ghastly occupant, ran, as I have said, to seek assistance. Deceased was a native of Kilmarnock, and had in his pocket a letter addressed to John Hanna, care of Mr Garven, merchant, Invercargiil. The medical evidence showed that there had been no struggle, though from his position it seemed as if it waa as easy to live as die. His male atfcire was on a box beside him as if just thrown off. Suicide and m.-id-ness are unfortunately too common in this country, but the strange part of this story is the change of dress and the absence of any apparent cause for the rash act. The only words that could be remembered as at all out of tive common, were uttered by deceased at the dinner table on Saturday. When speaking of having been nearly shot when a boy, he remarked — " Well, had I died then, I should have had twenty years' less sin to account for." But how often are such things said in company, and forgotten as soon as uttered ? But why on the brink of the tomb employ the few moments that might have been spent in Bolemn thought or messages to far-off friends, in donning the frivolous articles of a woman's attire ; for nothing was wanting, even to an apron, and all neatly put on : underneath the pillow was found a black silk bodice ; but none of these articles had been seen by his mate during the time they lived together. Whose were they ? Whence did they come ? Why were they assumed as the robes of death ? Let such as possess the subtle brain of a Miss Braddon or a Wilkie Collins weave the tangled skein into a romance, for it seems almost impossible to make anything of the strange and sad reality.