SUICIDE AT THE TARANAKI HOTEL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 102, 1 May 1902, Page 2

SUICIDE AT THE TARANAKI HOTEL.

INQUEST An inquiry was held by tliH coroner, Mr 11. L. Stanford, at the hospital on Wednesday :if into ths> death <.'f Neil Neilson, aged about 27, who committed suicide on Tuesday eight at th« Taranaki Hotel by nuans of a dynamite cartridge, which he had evidently placed in his mouth and fm'd. The jury were : —Messrs A. E. A. Clarke (foreman), 0. M. Lapper, F. Nicho l , A, L. Tuke, M. Fleetwood, and G. F. Brittain. Tiie following ovidence was given : Norah Curson, at present living in Gourtney-stroftt, siid she had known deceased since January 22nd at Waitara. Lust Monday week they both came from there to New Plymouth. Lint siw deceased on Tuesday after noon, wh*n he said he was going to Waitara by train. He had complained since Eaet.er of pains in hia head. Did so last Tuesday. Identified the clothes as those worn by Neilson. Deceased had relations at ttangatainoka, near Pahiatu. Yesterday he said he felt miserable, and said he did not know if he would go to work again. De nod h«d consulted Dr. Leatham and !a:ien some medicine. He was a sober man. Dr. Liatham 6a\d a man named Neilson consulted hiui on th'i 23: d, complaining of headache and feeing out of sorts, and was afraid of gettiug into seme s ate of ill heaMi, as on pre vious occasions, when he informed witness he had been an inmate of the Palraerston Hospital for some time, 1 and from there had been sent to Wellington and attended by Dr Ewort for! some months. From deceased's statements as to his symptoms witness drew the conclusion thas deceased had suffered from mental debility. There was nothing wrong in his physical condition, nor did his present condition show any signs of mi-ntal derangement. Witness adv sed him to go to a private boardinghouse where he could be propesly dieted, to abstain from stimulmis, and t ike a rest. Gave him souae medicine, and told him that if he did ■ not feel better to com>> to tee witness again, but he had not done so. Dr. McC'eland said he was called urgently to the Taranaki Hotel about twenty minutes to 12 th« preceding as a man had shot himself, Found on entering the bedroom an acrid smell, which he recognised as that of dynamite or something similar, i Found a mao lying on his bank on the i bed with his head completely shat- ] tered, evidently from the effects of a powerful explosive. Believing deceased had used dynamite witness seaich.ci for the cr ridge. Had made a postmortem, and found all the organs healthy. Death was due to a powerful explosiv9 placed in the mouth. E. F. Buckthoughfc, licensee of the i Taranaki Hotel, Fft'd di'ce.isel h;d j stayed at the ho'ei since the 21st inst. After the first three days deceased I seemed quieter. Stw him sitting on j !>he staircase at 11 p.m. on Tuesday. About 11.30 witness heard an explosion and went ups-airs. Saw smoke coming out of deceased's room. Had the door i burst open, and on entering saw deceased on thfl had. He only had a t shirt on. His had was blown off. ' Telephoned for the doctor. Oinstable Russell was outside at the time of the j eccurrenco. i Constable Russell also gave evidence ! as to bursting open the door and findI ing decerned with his headjjshattered. ! He found one shilling ifl dece'S-d's Deceased was suspec ed of a i theft at Waitara, and was under police Surveillance j James E. Birch, employed by Mr . Harry Ward, iionmonger, said a man came to tho shop on Tuesday affcarnoon and inquired tfte price tf dynamite. Witness asked him what he was going to do with i*, and th« man replied that he going to blow up a log. Dacaascd theu took a charge, a cap, and u i small piece of fuse and went away. There was nothing s'range in the man's manner. Daniel O'Brien, labourer, residing at j the Taranaki Hotel, siid ha had knoffu I deceased since last Monday we k. (Last saw him when be went to bed j about 11.15 on Tuesday aight. They had two or three drinks together, deceased taking small English "s'latidies." Was in his usual spirits. Deceased had nQver mentioned to wituess anything about his health. The jury returned a verdict that deceased m«t his death by his own hand through an expl > ip-; pi cd i«j his mouth while in a of totap miry insanity.