The Finch Tragedy

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 239, 15 February 1911, Page 8

The Finch Tragedy

THE IXQUEST. POISON SELF-ADMINISTERED WHILE IN A SOUND AND RATIONAL MIND. The inquest touching the death ol Wray l'alliser Finch, who succumbed at the White llart Hotel on Sunday morning last under sensational circumstances pointing to suicide, was held before the Coroner (Mr. H. S. FiUherbert, S.M.) at the Court-house, New Plymouth, yesterday afternoon. The body of the Court was occupied by a number of interested spectators. Mr. (juilliam appeared on behalf of the relatives of the deceased, and Sergeant Maddrell conducted the case for the police.

Charles Edwin Finch, Bank of New South Wales, Wellington, deposed that he saw the body of deceased at the morgue on the previous night, and recognised it us that of his brother, Wray Pa! r li'incli. Deceased's ■financial circumslanccs were good. Witness knew of I no .. . ,ie that would lead him to take his l.u. ■ His age would be 2G next month. The two letters produced were in his brother's handwriting. As far as witness could judge, the only connection with the second letter was that his brother's name was mentioned. Deceased was in the employ of Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, of Eltham.

Sergeant Haddrell produced another I letter addressed to Airs. Wilkinson, and written by a solicitor, in which deceased's name was mentioned, but the-l Coroner did not think it advisable that this letter should be published. John Egan, police constable, stationed at New Plymouth, deposed that he was called for about 10.25 a.m. to the White Hart Hotel, and on going to room \'o. 25 he saw Dr. Walker, who told him the young man was dead. He was in bed, having a suit of pyjamas on. There were a number of people present, includimg Mrs. Wilkinson, of Eltham. Witness found the letters in the room. The letter found on the table was the same as was published in the News of Monday. The following letter was found iu the inside pocket of his coat:— "Since writing this letter, I find that I cannot face the music, so I am going to do away with myself, so God help me. I hereby bequeath all my property over and above my funeral expenses to the woman I have wronged. The following is a list of my property: Cash in bank, j sundry debtors, Scott and Martindale, about £164, Hawera Racing Club, about £ ISM); the horse St. Toncy, the horse Sir Prize, the motor-car, etc. Signed—W. P. Finch. February 11, 1911." He (Constable Egan) also found a letter addressed to Mrs. Wilkinson. Otlfe'r than the papers labelled poison there was nothing found to indicate the cause of death. The body at the morgue was that identified by the previous witness us Wray Palliser Finch. Bergeant Haddrell said the subpoena on Mrs. Wilkinson had not been served,

as lie held a doctor's certificate stating that she was suffering from severe nervous prostration. Mrs. Wilkinson could not throw any light upon the circumstances of the case, further than that she found deceased suffering and gave the alarm.

William George Eraeny, licensee of the White Hart Hotel, deposed that the deceased arrived at the hotel on Saturday afternoon with Mrs. Wilkinson, of Ettham, by motor-car. Deceased had room No. 25 and Mrs. Wilkinson had another room. Mr. Finch was very cheerful during the evening. In the morning, on being summoned, witness went to Mr. Finch's room and found he was very ill, and at once tried to get medical assistance, eventualy getting Dr. Walker. The time lie got the alarm was a few minutes past ten o'clock, andi the doctor was present in about a quarter of an hour, but the man was dead

when the doctor arrived. Rose Gilbert, waitress at the White Hart Hotel, deposed that she took tea to roo*i No. 25 as was the custom of the hotel, on Sunday morning about eight o'clock. Mr. Finch was reclining in bed writing. Witness did not notice whether it was with ink or lead pencil.' About half an hour afterwards witness returned for the cup and saucer, when I Mr. Finch was still .niting in bed. He said "Good morning," and appeared quite rational. To His Worship: Witness took Mrs. Wilkinson's tea in as well to No. 22, and she was in bed also. That was about the same time in the morning. Witness I never noticed any bottle or anything out of the order at the time.

To Sergeant Haddrell: Mr. Finch did not come down to breakfast. Mrs. Wil-| kinson came to breakfast between ninol and ten o'clock.

Dr. 11. A. MeCleland, medical practitioner, New Plymouth, deposed that he made a post mortem examination of deceased's body at the morgue. The body was that of a man sft. Tin. or oft. 7%in. im height, of slender build, but well nourished. All the limbs were rigid, the feet being arched and bent inwards; the hands clenched, with the thumbs bent inwards; the rigidity was greater than normal taking into account the weather and the place it was in, although the body was only slightly colder than the surrounding atmosphere. All the organs of the body were healthy excepting some adhesion of the right lung to its pleura. The lungs were full of blood, the right heart being full of thin liquid blood; the liver, kidneys, spleen' and other organs were healthy," the blood.' vessels covering the surface of the brain' were congested with blood. There was! nothing to show that death resulted I fi om natural causes. The mucous membrane of the mouth and gullet was normal. ITe had not made a chemical' examination of the contents of the! stomach, but had separated it so that it could be obtained in a week or so if re-j quired. All the conditions of the body' pointed to the fact that death resulted) from vegetable poison, the symptoms and signs corresponding to poison by' strychnine. The immediate cause of! death was asphyxia and exhaustion I caused by titanic contraction. Thirty grains of strychnine would, of course, cause death. A sixth of a grain h3d been known to kill. '

Ernest Cuthbert Kennel], chemist in the employ of Mr. Hal], chemist, deposed

that lie identified the .body at the morgue as that of the man who bought strychnine on .Saturday. About live o'clock on Saturday afternoon lie called at the shop and asked to be supplied with a shillingsworth of strychnine. As lie was a stranger lie was not supplied with it, and he left, but returned iti about half an hour with Mr. R. 11. Campbell, who identified him, and the slirychnine (30 grains) was supplied. lie saiu he wanted the poison with which to kill cats, and he signed the record book. At the time Mr. Finch was quite natural in his manner.

Sergeant Haddrell said these were ah the facts to be placed before Ilis Worship. Mr. Quilliam said the presence of Mrs. Wilkinson was unnecessary, and also a pathological examination was not necessary. The only thing to consider was the state of the man's mind at the time. The statement in the letter was the greatest proof that •he was suffering from shock, and the result was mental! aberration. It was not to say that because a man proclaimed his sanity that he was sane. All that concerned His Worship was that the man took his life, as was shown by the statement in the letter.

His Worship said he did not think it was necessary to have the evidence of Mra. Wilkinson; there was no suggestion that she had administered the poison, or was in any way connected with the suicide. From the whole evidence it was fairly clear that he had administered the poison by his own hand. It was also unnecessary to have an analysis of the contents of the stomach, as it was j quite clear death resulted from poison. The doctor said that not having an- | alysed the stomach he could not say it was strychnine, but it was apparent it was strychnine. With re'gard to the matter of being of unsound mind, possibly the relatives would like it to be found that deceased was temporarily insane at the time, but His Worship said he could not say that in this case there was anything to indicate it. All the facts went to show he was of sound and rational mind at the time. From the evidence before him, then, he found: "That Wray Palliser Finch came to his death on Sunday, 12th February, 1911, by taking a dose of poison, viz., strychnine."