Our Stratford Page

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 203, 7 May 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Page

BUSINESS MAN'S SAD END.

I FOUND HANGING FROM THE RAFTERS. The death of Mr. F. S. Pollock, and evidently at his own hand, came as a shock to the community on Sunday, for the late Mr. Pollock was one of those men with the almost perpetual smile of good cheer, a liberal-hearted gentleman, and a man very popular for many years past in the town and district. He was formerly licensee of the Commercial Hotel, which husincss he relinquished to assume control of the coaehbuilding works close by, in the management of which lie was associated with his brother. Mr. W. H. Pollock. Not so very loivr ago, on the eve of his departure on a trip to the Old Country, he was banqueted by his Stratford friends. Only a little over forty years of age, lie was thrice married, and his widow and several children survive him. The manner in which he came by his death was made apparent at the inquest held on Monday afternoon, before Mr. C. D. Sole, J.P., acting-coroner. The following jury was sworn: Messrs. Arthur Kick. Alfred Hughes Grant, J. B. Crossan, C. Rowson, Mr. J. MacMahon and J. H. Harston. Mr. MacMahon was chosen foreman. Sergeant McNeely conducted the enquiry on behalf of the police, and Mr. W. CI. Malone watched the proceedings on behalf of Mrs. Pollock. Annie Lead Matilda Smyth-Pollock, widow of the deceased, gave evidence that she last saw her late husband alive on Sunday morning at about 10 o'clock, when he left home, saying he was going to the office for a few minutes. At about one o'clock she sent the eldest boy for him to come home for luneh,"and from what the boy told her on his return she sent for the police. Her husband was very bright, in his usual spirits, when he left home. He had had business worries of late. ; To Mr. Malone: There had been no; home worries of any kind. Their mar- 1 ried life had been happy. On that morning he had morning tea and breakfast in bed, and dressed himself for thn day. \ What had hnppened was the last thine ! she would have expected him to do. To the Coroner: The bailiffs had been in the shop lately. Her husband had not taken her into his confidence regard- ' ing business troubles. • { Frederick Pollock, the fourteen-year- j old son of the deceased, said that on Sun- ] day, at about one o'clock, his mother i sent him to bring his father home to J dinner. He could not get in by the I office door, as that was locked. He went' home and told his mother he could not j get in, and then came back and entered j the place by the hack door, intending to go through to the office. He had to i pass the lavatory, and there he saw his ; father hanging. The lad ran out, jumped ! the fence, and ran home to tell his mother. He did not touch the body. His i mother sent him to the police. Sergeant McNeely deposed that short- ; ly after one o'clock on Sunday afternoon ' he was informed that the body of Frederick Smith Pollock was hanging in the j lavatory at his wheelwright's shop. In company with Constable Bleasel, he im-; mediately went to the shop, and found the body hanging by the neck to a rafter in the lavatory. They cut the body down. Dr. Paget was summoned, and he pronounced the man dead. The, witness produced the piece of rope by which the body had been suspended. After the doctor's examination the body was conveyed to Mr. Pollock's late residence. In deceased's office was found a letter, addressed to his foreman, Mr. R. McCormick, and marked on the outside, "Strictly private." Witness delivered the letter to Mr. McCormick, who opened it in his (Sergeant McNeely's) presence. To the Coroner: Dr. Paget was on the scene in about a minute after the body was cut down. Robert McCormick was called to produce the letter mentioned in Sergeant McNeely's evidence. He had been, he said, in the deceased's employ for about ten years. He last saw his late employer alive on Saturday night at half-past five o'clock, when he appeared to be rather quieter than usual, but nothing in his demeanour would have led the witness to expect him to take his life. The letter handed to him by the police on Sunday, and now produced, was in the deceased's handwriting, and was signed with his initials, "F.S.P." The. letter read: May 5, 1912. Mr. R. McCormick.— Dear Bob, —I know you will be shocked to know the horrid step I have taken The witness here broke off from the reading of the letter, and said, "The

FOOTBALL

* From Our Resident Reporter. * V * * Broadway North., next Loan & Mercantile Agency Co. 41 * $ ************* ******************

rest of this letter is private. It ia on a matter of business. I will hand it to the sergeant, and if he thinks it will be of any assistance to the jury he can read it." Sergeant McNeely said that the letter indicated that the deceased had intended ending his life, hut it contained a serious allegation against a man, and it was in Mr. McCormick's mind that this should not he allowed to got into the papers. The letter undoubtedly showed what disposed the man's mind towards suicide. The coroner said the letter, though marked "strictly private." was now the property of the Court, and the jury was entitled to know its contents, seeing that it had probably been written just before the act was committed. It was his duty, and the jury's duty, to ascertain how the deceased had come' by his death. Mr. W. G. Malone agreed with the coroner as to the duty imposed on hitn, but doubted whether the reading out of the letter was necessary to enable him to discharge that duty. The portion already read clearly showed the deceased's intention, and the remainder of the letter, containing a serious charge against j a man who was not present now, or represented there, would not further the enquiry in any way. Xor could they place any reliance upon the written word of a man who, it would be shown in evidence, was obviously out of his mind j at the time. He felt positive that the accusation contained in the letter was quite unjustified, and he thought the coroner must agree with him there. He concluded by remarking that the remainder of the letter would not assist the jury in determining how the deceased came by his death. The coroner said he would direct the > jury that the contents of the letter would not necessarily account for the cause of death. He ruled that the jury was entitled to see the letter. The foreman of the jury saw no reason to suppress any evidence. The coroner said that he would not allow the name mentioned in the letter to be published. i Mr. Malone: Whatever you read the) press will publish, and it seems un-1 necessary tli'it the serious charge against another person, who is not now present,) by a man who was evidently out of his I mind, should be made public. The coroner said it was quite evident I from the letter that the deceased was J in financial difficulties, and that he - imagined himself badly used. The sergeant said it should be made j clear, for the benefit of the press, that I only financial difficulties were men- ' tioned, else it might be thought there j was "something awful" in the letter, i The letter was then handed to the j jury for perusal. I The witness MeCormick, in answer to • a question from the coroner, as to wh;i •. j had been the habits of the deceased of •! late, stated that he had been better) for a while, looking after his business j better last week than before. ( He knew his employer had been worried a good deal to get money in to pay his accounts, bat he said he expected to pull through all right. Witness had heard j that the bailiffs had been in possession lately. 'Tom Lnkin Paget, medical practitioner, deposed that he found the body lying on the floor of the wheelright's shop, at: the deceased's place of business. The body was fully clothed, and the clothes were not disturbed in any way. Death had taken place probably about an hour previously. There were the marks ] of a rope round the neck. From the appearance of the body, he judged that death had taken place from heart failure, consequent upon strangulation. The usual signs of suffocation were not present. He had no doubt that the heart was badly degenerated. The doctor added that he mentioned this because it might be of benefit to deceased's relations to know that he died quickly and without struggling. To Mr, Malone: He knew deceased was a very heavy drinker, and had no doubt at all that the amount of alcohol he had consumed had attacked both brain and heart. Deceased had had an attack of delirium tremens some time ago, and business worries would prob' ably have a different effect upon him to what they would have upon a man in a normal state of health. If there was insanity it would be impulsive insanity, brought on by chronic alcoholism. The jury brought in a verdict of suicide, while temporarily insane. THE HON. G. LAURENSON. j VISITS STRATFORD-AND WHANGA.' The Hon. Geo. Laurenson, Minister of Labor, is to give an address in the Town Hall on Wednesday night touching the political questions of the day, and dealing specially with the misrepresentation which the Liberal Party claims that the Oppositon indulged in during the recent general election campaign. Mr. Laurenson made many friends here at Easter time by his effective platform utterances, , and there should be a crowded hall. More interest attaches to his speech from the fact that Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, M.P.. has accepted the Hon. Mr. Laurenson's challenge to make answer to the Ministerial utterance. We shall hear more of Mr. Fisher's plans in due course. The Minister may speak at Inglewood on Thursday, but as yet nothing is definitely announced.

On Friday morning, in company with the Hon. W. D. S. MaeDonalcl, Minister of Public Works, and perhaps of the Hon. H. G. Ell, the Minister will leave for Whangamomona, where the members of the Cabinet will be present at the. banquet tendered to Mr. Joseph McCluggajre by the Liberals of the district.

THE STRATFORD CLUB. The .Stratford Club will put a much stronger team in the field against Tukapa. than that which met Clifton last week. The inclusion of Don Cameron, Dive, Osborne, and Boon, should stiffen it tremendously. Jones, Hancock, and Dud Cameron are dropped overboard for the nonce. Thursday's tennis are: Seniors v. Tuknpa, at New Plymouth, leaving by 8.!)0 a.m. train. —Kivell, R. Anderson, Dive. Crn\v*haw. C. Stewart. Don Cameron, Wood, Bonner, Whittington, Tim Cameron, R. Fearon, 0. Fearon, Young, Osborne, Boon; emergencies: Hancock and Dud Cameron. First Juniors v. Fltham, at Stratford, at '3 p.m.: —James, Hancock (2), Brown, Watkins, Sullivan, Ponty Jones, Osborne, Loveridge, Bowler, Sheahan, Bayly, Tom Jones. F. Collins, Dud Cameron. Second Juniors v. Tukapa, at New Plymouth:—Tanner, Dowling, Gibson, Rennie, Carroll, Rogers (2), Marehant

(2), Collins (2), D. Sheahan, Milner, Syme, Prentice; emergencies, Till and P. Sheahan. The seniors are not overjoyed at the prospect of giving a whole day to play Tukapa. But it cannot.well be helped. They could manage to arrive there by the three o'clock train, but would have to stay overnight, as the train homeward leaves at 4.20 p.m. BACHELORS' BALL AT MAHOE. , On Thursday night last the bachelors of Mahoe gave a return dance to the ladies. There was a crowded hall, and with the excellent arrangements made for the function there was no lack of enjoyment. The floor was in tip-top order, and the music supplied by Miss Mac Donald (piano) and Mr. Kelly (piano) was voted first-class, and the dancers cheered them at the conclusion of the programme. Messrs Coates and Wishart were most courteous and attentive M.C.'s. The supper and the pre-supper-time refreshments were on a liberal scale, and altogether the bachelors' ball was voted one of the most successful held in the district for .some time past. .';;,:, BERNARD'S PICTURES The present programme is undoubtedly a picture treat. The audience last night wero most enthusiastic over its' many beauties, in which thfi story of the flower as told by the cinematograph was undoubtedly a gem. "Enoch Arden" is a fine drama, and picture-lovers will get a good evening's entertainment from the 1 current series. On Thursday % evening the great Australian bushranging film "Dan Morgan" is to be screened. This is an expensive enterprise, and w* hope the money laid out by Mme. Bernard in securing this loudly-heralded film will be more than justifiecj by the attendance. PERSONAL. Mr. R. Spence returned to Stratford on Saturday evening. ■!.. Messrs. J. Masters and N. J. King, who have been on a short visit to Wellington, came home by Saturday night's express. Mr. S. MacAlister, of Wellington, has joined Messrs. Spence and Stanford as managing clerk. Mr. H. F. Russell, district valuer, was here on departmental business yesterday. GENERAL NEWS. A reminder is given of to-night's social in aid of the Parish Hall funds. I-Wave it from a member of the committee that a very pleasant evening can be expected. A cordial invitation is extended to the congregation, to assist, by their attendance, the very necessary work in the ini terior of the hall, whicte at present is a bare-looking place. • The driver and fireman on the first north-bound train this morning had to exercise their strength, skill and ingenuity. One of the springs under the engine in the neighborhood of the hackwheel had broken, allowing the bogey to bump on the undergear. They jacked up the bogie with a bottle-jack, and put in a piece of wood where the spring should have been, and the train wont on with but little delay.' Alfred Crawford was charged yesterday afternoon at the S.M. Court, beforo Mr. C. D. Sole, J.P., with helplws drunkenness at Whangamomona. and was remanded to the Xew Plymouth prison for seven days' medical treatment. The Stratford County Council is of the same opinion as the New Plymouth Harbor Board—that every class of local bodies should have separate representation in overhauling the Local Government Bill. The council's delegate is in- | structed to oppose the setting up of provincial councils, on the ground that centralisation of this kind is not in the best interests of the people, the council preferring the retention of the present system of education boards, hospital boards, etc.; to oppose any measure giving power to levy a rate of a shilling in the £, as proposed in the new Bill. The, council favors instituting a graduated system of subsidies, in which new districts, and districts costly to road, shall have preference.