FOUND DROWNED.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1917, Page 6

FOUND DROWNED.

CORONER'S INQUEST. Ail inquest was Jield yesterday before Mr. A. 15. Crooke, S. M., touching the death of Frederick James Bateman, railway, guard, whose l>ody was found in tho lake near the band rotunda in Pukelaira Park 011 .Monday morning. Plain-elothes Coixtaole Fitzgibbon eon-Plain-clothes Constable Fitzgibbon appeared on behalf of the police. The facts disclosed by the evidence were as previously published. The deceased had been suffering from insomnia. Although a slight, opration bad been performed on bis nose for the removal of an obstruction, it had no injurious effect on his general health and ! Dr. Rlacklev, on making an examination 011 Saturday last, found nothing ph.vsici allv wrong with him. On Sundav night i about 10 o'clock, deceased visited the i doctor, complaining of sleeplessness and j was given twenty drops of chloral, , which be was told to take in water | and that it would give him a,night's i rest if he gave it a chhiice .by remaining in bed. When be left Dr. Blackley on Sundav night be showed no signs of ! his intention to commit the rash act. ! According to tbe statement made to the ■doctor by (be widow of the deceased he had an attack of sunstroke about four anil a-half years ago and since then bad suffered from attacks of depression. , The deceased and his wife, the father o,f tbe latter, stated in bis evidence, were devoted to each other. The note left by deceased on the table of the kitchen hi his father-in-law's house, where be resided, read as follows:—"Yon will find my bodv in lake near band rotunda-. This will be better for Lucy than going off my head, which I must do if I con- , tinue on like this."' The coroner returned a verdict of suicide 'while temporarily insane.