CAPTAIN DALLINGER'S DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 June 1920, Page 5

CAPTAIN DALLINGER'S DEATH.

SUICIDE WHILE TEMPORARILY INSANE.

At the inquest concerning the death of Capt. Dallinger, held by " Mr, T. A. 15, Bailey, S.M., at Hawera, on Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Thomson stated that ho was called from the hospital a little after hi o'clock to Captain DallingerV house, because- he had locked himself in the bathroom, and his wife eould get no answer. When he reached the house the bathroom had been opened and deceased was lying in the bath dead with a wound in the roof of the mouth and in the top of the skull on the >eft side. A revolver was lying on the floor.* The wound could have been produced with a revolver of the calibre produced. He had been attending Captain Dallinger during the past three days, and decided on Monday that he was suffering from recurrent malaria. He had hart malaria on Gallipoli and previously in South Africa. He told witness on Monday that he had been delirious the previous night and had made his wife remove pictures from the wall and had delusions of being a great engineer. When witness saw him about 8 p.m- on Monday his malarial paroxyism was over, and he seemed normal mentally. Both deceased and his wife stated that he had not slept well on cither of the two nights previously. He told witness that he was having trouble with the Defence Department. He had received v hjs promotion to Major on the field, but held the rank of captain. He was told that he must be reduced to honorary lieutenant. He stated that in consequence of this he had resigned, and was demanding an inquiry through General Richardson. Witness had attended deceased and his wife before the war, and had never had any cause to suspect any suicidal tendencies in deceased. Witness thought that he was mentally affected by malaria, a disease which was notoriously capable of affecting the brain. Witness had been told by deceased that he and his brother were purchasing land in the Lower Hutt to go in for horticulture. . Deceased was the last man he would have expected to commit suicide. A verdict that deceased committed suicide while temporarily of unsound siad was resordsd.-^Star,