MOTOR-CAR TRAGEDY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10033, 6 July 1910, Page 8

MOTOR-CAR TRAGEDY.

! "It seem to be the uiual story of a young man's infatuation fir a woman," said the deputy coroner tor West Middlesex at the c inclusion of an inquest at the Chis»».t'* Nursing dome, on the holy of Kobert Stevenson Sword, 23, of TVnerift'e, Eastbourne.

Mr Frederick Stewart Sword, the s father, said his rfon left home on May j 3rd, by motor-car for London saying he would return next day. He failed to do so, and witness and his wife on , r.he sth went to try and find him. They were unsuccessful, and on the 1 6th received a wire from him at Hounslow, saying he had had a breakdown, and asking that a chaffeur should be sent with some money. This wa3 done, and they heard no more of him till after the tragedy, I except a wire to say he was going direct to Eastbourne. Mr Sword said he knew his son had got mixed up with a young woman and they had tried their utmost to get him to break it off. This had worried him and he had also been greatly worried as the result of increasing deafness caused by accidents when playing palo in the Ar- r gentine. He was frequently strange in his actions. Miss Ada Goodwin, an actress, who was fashionably dresstd in full mourning, said she had known young Mr Sword since February, and it - w a3 true that the father had tried to get him to break with her and had also spoken to her on the subject. "Did that effect or worry him very much?" asked the coroner. "Not that I know," was the reply. "He seemed very pleased to , see me when he called on May 3rd." Continuing, Miss Goodwin said he ■ arranged to take her by car to I Maidenhead on the Thursday and did ' so. On returning to town they had * a breakdown at Hounslow and decided to put put there. They atarted back in the evening. "We stopped at two places, and he had something to drink. 1 said 'Don't drink so much; you are going to dine wun your father.' He said, 'Do you think I am drunk?' and I said, 'Yes.' Then I heard a loud report, and saw that he had shot . himself." ' £

Iq reply to the coroner, Miss Goodwin said she knew Mr Sword had a revolver some weeks ago, and fie threatened to shoot himself, then saving he was going to finish it, because he was sick of life. She told him not to be foolish. He bad the •revolver at Maidenhead, and she took it from h'na. He said, "All right, Ada; keep it as a souvenir." She put it in her coat pocket,, but he must have taken it at'Hounslow, though he swore he had not seen it. He did not seem at all depressed during the journey, and nothing was said about their parting., On returning home after the tragedy, JWiss Goodwin said, she found awaiting her the following letter from Mr Sword, posted at Hounslow— "Dear little Girl,—lt was not an accident, I did it on purpose, but tell the jury what I said, and they will think it was an accident. Now, darling girl, you will have some money. I love you and I have done the only thing I could for you." An eyewitness of the tragedy named Fairmind said he saw the car approaching. Mr Sword, who was sitting on the right-hand side, suddenly put his right hand to his head; there was a loud report, and he fell back.

A doctor said an operation was parformed, and the young man improved considerably, hut remained unconscious until the following Tuesday, when he was able,to recognise his parents and to ask for cold drinks, but he was not conscious enough to make any statement about the occurrence. On the Thursday he became suddenly worse, and died from heart failure. The bullet had entered the right temple, pass'd through the brain, and struck the opposite bone, and he had no doubt the wound was a self-inflicted one. The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst of unsound mind."