DANCE OF DEATH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1938, Page 11

DANCE OF DEATH

MAN'S UNUSUAL SUICIDE. The story of a man's death from a revolver wound while dancing before his wife and some friends to the music of his favourite record. ‘Hubb:/, You’re Late Home To-night,” was told at the inquest before Mr O. Kirkman on Hardwig Louw van der .Nest, aged 22, of Johanesburg. Mr Kirkman returned a verdict of death due to a revolver wound, selfinflicted. Mrs Cornelia Maria van der Nest said they had been married four years and had been very happy. On March 7, after dinner, her husband suggested going to their friends, the Grundlings, for the evening. As they were about to go he took a revolver he had bought a year previously out of a drawer and slipped it into his hip pocket. When she asked him why, he said: "Oh, I m just taking it.” At the party he was full of jokes and sallies, and shortly before they were due to leave he asked Mr Grundling to put on his favourite record. "My man. hij kom laal tuis." "He danced about alone to the music and then, waltzing up to me he said: "Katie, dear, good morning.’ I looked up and saw him put his hand to his head. I heard a report and he fell to the ground.” Mr Cornelius Johannes Grundling, of 4 Newlands Road, Newlands, said Mr van der Nest was in the best oi spirits that evening, and laughed and joked all the time. It was about halfway through the record that he looked up as he was guiding the gramophone needle over a crack to see Mr van der Nest stop short in the middle of a dance step, take out a revolver from his hip pocket, put it to his head and pull the trigger. Mrs Grundling, sister of Mrs van der Nest, said her baby was playing on the floor near Mr van der Nest, who had been playing with the child a few minutes before, when she heard a report, and picking up her baby ran frightened out of the room.