THE LATE SUICIDE AT CAMBRIDGE. The Inquest.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2066, 3 October 1885, Page 3

THE LATE SUICIDE AT CAMBRIDGE. The Inquest.

Thk body of the unfoitun.tto man John Latnont, who committed suicide l>y fliowning lnnnelf in tlie Waikatn Rivei >>n the Istli List month wan recovered on Tliurs rj.iy ,t little h'low N* n '.inivw.\lii.i, under circumstances related below. An impiest on the lenuun* was held at the Koy.il M.nl Hotel, Ng.iriiawahia, yesterday ii.orninp, befoio Mr W. N. ye.ii.mckc, coionei, and the following jury :— Messrs- E. T. Hedgpcock (foreman), J. H. Danhwood, James Black, (Jco. Jenkins, Alfred Booth, and John Hull. The jury having \ic\\fd the body, the following evidence wat Uken :— Constable Brennan, «t.itionod at Cambiid nD, n 'D, deposed: About noon on the ISth September last, some children noticed «ome clothe* on the ea*t bank of the ruer, near H.illy's mill. Thinking some one was billing, they went away. In the afterIVII they returned, and seeing the clothing »till there they mentioned the fact to their p.uent-", .md their father informed me. I proceeded tothe spot and cMvmmcd the clothing, consisting of an old pair of booti, a hat, tiou«t(jr«, flniinel nnder«.hut and coat. I recognised these clothes a.i belonging to the deceased. I searched about the bank for any mark*, but owing to the boisterous ueather, f.iiled to find any. I then pmceerlod to the hut occupied by the dece.i-.ed. Inside I found a board on the bunk with pen and ink and a pii'ce of note-p.ipei (pn>ducrd) on it. On the paper appeared to > h.np been recently written the following.— M.ijoi Wilnon : I leave it with your own Vh'inoiir. (Jeorgtt Limcnt, Post office, Christchurch. You will be able to find all family particnl.un through him. (toodbve." I identify tho hand-wilting as that of tho deceased. The but and the laud are, I believe, the property of Major Wilson. I believe dice ned was single. He had beou a lesideut of Cauibridge for about 20 year*, and during the 10 yearn I have known bun he h is- been strictly teniprrAto, though eccMitnc, particularly on religious matters. He wa^ totally destitute. The hut he lnod in w.i-» in a filthy condition, and lilsbunk wa» «imj)ly a heap of ragn. He liad no pro|>erty of any value He was in tho habit of continually going to the waterfall near to the place whore his clothes- were found. He was employed at odd jobsabout tho place, gardening. I know of no relations of hi*, mvo a person named (Jpoigi- Liinont, renidmg at Waikari, (J.inti ili'ii y, who liny be the person re-fjAri-d to in the inonio. producd. I saw fla-bidy before it wan taken out of the - j^ur. I examined it, and could nee no marks of violence. I identify it as that of John fjtm.int. He wan about 150 years of .ig**, •«> far a.s T could judcr, and formerly Her\od in tho Waikato militia. He ha* always been eccentric in his habits ever Binee I havn known him. J une^ <»all, m.istcr of tbo steamer '' Waikato," deposed •' I saw a body floating down the Waikato river yesterday. I got ,i ranoo, mndofant a rope to tin body, towed it ,i«liore and secured it, and then tf\ otted the matter to the police at Hamilton. I h.ive seen the body now lying &m the outhouse, and recognise it as the "body I saw in the river. It was quite iiak<>d. Tin* w,\* all tho evidsnee, and the jury returned a verdict to tho effect that the di'ceiscd committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity. We nndcr-iUud that the brother lefcrrcd to, (Ji'o. Tiituoiit, has since tho occurrence on tin* lrith .September, communicated with M<" Hedgeciick, Cambndge, asking bun to unili-rt.ikf the funeral arrangein •lit-, and tins Mr Iled^coLlv lias done.