The Inquest.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2274, 5 February 1887, Page 2

The Inquest.

The inquest was held at the National Hotel at 2 p.m. wn Thursday, before Mr W. N. Searancke, coroner, and the following jury : —Messrs C. Tuck (foreman), G. Dickinson, V. Plesoher, C. Boyce, T. B. Lewis and T. Hartly. The jury having viewed the body and returned to the hotel, the following witnesses were called :— Mary Sutherland deposed : I am a domestic servant, and was in the employment of the late Mr Lourie. I saw him alive for the last time at 7 o'clock last night. He was then sitting on the verandah, reading , the Star newspaper. During the day he had complained of being ill, and seemed very restless ; he said he was giddy and thought it was the weather. I have been in his employment about two months. I slept at my mother's, and went to Mr Lourie's during the day. Mrs Lourie has been away about six weeks ; the last I heard of her was about a fortnight ago, when deceased said he had a letter from her saying she was better, and he expected she would be home in about a fortnight. He never made any complaints about anything else. I went home last night at 7 o'clock, and returned toMrLourio's about half-past 0 this morning. I knocked at the back door, but could not get any answer. Mr Garland came at 7 o'clock with the milk ; I asked him if he would try and wake Mr Lourie, as 1 could not make him hear me. He tried, but did not succeed. He then hurst open the door and searched the house but could not find Mr Lourie ; he suggested that probably he had slept at Gillett's hotel and went away. I went in and lit the fire and put the kettle, on. 1 went into the office and found all deceased's hats hanging , on the pegs. I felt frightened and thought there was something , " wrong. I went down the garden, and as I passed the stable I pulled the sack that hung across the window on one side, and saw deceased hanging by the neck. 1 ran and told Mr Rugo that Mr Lonrie was hanging in the stable. The deceased was not in any trouble that I know of. He was always'on good terms with Mrs Lourie as far as 1 have seen. By the Coroner : I have not noticed anything unusual in him of late, excepting yesterday, as I have stated. By a juryman : L believe deceased wont to the Te Awamntu races on Saturday. I do not know if he has ever suffered from sunstroke.

Bruno Rnge deposed : I am a hair-dresser in Cambridge. From information I re- s cuived from the last witness at 7.15 o'clock j" this morning I ran and jumped over the fence dividing my garden from that of the deceased. I went to the stable and pulled the sack on one side and s;uv Mr Lourie hanging, to all appearance dead at that time. I went and informed the police, and I afterwards returned with Constable Brennan and assisted him to cut the body flown. Deceased was quite dead and stiff. I saw him at 9.15 last night, he was sitting on tho verandah, I said, " Good evening." and asked him to come into my house. He declined and said, " It's nice and cool here." He was in his shirt sleeves. I have been intimate with him, and have not observed anything unusual in his manner lately. I do not know his nationality. I have been told his parents were English, but that he bad been educated in Russia. He was always on good terms with Ins wife in my presence. He _. was very temperate in his habits, and spent a good deal of time reading. I cannot in any w»y account for his committing the *• act. He never mentioned being tired of life. I think he was about 40 years of age. He was very quiet, and had no excitement in him.

Alfred George Hughes, chemist, deposed : 1 knew the deceased ; he called at my shop on Tuesday evening; he wanted something for the toothache. He complained that the creosote I Inid given him was no use, and asked for chloroform. I told him I could not let him have it without a doctor's orders. From the way he spoke I con- ' eluded he was iti trouble or pain ; he seemed low spirited ; usually he was jocular when he came into my shop. I gave him a dram of spirits i,f chloroform ns a substitute which he took away with him. If he drank it he would lie sliehdy intoxicated. By the foreman : The reason I refused to give him chloroform was because it is my rule not to give it to anyone without a doctor's orders. He said he had been awake all night. He had never applied for chloroform before. I went to Te Awamutu races. I cannot remember seeing deceased there. By the Coroner: He was evideutly „ suffering from toothache, otherwise he appeared in his usual state. W. B. Souter deposed : I know the deceased, he has been in my employment for the last six months. I last saw him alive on Tuesday morning before he went to Ohaupo. He called at my office to receive instructions previous to starting for the Ohaupo sale. He appeared in rather lower spirits than usual, but not anything very perceivable. I did not notice any other change in him. When he returned he told iny son that he was not very well, and said that perhaps he should not be at his work the next day. My experience of him ia that he was a very honest and hard-work-ing man. Had not any intention of parting with his services, and do not know of any * reason whatever, either financially or otherwise, that would cause him to commit such an act. He was a married man about 41 years of age. I believe him to have been born in Russia, of British parents. Constable Brenuan deposed : At 7.30 this morning Mr Kuge reported to me that Mr Lourie was hanging in his stable. I immediately proceeded to ths spot, and looked the bars of the window, having pulled the sack aside. I saw deceased hanging by the neck from the rafters. The door was locked, and the key was inside, I broke away one of the bars from the window, put my arm through the aperture, and unlocked the door, and then went in and cut the decased down. On examination I found him to be quite stiff and cold, and to all appearance / as if he had been hanging all night. I searched his pockets, and found a few keys, knife, lead pencil and cigarette holder. I searched the house, and found in his coat pocket, a notebook and two telegrams. One dated February Ist was to Mr Gillett, as follows: —" Is Lourie well. Telegraphed morning. No answer. —A Lourie." The other one was to deceased, dated February 2nd. —"Why no letter? Am very anxious. Writing to-day. Answer at once. —A Lourie." I found a few papers, but nothing of consequence. In the coal scuttle I found a letter torn in little pieces. I have pasted them together, and it proves to be a letter from Mrs Lourie to the deceased, which he no doubt received last evening. It, however, does not contain anything bearing upon the case. The Coroner read the letter, andiinforrned the jury that it was ol a private nature, and with the exception of Mrs Lourie asking deceased to forward her some money, would not be of any use as evidence. He did not think it necessary for the jury to see it. It was a letter such as any married man might receive from his wife. The Coroner, in summing up, said he regretted that the evidence was so meagre. There was nothing to show that deceased previously contemplated the act. If it was done in a fit of mental aberration caused by temporary pain, it would be their duty to return a verdict to that effect. He then left the room, and the jury proceeded to discuss the matter. After arguing for a considerable time, it •% was found they were equally divided, three being for a verdict of temporary insanity, and three for felo de se. The coroner frequently looked in and rendered every assistance in liis power, which was of no effect, nnd several jurymen talked of staying a week sooner than forfeit their opinion. The jury had been closeted about 14 hours, when Constable Krennan brought" further evidence, which consisted of a letter written by deceased on January Stb, and had been found in a private safe that the constable did not previously know of. The letter was as follows:—" Cambridge, Bth January, ISB7. W. S Liurie, Esq., Auckland. Dear Sir,—Owing to business and other troubles my mind has been very much unsettled of late, and I have a presentiment th»t something serious is going to happen, and therefore request you as a last favour to attend to my poor wife's interest in the ' event of my death. My life is insured in the New Zealand Government Insurance in favour of " wife" for i'soo, and the premiums paid up to the Ist April, ISB7. I enclose all receipts, but the policy itself is in the possession of Government as security for a loan of £35 15s and 25s interest thereon. The net amount to be recovered will therefore be t'4s!) and £Ci O.s bonus declared 30th June, 180(i. I also enclose certificate of marriage, which must be produced before the insurance money can be recovered. J wish you to obtain from my wife a power of attorney to act on her behalf, and when you recover the insurance money deduct from it the £35 11s 2d due to you, being money collected by me, and not yet accounted for ; the balance to be used for the benefit of my wife in any way she may desire. In the event of my wife's death, the money to be used for the maintenance and education of our adopted son, Walter Reginald Lourie. 1 enclose certificate of his birth and order of adoption. My private debts owing to tradespeople in Cambridge and Auckland, amounting to about £05, should be paid with the proceeds of the sale of furniture, although most of it was bought and paid for by my wife with her own money. I also enclose a certificate of my naturalisation. To assist my poor wife and child is the last request of "Yours, in great distress, A. Lourik."

Attached to the letter was a list of accounts, of which we give the nett amounts;—W. S. Laurie and Co., in account with A.»Lonrie, 1887, January Ist, by amounts collected) £35 11s 2d ; amounts due and not collected, £3212s Gd. Amounts owing by A. Lourie, £101 Is 10d. House rent paid up to 2;jth December, 1880. In the same parcel was the deceased's certificates of naturalisation and marriage, also the child's certificate of birth and the'deed of adoption. After a further consultation, five of the jury agreed to the following verdict:— "We find the deceased committed suicide by hanging, but what state of mind he was in at the time there is not sufficient evidence to show." The coroner accepted the verdict, and entered the protest of one juryman, who still sticks to the plea of " temporary insanity.', J The court was then closed, it havinff lasted from 2 p.m. until (I p.m. Mrs Lourie arrived in Cambridge by the afternoon train, accompanied by a lady friend and the child. The fungal took place at 3 o clock, the cortege being followed by several private conveyances to the cemetry. Archdeacon Willis officiated. The undertaker was Mr Stephen Lodder. Mr W. b. Soutter, the deceased's late employer, made the necessary arrangements. Mrs Lourie is at present staying at Mr Gillett's, and is in a very depressed condition.