RIGHT TO FIGHT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9631, 11 June 1919, Page 5

RIGHT TO FIGHT.

At an inquest ht>id in London re- ' cently on William L. Feosev, 70, shirt cutter, who committed suicide by stabbing himself.. Dr. Sidney B«nt said .he had attended Mr F.eesey lor heart disease, which: was getting worse. ;\Mr Feesey asked him to tell him the truth as to his -chance of recovery. 'He replied that he would-be able to take walks on the common, and Mr Feesey said jocularly'that he would take prussic acid if he -we're not going to get better- ■ •. ■ . - ■ • ■"■■•• '■ - , -cV. On- the 'day. before his death Mr Feesey asked the doctor where his heart; ■was situated, ■ and after he was dead Dr. Bent .found . that he had stabbed himself three times' in the region of the heart ; The Coroner,'Mr S. Ingleljy Oddi«j said he had been informed that Mr Feesey had remarked that it waa avpity doctors had not tbo power to put incurables out of their misery. He (Mr Oddie) thought the time might come when, with proper safeguards, that might be done, for it seemed a good ''thing when life, became unbearable. We had not got to that period of civilisation yet, however, but he had no doubt the time would come when painless anaesthesia woukl "be brought about. Mr Feesey had come to the conclusion that life was not worth' living, and that was the motiyb- for his committing suicide. Hopelessness and the prospect of no recovery preyed on his mind ho much that it became unsound.

The jury returned a verdict of suicide while of unsound, mind.