MR MORLEY'S SUICIDE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 151, 27 June 1888, Page 8

MR MORLEY'S SUICIDE.

THE INQUEST.

An inquest on the body of Mr Robert Morley was held to-day in Mr Edson's chemist shop, Queen-street, before the coroner (Dr Philson) and a jury of six.

After the jury had been sworn in they proceeded to view the body, which was lyinc in an upstairs room. Sergeant Pratt represented the police and Detective Walker was aiso present. Normau Perci val Edson, son oi Mr Edson, chemist, who first discovered the body ot the deceased, was the first witness examined. He deposed that he had known the deceared tor the last 20 years, during which time he was employed as his father's assistant. I last saw him alive on Monday night last, the 24th insfc., at 20 minutes past five. He was then behind the counter in the shop. He appeared to be in his usual health, but he had been very quiet during the day—rather dull in spirits. Mr Morley had told me on the previous Saturday that his old trouble, pains in the head, had come on again. He was generally a very heal thy man, and rarely was absentfrom his business on the plea of illhealth. I do not know how he spent his Sunday, but it was part of his duty to attend at the shop three times during that day. He was an expert chemist, and well acquainted with the properties of ■ drugs. I have known him to prescribe for himself, j but the only land that I know he took was bromide of potassium. I never knew the deceased hint at suicide or of being weary of life. He has talked to me about some peculiar views that he had of a future state. He believed in a future state. He was in the habit of handling poisons. Mr Morley was 47 years of age, and was married, living witii his wife in Mount-street. 1 come to open the shop at 8 o'clock each morning and I did so on Monday morning. Mr Morley arrived about a quarter to nine, about his usual time. He stood talking for a few minutes at the shop door with Mr Vidal, after which he came through the shop and went out into the back. He was away a minute or two and then returned into the shop, and I heard him take a measure glass from where we keep them. I next heard him go outside, but'l cannot say whether he put anything into the glass or not. There was another apprenticenamed Bernard Darby in the shop at the time. Presently I heard the deceased return into the shop, and go to the cupboard where we keep our coats and hats. I don't know what he did at the cupboard. I next heard him go outsido, and did not sco or hear him again until a Mr Cox came and inquired for him. 1 did not see or hear him go to the poison cupboard. We keep the poisons in an ordinary cupboard, and just close to it is where we keep the measures. About 9 o'clock Mr Cox came to see Mr Morley. He remained in the shop while I went and called Mr Morley. I went upstairs into the large room where we prepare our medicines in search of him, but not seeing him there I passed into a small room leading from the laboratory. In this room we keep a number vi ,-.i_~ui Q .nrdjeines and other things. Among the medicines ww u O um« poisons including strychnine and laudanum, but no prussic acid, which is all kept in the shop. The door of the room was locked. I was alone at the time, and I opened the door and entered the room, where I saw the deceased lying full length on the sofa in his usual dress. I went up to him, and he appeared to mo to be asleep. 1 spoke to him, but received, no answer. His eyes were closed and his left hand lay across his chest and the right one at his side. His mouth was slightly open but I observed no froth round it or at his nose ; his attitude was that of calm repose, there being no signs of a struggle. He just lay as if he was asleep. I did not touch or shake the deceased and when I looked for it' I saw no sign of breathing, but B3 I had eutored the room I had heard him give two gasps. There was a table beside the sofa, and on this I noticed a glass measure (produced) within reach of the deceased's right hand. In the glass was a drop or two' of liquid, which smelt strongly of prussic had. I have no doubt but that;it was prussic acid. On discovering this I ran down the stairs and told Mr Cox that Mr Morley had taken poison. My father had not yet arrived, so I ran over to Dr. Tennent's shop to obtain the services of a medical man. Not finding one there, I went to Mr Hill, the chemist, and he promptly came and inspected the body. I also telephoned for Dr. Bond. I did not hear Mr Hill say whether Mr Morley was dead or alive, but I heard him recommend the use of a galvanic battery, but we did not have one, so could not use it. Dr. ; Bond arrived about a quarter past nine, and he examined the body and pronounced life extinct. About a quarter of an hour elapsed between the time I heard Mr Morley leave the shop until I found him dead.

By Mr Graves Aickin : The deceased had queer religious ideas as compared with other people. I would not call him eccentric. , " I: ■'■_■

The witness :—I am here to mention that I found a letter (produced) lying on the table beside the deceased with a bunch of keys lying on it. The letter was sealed. By Mr Aickin : He had not attended any church of late as far as I know. I knew he had frequently changed his religious views and shifted from one church to another. At one time the deceased believed in eating rats, and he had done so. At one time he was a vegetarian. I have heard him say that he had collected rats and fed them for some weeks, fattening them on sewags.,for,;his r own ,use. ~_l have been in the chemist shop for about three years and am perfectly certain about the prussic acid. •'By Sergeant Pratt: The letter produced addressed to " My darling wife" is in the handwriting of the deceased. Bythe Coroner: It is my belief that the deceased died by the effects of prussic acid. I did not notice any smell of the poison about his body or in the room save in the glass measure.

Dr Bond deposed that he had known the deceased for nearly a year, but he bad never .been consulted by .him. He knew nothing about him save % that he was a perfectly trustworthy man. I was called to visit him yesterday morning about a quarter past nine. I found him tying dead on a sofa in Mr Edson's shop. The body was warm, the skin of face and hands being livid. The limbs were flaccid, the fingers of the left hand were partially closed, but there was no sign of convulsions. The eyes were half closed, and the pupils dilated. The mouth was partially open, and there was no froth or blood round it. I perceived in the room a strong smell of prussio acid, especially about the glass on the table. I am sure that he died from the effects of the prussic acid. About 40 or 50 minims of this acid diluted would be likely to be fatal, and. a sufficiently stronodose would cause almost instantaueous death.

Bernard Darby, an apprentice afc Mr Edsons, deposed to seeing the deceased last alive in Mr Edson's shop at a quarter to nine yesterday morning. He did not notice anything peculiar about him. He corroborated the evidence of the first witness as to the movements of deceased.

Selwyn Vidal, a lodger with the late Mr Morley, staked that he had been residing with him for the last six years. He was a peculiar man, and had frequently expressed a fear that he would go mad. The witness had noticed a marked change in the deceased about Sunday. Though generally cheerful he was subject to fits of depression. Had seen him last alive about a quarter to nine yesterday morning at> jhe door of Mr .Edson's shop.

He had complained of a bad night, bavins bad scarcely any sleep, and barely touched his breakfast. The witness had heard the deceased express the opinion that God would not hold a man responsible for suicide if he had an incurable disease. Deceased had been in the colony about 28 years, coming out here in the 14th Regiment. lam of opinion that religion affected his brain. Detective Walker gave evidence as to the things found in the room, including the followingletteraddressed todeceased's wire. Also a purso containing some money and a small pill box containing eight grains of morphia. lam certain that the letter produced was not written in the room where it was found. ..... The jury then retired, and after a brief consultation returned the following verdict : We find from the evidence that the deceased, Robert Morley, has been suffering from distressing mental peculiarities for some time past and that as a culminating consequence thereof he took prussic acid yesterday, the 26th inst., which caused his death.