SUICIDE AT THE ASYLUM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 89, 16 April 1901, Page 2

SUICIDE AT THE ASYLUM.

Mr Gresham, Coroner, held an inquest yesterday afternoon at the Asylum on the body of John Powell, a patient of the institution, who hung himself on tlie previous day.

Wm. Blatt, night attendant at the asylum, deposed that deceased was admitted in October last, and was until recently confined in a separate cellIn that cell there was absolutely nothing from which he could have suspended himself. Deceased was removed to a dormitory room, to make space for a new patient. At eleven o'clock on Sunday night there Avere ten patients in the dormitory room, including deceased. There wag a gas bracket in the room. The patients were as usual locked in the room, and at eleven o'clock were quiet and apparently asleep. On making his round at half-past one he unlocked the door of the dormitory and found' deceased hanging bjr a leather strap from the g-as bracket. Ail the other patients appeared to be asleep. It was the duty of the attendant to search all patients to see that none of them had a strap or braces when they retired. There was never less than one attendant in the dormitory* when the better class of patients were passing through. It was possible, he thought, for one of the better class of patients to have given deceased the strap or for deceased to have secreted the strap.

Joseph Webster deposed that he was an attendant whose duty it was to see the patients stripped and put to bed. He was quite certain that all left their belts outside in the corridor.

Dr. Webster, acting-superintendent of the Asylum, deposed that when deceased was admitted he (witness) was informed that deceased had a suicidal tendency. On the night of the 9th instl a dangerous patient arrived, and he had to remove deceased from his room to the dormitory to make room for the new patient. He considered there was less risk in removing deceased than vany of the other patients. Deceased had improved latterly before he was put into No. 4 dormitory. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased hanged himself while in a state of insanity, and added a rider expressing their opinion that there should be two night attendants instead of one.