SENSATIONAL SUICIDE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 17, 20 January 1905, Page 4

SENSATIONAL SUICIDE.

MAN SHOOTS HIMSELF IN A HOTEL. ■■ A man named William Stephen Hutchins, about 47 or 48 years of age, committed suicide in a bathroom at the Cen- . tral Hotel yesterday afternoon. He was not a boarder at the hotel, nor was he a customer at the bar, never having been known to take a drink at the hotel. He was, however, frequently in the billiard-room, where he spent a portion of his time in watching the games in progress. He was in the room at about four o'clock yesterday afternoon, and was subsequently seen by Mr Speers, the licensee, walking along the passage leading towards the front door. Hutchine spoke to Mr Speere about the wei- • ther, and seemed to be in his ordinary frame of mind, there being nothing unusual about hie demeanour. Mr Speers . passed on after a few moments , conversation, and a little later, at about 4.26, * noise aa of a pistol shot was heard oa the ground floor. An investigation was made by Arthur Alley, one of the porters, who searched the bedrooms without discovering the source of the sound. A quarter of an hour later Alley happened . to go into the bathroom, and there saw Hutchins lying on his back on the floor, a pool of blood being near his head. Alley went for the police immediately, and Die. Grant and Lowe, who were telephoned for, were quickly at the hotej. . They bandaged a wound in the right « temple from which blood was oozing, and then sent Hutchins to the Hospital on the ambulance. His condition on arrival was practically hopeless, but it was decided to immediately operate in tlw . - hope of saving his life, Dr. Scott, assisted by Dr. Walsh, performing the operation. The man gradually sank, dying a few minutes after eight o'clock. Apparently he stood in front of the bathroom * mirror and pulled the trigger in this position, falling on his back after the shot. J j A six-chambered revolver, fully loaded and with one cartridge exploded, lay on the floor. The bullet, passing through ; the temporal bone, traversed the brain, lodging in the left lobe. Deceased is sup posed to have come to New Zealand from Tasmania, where his mother and other relatives still live, and as far as is ' known he had no relatives in this colony. j He came to New Zealand a considerable time ago, and was employed by the Australian Widows' Fund Company as age"* up till May last. He was always ot eober habits. For some three months he had been residing at the Salvation Aimy's People's Palace, and had W* ".' unable through lack of worl to p*y h ,9 board bill. He spoke to the adjutant»« charge about the matter. »nd was toM that it would be all right. An inquest was opened at the Diet"** Hospital at 2 o'clock this afternoe*