A SOLDIER'S SUICIDE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 308, 28 December 1915, Page 6

A SOLDIER'S SUICIDE.

THROAT AND WKIST CUT. (By Telegrapb.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. "Suicide during temporary insanity" was the verdict at the inquest on. Frederick Mcßeynolds, formerly of Onehunga, carter, a member of the Eleventh Reinforcements, who cut his throat at the Maymorn Camp, dying within a few hours. , Captain Johnston, medical officer, stated that .Mcßeynolds had been admitted to the military hospital. He had a bad wound on the front of his neck, dividing the air passages and muscles and, numerous blood vessels. On the left wrist there was another bad cut dividing the blood vessels. He had lost a lot of blood. His behaviour gave the impression, that he was maniacal; he was •struggling violently. During one of his struggles he started to bleed again. He died at 1.40 on Sunday morning from suffocation, due to inhaling blood. At the time witness saw deceased everything possible had been done for him, but the case was hopeless from the first. Thomas Lingard, fi Company, Eleventh Reinforcements, tent mate with Meßeynolds, whom he had known previously, said that the latter came in on 24th December. He had been drinking heavily for a month or more. Witness had no suspicion that anything was wrong with deceased on Christmas morning or he would have sat up with him. Mcßeynolds was talking, and thought quite wrongly that some of the boys liad been poking fun at him. Witness told him to take no notice of it. At 11 o'clock deceased was quite all right. About 11.30 witness heard a noise as if a man was being sick. He found that Mcßeynolds had cut his throat and wrist. Afterwards witness found a safety razor bl-adc on the ground covered with blood. Private Thomas James Taylor, another tent mate, said that deceased had been shaky from drink, but was quite rational.