AUSTRALIAN'S TRAGIC END.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 77, 30 March 1920, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN'S TRAGIC END.

PATHETIC STORY OF SHELL SHOCKED SOLDIER. FOUND IX HARBOUR. AFTER ALL-NIGHT WANDER. Still wrapped in mystery, the death of William Henry Warwick Sim, a discharged Australian soldier, unfolded a talc of poignant tragedy at the inquest proce-edlngs conducted by Mr. J. E. Wikon, 5.M., yesterday afternoon. The development of the evidence, the opening of which was published in last night's "Star.*' showed that after being refuted a room at the People* Palace on account of the place 'being full, the man returned and occupied the room of another boarder and had io be evicted. The police took him to the police station, but a long examination by Senior-Ser-geant M-OCaruara, in which Sim answered ration-ally to ouestion-s relating to t'.ie war. labour troubles and the last Commonwealth elections, convinced that officer that his mental condition did not warrant detention. He mentioned that he had taken a room in a house in Wellesley Street, but apparently his memory did not subsequently recall the place and 'he seemj to have wandered round until 1.20 a.m., when he accosted a motor car driver and asked to be driven to tho Commercial Hotel. He could not get a room there and asked to be aiilowed to stay in the taxi for the night. The driver formed the opinion that he was not rosponsibie for his actions and referred the cose to another constable. The constable endeavoured to get 'him a room at the Albert Hote'i, but did not succeed, and then advised him to go to the People's Palace. Here be was discovered ; n the sitting room, "standing like a statue," ac narrated in the previous evidence. Constable Miles, who was called, found him stripped to the waist. "This will draw their attention to me,'' said the man to the constable, who thereupon took him for his second visit to the police station. At tbe station he 6aid ho

"would go for a run, a» it was a cold night," but Constable Miles detained him until it was discovered that he was the man whom tho Senior Sergeant had declared wm not sufficiently irresponsible to be detained, whereupon he was advised to 'go lor a walk. The constable followed him down to Queen Street, where he stood in tho middle of the road, erect, with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open. Here another sergeant arrived on the scene and advised his removal to the police station, but, on Constable Miles relating what bad already occurred, the sergeant came to the conclusion that nothing more could ba done. Loth to leave 'him, the constable followed him down Queen Street to the next policeman's beat, anti advised Constable iLeslie to keep his eye on him. The man was last seen, shortly before 4 a.m., walking briskly down Queen Street. Some days later his body was found in the harbour off the Railway whan". He had some money in his pocket, but not tho £100 note. The corpee was shockingly decomposed and there was a scalp wound with an offusion of blood under it, which (according to medical evidence) indicated that it was caused either before tho man got into the water, in the act of failing, or immediately after immersion. There wa* r.o water in the lungs.

The Coroner returned an open verdict, to tbe effect that thero was no evidence to show how the man got into the water or whether death was due to drowning or asphyxiation.

The Coroner gave the man Fairburn, who is accused of the theft of the £100 note, an opportunity of amending his statement to the effect that he did not know what money the deseased had, if ■be so desired, but Mr. Graham, who aoted for him, advised that any information he had would foe reserved until the triad.