Suicide at Clarksville.

Bruce Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 66, 23 August 1917, Page 5

Suicide at Clarksville.

THE INQOEST. An inquiry into the oircumstanoeß surrounding the death of an elderly man named John Watson, which ocourred at Mr Norman Adam's residenoe, Clarks* ville, on Sunday, was held at the Court* house, Milton, on Tuesday evening ben fore the Coroner (Mr Acheaon, S,M.), The inquiry was oonduoted by Con* stable Fox. Norman Adam, farmer, Clarksville, identified the body as that of John Watson, who had been employed on witness's farm. He oame to the farm about the end of July, and witness em" ployed him. When he first oame to the farm deoeased said he was starving ; he was in poor health, and a few days afterwards he suffered from dysentry. He was inclined to be melancholy at first, and also when suffering from dy° sentry, He told witness he was 56 years of age, but looked much older. He also said he had been an inmate of Dun* edin Hospital, and had no relatives. He had no swag, On Sunday deceased and witness had dinner at Bon Accord, the residence of witness's father. Deceased left about 1.15 p.m. to go to witness's home, and witness went to Milton. On arriving home about 10 p.m. he noticed the body of deoeased in the yard behind a shed at the rear of the house. He wrs lying on his back, With a pea rifle aorosa his legs, anil there was blood on the right side of his faoe, The body was quite cold and stiff, Witness went for the doctor and the constable. Tha pea rifle belonged to witness,' and had' usually been left standing In the porch near the kitchen door. Saw Constable Fox take a box of cartridges, out of the right hand pooket of the deceased's coat. To his knowledge deoeased had never handled" the rifle previously. Opened the breech in the presence of Constable Fox and Dr Sutherland, and removed the spent car* tridge therefrom, The deceased had complained about not sleeping too well, and in conversation had once said that he had ruined himself through drink. He thought deoeaßed was in his right mind, but at times he was despondent, and had said he was not much better than a dead man. He was not strong enough to do general work. Dr Sutherland) medical practitioner, gave evidence as to receiving a message at 1,80 a.m. on Monday. He accom* panied Constable Fox and the previous witness to Clarksville, The body of de* ceaßcd was fully dressed, with the ev« ception of the hat, which was lyihg five feet away. The face was covered with blood, and there was a pea rifle lying across both legs, with the muzzle point* , tag to the right of the body. Death must have ocourred several hours previously, and he thought it possible from

the evidence of the previous witness that deceased was mentally unsound, He ap« peared to have shot himself whilst in a sitting position. The cause of death was hemmorrhage and shock resulting from a wound in the roof of the mouth caused by a bullet discharged from a pea rifle. Constable Fox gave evidence corroborating that of the previous witnesses, Found the box of cartridges in his poc* kets, and also a silver watoh. There was no money, and no papers to identify the deceased, The body was fairly well nourished. The Coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, and that the wounds were self-inflicted whilst mentally unsound. Inquiries by the police at Milton and Dunedin have failed to trace any rela* tivea or friends of the deceased, The mortal remains were interred in Fairfax Cemetery yesterday morning, the laßt rites over an " Unknown Stranger " being conducted by Rev, 8, Robertson Orr,