"ANOTHER MAN."!

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18548, 25 November 1925, Page 11

"ANOTHER MAN."!

RICHMOND TRAGEDY.

CORONER'S ENQUIRY.

BAYLIS TEMPORARILY INSANE

A sensation was caused in the City last Friday afternoon.-when the news spread that William Thomas Baylis, residing in a pretty little bungalow in Slater street, Richmond, had early that morning,' shot his wife and, after turning the revolver on himself, severed an artery in liis left wrist with a, pair of scissors and struggled with his only son. Harold, who, rushing from his bedroom, found his mother bleeding on the floor of the kitchen.

Later ijaylis died in the Christchurch Hospital, and yesterday, at the Courthouse, the Coroner, Mr H. A. Young, concluded his enquiry into the circumstances of the man's death. The Son's Testimony. The first witness called was Harold "William Baylis, the sou. who explained what happened as follows: "At about 7 a.m. on Friday, my mother brought me a cup of tea in my bedroom. • The occupants of our homo then were my father, mother, and myself. After bringing tea to me my mother returned to the kitchenette. I then heard father walk from the kitchenette to his bedroom and then return to the kitchenette. A few minutes later I heard two reports usually made by the .discharge of a revolver. I rushed out of my room to the kitchenette and found my mother lying on the floor,antl my father on the floor of the paptrv. He -was bleeding about the head. My mother said: 'Your father has done for me. I'm dying-' "I asked mv mother what had happened, and she replied that father had asked her what she wanted, She had said that she wanted sugar, salt, and a few other things. He asked her to write- them, on a piece of paper and she refused to do it. She said the next thing she knew was receivin 2 a blow on the head from him. I then lifted my mother -op. I took her out to the back porch and returned to father and found he had risen from the pantry floor and was in the kitchenette ' Ho had a revolver in Ins hand. I attempted to take it from him and I had a struggle but could not get possession of it. Father then again fired at mother.. I cannot say how many shots were fired. I again tried to get the revolver but could not succeed.. I finally pushed father inside the house and locked the back door, my mother and myself being outside. "What .Happened?" "After a few minutes I. unlocked the door and went into the house again and found father in the hall in the front of the house. He was bleeding profusely from his head and -wrist, and he was then raving, and was raving throughout the whole transaction. I made another attempt unsuccessfully to get the revolver from him. Fathe r then made for some razors on the mantelpiece of She kitchenette, but after a struggle 1 got possession of them. Before I unlocked the door I attended to my mother outside, and when, attending to her I heard several shots fired inside the house. When attending to her I asked a neighbour to get' a doctor. Before the doctor arrived father come round the .house to the back, h'aiving apparently gone out the front door. He was covered 'With, blood, and he asked what happened;■'■"■■''.He then ap)>eared t» be calm. He seemed surprised when L told him what had occurred. He waited calmly until the doctor and police arrived. Later he and mother were removed to the Hospital." There Was Cause for Worry. Cross-examined by Mr O. S. Thomas, who acted for the witness, Baylis said that for'-some days prior to this his father had been in a bad, nervous condition, and the day prior he had to take ,a- day off from work. There was cause for worry and it affected him badly.; His father had been attended by Dr. Pairman. In answer to the Coroner, Baylis said that his father had been worrying considerably for some months past, and because of his condition, resulting,from this/ he had gone to see Dr. Pairman. He had never said anything about taking his life or the life of anyone else. The revolver had been left in the washhouse in a case, and witness had the kevs-to the case. But his father must have got a key which fitted it.

Medical Evidence. Medical evidence was given by Dr. J. C Pairman, who had previously attended Baylis. He was called^ to the Baylis' home at about 7.30 a.m. on Friday, he said, and found Mrs Baylis on the back doorstep bleeding slightlv from the head and the upper part of the chest. ■ Baylis was walking up and down excitedly, and bleeding a good deal, especially from a lacerated wound in the left wrist which, he tout witness, he had done with a pair or scissors. A bullet wound m the side of fhe head was bleeding slightly. That was all the doctor observed at the time except that Baylis had a somewhit distant look in his eye ana was very excited. He told the witness to attend to his wife, about whom he seemed concerned. After attending both witness ordered their removal to the Hospital. later he saw Baylis _ab •the institution, and, when he told him that his" wife-might'get' over it, he said: "Thank God." But he could not remember the actual doing of what he had done, although he admittted having shot liis-wife and himself. - "Another Man With His Wife." • Oh October Ist and 24th he saw Baylis,, and on both; occasions he was in a. very nervous condition, but perfectly rational..- In the first instance he went to witness to consult him about his domestic, affairs. .Itseemed that someone was'philandering with his wife ("that's putting it mildly," the doctor added) and he seemed very niuob. concerned.' Baylis said he had ordered a man out of his house, but that the man persisted iii his attentions to his wife. "There was a .good deal told me along those lines—things that seemed, to have, sfiocked his proprieties, witness 'went'on'.:* "He said he was un-able-to he seemed on the verge of a <<Temporarily Insane. '*-

"Do von consider that it was his worry over this matter that made him do this?" asked J. B. Young, who conducted the case for the police. . . "Yes, that is my opinion, and my strong opinion." was the reply, "and ; I was in fact, not altogether surprised when'l heard of it. Yes. I think his mind would be temporarily unhinged at the time. I know him for some time ami he was straight and honourable,' with ideals much above tho average." "You think, then," tho Coroner queried, "that when you saw-, him at the house he was temporarily insane? "Yes," Dr. Pairman answered. "No Neighbours Around." -Formal evidence fras given by Constable John McLeod, Richmond, who

phone call at about 7.30 o'clock on the morning of the tragedy. Baylis opened■ tho' back door to Mm, saying: • '■[ give myself up. . I shot myself, in the head."" Mrs Baylis, who was lying on the doorstep, baid her husband had shoi her iu tho neck. Later on Baylis asked the witness "to keep it quiet," as they had been quarrelling over a man, and that ho had iired high at his wife to Irish ten her. Ho sa?d he had thrown the revolver away, and on searching the constable found a blocd-siained revolver, containing five discharged and one live cartridges on the bedroom floor. "Xo one came and assisted till the doctor arrived." said the witness to Mr Thomas, who cross-examined hint. •'There were no neighbours around while I was there." This concluded the evidence offered by the police.

The Cause of Death. 'The deceased, was suffering from the effects of two ballet wounds in the head and laceration," said Dr. Oscar Mouller. house surgeon at the Christchurch Hospital, who was on doty at the insfcittvtion when Baylis was admitted. He was operated upon with the hope of saving his life, but. ho sank alter it had been performed and died. Tho cause of death was prefigure of the bullet wound*, whioh could have been self-inflicted.' The man had not made any statement to the witness as to how it had happened. Coroner's "Verdict. "I find, then." the Coroner said, "that deceased died from the effect of a bullet wound, self-inflicted, while temporarily- insane, on- s2oth. inat.''