EX-RAILWAYMAN'S DEATH.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19814, 30 December 1929, Page 6

EX-RAILWAYMAN'S DEATH.

SUICIDE WHILE DEPRESSED,

Immediately after threatening to commit suicide, Henry Reece Eiehards, aged 44 years, formerly railway stationmaster at Ngahere, on the West Coast, shot himself on Friday afternoon at his residence, 95 Poulson street, Addington. He died at 12.55 a.m. on Saturday at the Hospital, where an inquest was held later before Mr H. P. La wry, Coroner. Sergeant D. B. Murray represented the police. William Hartigan, labourer, a neighbour, identified the body as that of Eiehards. He said that about 5.30 p.m. on Friday he was called in by Mrs Eiehards, as she thought her hnsband had shot himself. He went into the front room, where he found Eiehards lying across the fender with his head covered with blood. A revolver lay on the floor about four feet from the man. Witness then went for help. He had noticed nothing unusual about Eiehards lately.

Dr. Trevor Edward Palmer, house surgeon at the Hospital, said that at 6.30 p.m. on Friday he examined Eichards, finding that he was deeply unconscious. His clothes were all covered with blood through a penetrating wound in the head. Death was caused by laceration of the brain following a bullet wound in the skull. The point of entry was about two inches above the right ear. The case was hopeless from the start, and Eichards never regained consciousness.

Lilian May Eichards said that on Friday morning her husband went to work as usual, returning homo about 2.30 p.m. He then appeared to be depressed and moody, and rested on his bed, falling asleep. He had dinner at 4.30 p.m., eating quite a good meal. He then went into the front room, and later came out into the yard in a very irritable mood. For nothing at all he caught and severely beat the dog, and then went into the house, saying ho would shoot himself. Witness's sixteen-year-old daughter, as well as herself, heard him make this statement. Witness was terrified and ran to the front of the hous9 to get help, but before she reached the gate she heard a shot and then a heavy fall. Eichards, paid the witness, was a returned soldier, having gone to the war with the Fifth Reinforcements. Up to about sis weeks ago he had been stationmaster at Ngahere. He was suspended through drink for five weeks from November 13th, and at the expiry of that period he was dismissed. He procured work the next day at Dalgety'a wool stores in Christchurch. The work was only temporary, and she did not know whether he had worked there or not on Friday, or whether the work had been finished or he had been dismissed. On his return he had said that there was no work that day, but gave no other explanation. Before Friday Richards gave no indication of an intention to commit suicide. He had been moody off and on ever since the warHe had been drinking a little, and this accentuated his moodiness. Her husband suffered slight concussion and shock during the war, but had had no sickness since.

Con3tablo P. T. Eeid said Eichards had apparently stood with his back to the fireplace when tiring the shot. He found a heavy army pattern revolver alongside him. It was fully loaded, but one round had been discharged. He found a spent bullet in the plastered wall.

In reply to the Coroner Mrs Eichards said her husband had been drinking a little on the previous day. The Coroner returned a verdict that Eichards died through laceration of the brain caused by a bullet wound self-inflicted while in a depressed state of mind. *