SUICIDE AT STIRLING

Clutha Leader, Volume XXVII, Issue 1547, 7 May 1901, Page 3

SUICIDE AT STIRLING

A man named John Tlalligan. said io he about 2o years of age, who had been in this district for some short time in connection with the drapery sales carried on by I'. G. Sykes and Co., committed -meiue at Stirling on Friday afternoon shortly before 4 o'clock. He would appear to have deliberately stepped off the platform and placed his head across the rail m front of the slowly moving truck. An eye-witness who at tirst took deceased for one of the railway hands says that after he got down between the -trucks he suddenly threw hlra-r-lf forward under the couplings, and appeared to press his neck firmly across tire rail wiln th" back of his head turned to the approaching wheel. Thiee wheels passed over inni, ami his head was nearly s'-pavated frrm Hie body. I)eeeas> d is und'r-toid to have beer, suff-'nn.'jltem the effects of a drinking bout. He is said to belong to Otaki and to have a sister in Auckland. ' An inquest touchi g the d-*«th was held 011 Saturday before Mr A. E. Farquhar, JT., aethif-CMoncr, and a jury consisting of J-1. liitile (foreman). Jas. Fraz'-r. A. Marshal', Jas. Pope. T. Ifovd. and W. Smith. Ilenry Ilird. drnptry salesman, Gisborne, recognised the bedvasthat of John TlaiLean. Witness and deceased came from Ivaitangsta on I**iiday r.ficrneon by the coach, ar.d witness bought two tickets for them to 10 to Dunrdin by the express. A iter buying me tick' ts witne-s had occasion to have ilalligai; for a minute cr ;wo on the platioim. On "witness coming on to the plain a-m again, he saw deceased lvieg und-i' a railway waggon apparently dead having been run over by the truck- 1 . Had known deceased about nine months. D.'cea-ed was sliahily prcuiiar in his manner lv fore fhey b it Kaitangaia., nutthere was iv'thing to lead wure ss to think b.o would do anything ra.-h In reply to the Jury, wi'nc-s said deceased was sober, he only had two threes Oi Leer that witness knew of ihnt day. To the Coromr : Deceased was not temperate in his habits. Witness ron'muing : Deee>s.-d belonged to Otaki, and ware born in Xew Zealand. Cotikl not say his age. John Tnrnluil. 'urakesma.'.', gave she signal for the train to pull out past the points to get into the riding to let the express past. Observed deceased on the pla'foim y or 10ft j from the edge. A, ore - s was at the fron:: I i-nd of the platform. As witness looked hack to see all was char he saw deceased walk ir a slanting direction towards the edge of the platform. Deceased then faced the truck's, made a few rapid steps forward and placed his Kit hand on an empty limber truck and jumped down between tlv pl-uform ami the 'trucks. He then seemed to dive under'-i;d place iris head un.d neck on the van. Two wheels of one truck and ene of tin-, next passed over him. Witness helped to pull the deCeasnl out ; he was quite dead. To the Foreman : The train was just starting. The Foreman : The slower the tiaio was going (he more di liberate tin' act. To a Juror: Witness stopped the tn.in promptly when he saw deceased make for the train. Andrew Ditekwoiill, Stirling, was walking along the platform when lie noticed deceased walk towards the trucks as they were moving out. He. stepped 011 to the edge of the platf 0:111. boking into one of the trucks as it passed, lie then nulled his head and Looked towards the van, and when the end of the tuick came opposite to him lv stepped down between the two tiueks, hut elo-'O !o the platfollll. He then i-eenied to dive tinder the couplings 11ml put his head across the far side rail, the truck wheels p:e:-ing over his neck. J'aul \V. JJean, stationmaster, assisted to pull deceased out. Deceased's heart was beating when witness tirst got up.

Dr Fitzgerald had examined the body and found the spine fractured through the neck and other severe injuries about head and face. The injury to the neck was enough to cause death, which would probably be instantaneous.

The Acting-Coroner said he thought the jury would have little di/licult-y in arriving at a verdict. The act seemed to have been a most deliberate one, and possibly the state of deceased's mind at the time was a matter they would consider in their verdict. The jury after a short consultation re turned a verdict that deceased committed suicide while in a state of unsound mind, no blame being attachable to anyone.