UPPER HUTT TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3115, 20 June 1917, Page 9

UPPER HUTT TRAGEDY

« THE INQUEST. An iuciuest was held yesterday afternoon by Mr. ff. U. ltiddell. Coroner, concerning the death of Thomas Brown, „who was found on Sunday morning- in a washhouse attached to a dwelling at Upper' Hutt, with' part, of; his head: blown- awayanil a gun. in his hand. James Brown, a railway guard, and brother of the deceased, in his evidence-stat-ed that tho deceased was a single man, 38 years of ago, and had-been' farming at Mildura, in' Victoria; Just before June, , last year his brother sold his- farm; and: enlisted, but was rejected as being medically unfit. He went under an operation for varicose veins, but it was not a success, and he was pronounced permanentlymedically unfit, lio obtained a permit to leave Australia, and came to New Zealand. His health had been indifferent, and ho complained of insomnia. He visited various places for the benefit' of his health, and from ltotorua he came to the Upper Hutt about Juno 6, and lived with. witness. On Sunday last he went for a walk, and on his return ho told witness that ho had had no sleep the previous night. About noon, while witness.was sitting by the five, his-sou told him he had heard a gunshot in- tho yard, and on going out witness found his brother had shot himself, the right side of bis head being blown oft. The gun must have been placed- in- tho mouth. There had. been, nothing to indicate that his brother was developing suicidal tendencies. Ho apparently worried over the fact that he was uu-' able to enlist. Tho Ooronor entered a verdict that Thomas Brown died, from tho effects of. a gunshot wound, self inflicted, during a fit of mental depression.