SURPRISE VISIT

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 62, 7 December 1926, Page 10

SURPRISE VISIT

SHORTAGE IN CASH ACCOUNTANT POISONS HIMSELF Dominion Special. Christchurch, December 6. “He was surprised to see me, and after showing me where the books were he left the office. When next I saw him he was dead. In the meantime I had found a shortage of £l5O in the firm’s cash, of which he had been in charge.” These were the words of Mr. W. E. Best, a Christchurch accountant, who gave evidence at the adjourned inquest concerning the death of James Adair Hall, accountant for the Hawarden branch of the Farmer’s Cooperative, who died at Hawarden on December 1. The inquest was held this morning before Mr. H. P. Lawhy (Coroner). ~ , “As is my custom,” added witness, “I did not give any notice of my intended visit, and when I arrived Hall seemed very surprised to see me. I asked him for the two receipt blocks and he walked across to his overcoat, took something from the pocket and left the office as I thought, to get the blocks. In his hand he had what appeared to me to be a packet of envelopes. I counted the cash and found that there was a shortage of a little over £450. Half an hour after Hall was first missing Mr Peek, the manager of the drapery department, told tne that he had found deceased down in the stables He was quite dead, and his face was painfully distorted. Mr. Peek said that lie had visited the chaff house before and had found the deceased there. He had informed him that I wanted to see him, and Hall had replied that he would come to the office in ten minutes time. He came back, but did not inform me that he had seen Hall.” The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased had committed suicide on December 1 by taking poison.