ASYLUM TRAGEDY
(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ' HAMILTON, 27th January. .art inquest was held by Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., at Hamilton this afternoon into the death of Thomas Pulford, a patient at the Tokanui Mental Hospital, who expired on the way to Waikato Hospital yesterday, following on an assault by another inmate, John Holden. ■ • Dr. James M'Pherson, medical superintendent at Tokanui. said Holden, when asked why he attacked Pulford, replied: I was worried," adding "they are worrying men all the time/ From this the doctor assumed that the man was suffering from hallucinations, and "they" were imaginary voices of people. Holden was suffering from delusivial insanity,' accompanied by partial dementia. One of his delusions was that he was being chased by Ratana. Evidence given by an attendant showed that Holden had never previously given any indication of aggressive conduct. The Coroner stated that there was notliing in Holden's previous conduct at Avondale or Tokanui to warrant the asylum authorities regarding him as dangerous. He found that Pulford died of haemorrhage and shock, the result of injuries inflicted by John Holden, the latter at the time being insane. "■
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 24, 29 January 1927, Page 7
Word Count
185ASYLUM TRAGEDY Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 24, 29 January 1927, Page 7
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