AN OPEN VERDICT

Evening Star, Issue 20980, 19 December 1931, Page 25

AN OPEN VERDICT

MAH AND WIFE GASSED An open verdict was returned yesterday afternoon at the inquest touching the deaths of Robert Joseph Norman and his wife, Lydia May Norman, who wore found dead in a gas-filled room in South Dunedin last Tuesday. Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., sat as coroner, and Inspector Cummings conducted the inquiry for the police. . After giving evidence regarding the cause of death, Dr Evans said he had seen Mrs Norman on two previous occasions—the first being on -September 26, 1931, and the second on October 1 last. She was then depressed and restless, and admitted that she coxxld not look after her house. She said she would not let her husband out of hexsight, and she followed him to his garage when he went to get out his car. She had practically prevented him from doing any work. She had further told him that she had been suspicious for the past twelve months as to what was going to be done with her. Norman had told him that his wife had been in hospital fox- treatment, and that she had promised to go into a rest home at Warrington, but on driving her there and reaching the gate she refused to enter, and ho bx-ought her home agaixx. Witness advised him to have his wife committed to a xxxental hospital as he considei-ed she was suicidal. On October 1 Noi"man told him that his wife agreed to go to Seacliff, but on going as far as Normanby she had talked hinx over, and he had brought her homo again. Witness had urged Norman to make an application to the court for her coxxxmittal, but ho seemed disinclined to follow that advice. To counsel for the relatives: Both the deceased appeared to be devoted to each other as far as ho could see. The husbaxxd was very nxuch conccrxxed about his xvil'e. Edward John Waldren, a taxi driver, on the Bank of New Zealand rank, said that he had known Norman for the past sixteen years. He xvas a quiet, rcsoi-vcd man, and did not drink. Witness gave evidence as to Mrs Norman’s mental instability. Isabella Dawson, a widow, who had been doing housewox-k for the Normans for the two weeks previous to the tragedy, said that Mrs Norman was decidedly mental. She_ had heard her threaten to commit suicide. Similar evidence was given by Elizabeth Carpenter, who said that about six months ago Mrs Norman was very much depressed, and had told her that she was not ready to die, but when she did her husband would go, too. Constable Smyth and Sergeant M'Entee also gave evidence concerning Mrs Norman’s mental condition. Sergeant M'Entee adding that a bank book showed that they were not in financial difficulties. The Coroner said that the case was one in which there were two alternatives. It was either the result of a suicide pact, or the deed was the act of one while the other was asleep. The evidence showed that the wife had been in bad health, and that hexmental condition was sometimes unstable. The husband’s circumstances were comfortable, and ho was a quiet, reserved man. The xonxarks of the wife about her husband going when she went were of significance, but the veil could not be lifted, and one coxdd not draw any legitimate inference, lb would be a'mex-e matter o tion to make any definite finding, and that being so, he would x-eturn an open verdict that death was due to asphyxiation by gas.