ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

Evening Star, Issue 20984, 24 December 1931, Page 9

ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

DEATH BY GAS POISONING. Suicide by gas poisoning was tho verdict returned by the coroner (Mr, J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) at the inquest this morning on Robert Lindsay 1 Parker, who was found dead yesterday in the kitchen of the rooms he was occupying in George street. _ Sergeant ■ Ishister represented the police. Deceased was a single man, aged about’ forty years, and had been employed as a waterside worker. Morris James Griffiths, residing at 106 Glen road, said that yesterday, morning when he went to work, he opened the door leading to the kitchen or the apartments rented by Parker.' Deceased was lying on the floor under a rug. He turned the gas off and, ; after making a preliminary investigation, he went for the police. Ho last saw deceased alive at 6.15 p.m., tho previous day. Deceased was quite cheerful, he had had a little liquor. Witness had never heard deceased say, anything about committing suicide.-■ Ho had small-financial worries. On the previous night, deceased had asked ; him to pttt a shilling in the gas meter; • there was nothing unusual in that re-; quest, as deceased had always made j similar requests he was short of j money. He gave evidence of identification. Deceased had no in" New Zealand. He had been in New Zealand for about three years. Constable C. W. Kirk also gave evidence. FATAL FALL FROM BALCONY. : An inmate of the Nazareth House Orphanage and Old People’s Home, conducted by the Sisters of Nazareth (Christchurch), fell from a balcony yesterday, and was killed. The woman was Mrs Johanna Maloney, of Geraldine, .aged eighty. An inquest was held last evening by Mr H. P. La wry, S.M., who found that the safety precautions at the institution were adequate, and there was no suggestion of neglect or lack of attention on the part of the sisters in charge. The evidence was to the effect that Mrs Maloney had been an inmate for a week. She was senile and infirm mentally, but not particularly feeble for her age. She was m bed apparently restful when the sister was called away, and during her absence Mrs Maloney evidently got out of bed and fell from the balcony.