WOMAN GASSED

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1944, Page 2

WOMAN GASSED

INQUEST AT GREYMOUTH The circumstances surrounding the death at Greymouth on .Monday, of Mrs Violet Belle Hitching, aged o 3 years, of Shakespeare ’St., Greymouth, were investigated yesterday at an inquest held before the De-puty-Coroner, Mr M. J. Fogarty, J.P. Proceedings for the police were conducted by Sergeant R. C. Mcßobie. Dr H. S. Ray, who performed a post-mortem examination on the body of deceased, stated there were no external signs of active disease dr injury. The appearance of the body was that which occurs in death from inhalatoin of carbon monoxide, a constituent of coal gas. To the Coroner: Mrs Hitching consulted me about six years previously and at that time was mentally Unstable Charles Frederick Larcombe, en-gine-driver, of Shakespeare Street, said that between 2 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. on November 20, d eceased left his house to go home. He told her to come back for tea, and she agreed. She said nothing to indicate she intended to take her life and there did not seem to be anything peculiar in her actions. Peter Claude Thomson, Grey Power inspector, said he was at the house of Mrs Pratt in Shakespeare Street about ;8.30 p.m. when enquiries began regarding deceased’s whereabouts as she had not been seen since 2.30. The doors of the house were found locked. It was decided to send for Mr Hitching and witness was with him when the body was discovered. The gas was on in the oven when the body was found. Sergeant Mcßobie said that at about 11 p.m. on November 20 he was summoned to the home of the deceased where he found the body lying alongside a gas oven with the head on a pillow. The room smelt strongly of gas. From the appearance of the body and the position in which it lay it was obvious that deceased had deliberately placed herself in such a position that death would ensure from inhalation of the gas. , x The Coroner’s verdict was that Mrs Hitching died at Greymouth on November 20, 1944, the cause of death being the inhalation of carbon monoxide, caused when deceased placed her head in a gas oven at her residence in Shakespeare Street.