Richmond Tragedy

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 202, 25 November 1925, Page 3

Richmond Tragedy

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. SUICIDE WHILE INSANE. (Per Press Association). Christchurch, Nov. 24. The inquest on William Thomas Baylis, the victim of the Richmond tragedy, was resumed before Mr. H. A. Young. District Coroner. Mr. Thomas appeared for the son of the deceased. Harold Wm. Baylis, son of the deceased. said that about 7 a.m. on November 20 his mother brought him a cup of tea to his bedroom. Then she went back to the kitchenette. Witness heard his father go from the kitchenette to his bedroom and then return to the kitchenette. A few minutes later witness hoard two reports such as those usually made by the discharge of a revolver. He rushed to the kitchenette and found his mother lying on the floor and deceased on the floor of the pantry. Deceased was bleeding about the head. Witness’s mother said: “Your father has done for me; I’m dying.” Witness asked his mother what had happened and she replied that deceased had asked her what she wanted and she said that she wanted sugar, salt and a few other household requirements. He asked her to write them down on paper and she refused to do it. She said the next thing she knew was receiving a blow on the head from the deceased. Witness said he lifted his mother up and took her out to the back porch. He then returned and found that deceased had risen from the pantry floor and was in the kitchenette. He had a revolver in his hand and witness attempted to take it from him. There was a struggle, but witness could not get possession of it. Deceased then fired at witness’s mother again. He could not say how many shots were fired.

WAS RAVING THROUGHOUT. Witness again tried to get possession of the revolver, but could not do so. Finally he pushed deceased inside the house and locked the back door, his mother and himself being on the outside. After a few minutes witness unlocked the door and went into the house again. He found deceased in the hall in the front of the house. He was bleeding profusely from the head and wrist. He was then raving. He had been raving throughout. Witness made another unsuccessful attempt to get the revolver. Deceased then made for some razors on the mantlepiece of the kitchenette, but after a struggle witness got possession of them. Before witness unlocked the door he attended to his mother outside and while he was attending to her he heard several shots fired inside the house. Before a doctor or the police arrived deceased went round to the back, having apparently gonfe out the front door. He was covered with blood and asked what had happened. He then appeared to be calm. He seemed surprised when witness told him what had occurred. He waited calmly until a doctor and the police arrived. Later deceased and witness’s mother were removed to hospital. To Mr. Thomas: For some days prior to the occurrence deceased had been in a bad nervous condition. The day before he had had to stay away from work. There was cause for worry and it affected him badly. To the coroner: Deceased had been worrying considerably for some months past and because of his condition, resulting from this, he had consulted Dr. Pairman. He had never said anything about taking his life or the life of anyone else. Dr. O. Moller, house surgeon at the Christchurch Hospital, said Baylis was suffering from the effects of two bullet wounds when admitted. It was an injury to the brain resulting from these wounds that caused death. Baylis did not make anv statement as to how he came by the wounds.

“CONCERNED ABOUT HIS WIFE.’ Dr. Pairman said that he had attended Baylis. On the morning of November 20 he was called to Baylis’s house about 7.30. Mrs. Baylis was lying on the steps at the back door. She was bleeding somewhat from a bullet wound in the head. There were also signs of a wound in the upper part of the chest. Then witness saw Baylis walking up and down in a very excited manner and bleeding a good deal, especially from the left wrist, which he admitted he had inflicted with a pair of scissors. There was a wound on the right side of the head, which was bleeding slightly. Baylis seemed to be somewhat dazed. Ho seemed very concerned about his wife. Witness ordered the removal of both to hospital. Witness saw Baylis later at the hospital. When witness told him his wife would probably get over it lie said, “Thank God,” but he did not seem to be able to remember what he had done. He could not remember the actual doing of it. Baylis admitted that he had shot his wife and that he had inflicted wounds on himself. Witness had seen Baylis t\?ice in October. On both occasions he was in a very nervous condition, but perfectly rational. He had gone in the first instance to consult witness about his domestic affairs. It seemed that there was someone philandering with his wife.

The coroner: What do you call it ? Witness: Philandering. That is putting it mildly. Witness said Baylis said ho had ordered the man out of his house, but he persisted in his attentions to his wife. A good deal more was said of happenings that shocked his sense of propriety. Baylis said he could not sleep and seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. Witness considered that Baylis’s mind was quite unhinged when he committed the act. Constable McLeod said that Baylis asked witness to keep the matter quiet, as he and his wife had been quarrelling over a man. Baylis said that he had fired high to frighten his wife. The coroner found that deceased died on November 21 from the effects of a bullet wound self-inflicted while insane.