SUICIDE BY SOLICITOR

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 10 September 1921, Page 7

SUICIDE BY SOLICITOR

NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

TOO MUCH WORK

t»IT TEMSGEAra—PKEBB ASSOCIATION } AUCKLAND, Sept.' B. Hit* adjpurned inquest iuto the circuinstafkje* .surrounding the death of A K. Skdi/wi, solicitor, whose dead bod* was found in the harbour off the beach at Devonport, on September 2, was held nt the Magistrate's Court before Mr. Poynton,. S.AL, coroner, Florence Skelton, widow of deceased, stated that he had three or four nervous breakdowns during their marriod Hie. He had been worried on the day ot his disappearance (August I&>,, andshe noticed that he was strange in his manner that morning. He came homo norn his office, a most unusual thing to do, first telephoning her not to- gov out. He complained of his health, anU in reply to her said it meant an operation, and that his condition was hopeless. He also said he was worried, as ne had lost his grip of his work and could not follow his cases in court, arid that there was only one thing to do, ami that was to end it all. During the rest of the day «ho pleaded with him to face it out for the sake of the children. By 11 p.m. he appeared to be more reasonable, and witness tried to peTSTjade him to go to bed, but he refused to do that, though saying he would he down for a while. Witness , dropped off to sleep, and when she ! awoke her husband was gone. He had" I never before suggested ending his life hive years ago, when he had had: a nervous breakdown, the doctors said it was his brain. Edward Campbell, chief bailiff at the i S.M. Court, said he had known deceased about 15 or 16 years, and had had frequent business transactions with him. He called in at witness' room at court a day or two prior to his dis- , appearance, and asked if ho ever got ' pains in his bend, Witness replied in the negative, whereupon deceased said: I "If ever you do, tho easiest way to I get rid of them is very simple." Witness told him not to be silly. Deceased Inucchted and left the room. Frederick Baxter, journalist, deposed that ho had been a. neighbour of deceased, whom he had known intimately. ; Witness had never known a happier i family. - 1 ! Warwick L. Wilson, partner in de- ! ceased'a late firm: stated that when he ' last saw Mr. Skelton, on the morning of August 19, he appeared quite nor- | mal. Deceased had no worries outside 'of his work. He had been working tremendously hard of late, and witness , had several times warned him that he ■would kill himself. Deceased had no i financial worries, and had left his , family provided for. He suffered from I severe headaches sometimes, and had had several breakdowns, due, according to the doctors, solely to overwork. He had been insured for £1000 since Juno, 1919. The coroner brought in a verdict to the effect that deceased committed suicide by drowning while in a state of temporary insanity.