INQUEST.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5600, 5 February 1879, Page 6

INQUEST.

An inquest was yesterday afternoon before Dr Coward, District Coroner, touching tho death of Robert Scott, who Lad shot him' self with a revolver on the previous evening. Tho inquest was held at the residence of the deceased in Windmill road. Mr John Clark was chosen foreman of the jury, who after viewing the body of deceased heard the following evidence;— Robert Scott, junr., deposed: Deceased was my father. He has been in good health lately. I last saw him alive about half-past 7or 7 o’clock last evening (Monday.) He was sitting in the kitchen smoking his pipe. He had been in town during the day. When he came in he was asked if he would have his tea. He said he was too warm. I had had my tea about half an hour before. He restod for about five minutes, and then came in here and had his tea. He returned to the kitchen, filled a pipe and sat down opposite to me. Meanwhile, my brother John came home on horseback. A cup of tea and some cake was SVen to him while in the saddle in the yard, y father went out through the front door, and I shortly after heard a thud.- My mother and' sister, knowing his excitable temper, brought him in. I heard him getting excited and ran out. I saw my mother had nold of him, and she dragged him inside the door. The door was shut, and I told my brother to go home, and left him at the gate. My father, when he gets excited, is in an ill temper with every one since he had fever 16 years ago. I heard a noise inside and knocked at the door, when I heard my father and mother struggling. She wanted to take a stick from him. I kicked the door and it was opened. When I went in, my mother and he both had hold of a stick, and he was so excited that I was going to run for a policeman to take him in charge. I asked nim to give me the stick and he wouldn’t. The stick is a heavy black thorn. He left the kitchen and walked into his bedroom, where he lies now, and locked the door. I heard the key turning. Knowing him to be in the habit of doing that sort of thing when he got excited, I took no notice. About two minutes elapsed when I heard the report of a pistol. There was a very loud report, and then a dull thud like. My mother said: “He’s at his old tricks again." I will explain that. Before he left Ireland, when he got excited he would lock himself in, and fire a pistol off to frighten us. He has done it in New Zealand. This is about the third or fourth time he has done it. I put my ear to the keyhole, and, hearing no noise, went round to the window and looked in. I ducked down for fear he should shoot. I looked again, and saw blood beside the bed. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the chair and his arm against the bed. I thought he was only wounded, and was rather timid, so I jumped over him and got hold of his hand. 1 felt his pulse and found that it was gone, and then I felt his heart and found it was gone too. There was no pulsation. I told my mother to close all doors, and I went for the doctor. I went first to the hotel, and the doctor came with my brother. I did not look for the pistol. His hands were both hanging down by his side. There was a smell of gunpowder in the room. This morning I saw the mark where a bullet had gone right through the house. That was fired, I believe, when there was so loud a report. I went for a constable after sending my brother from the hotel for a constable. He would get excited when he got liquor, and that was the reason he was brought out here from the hotel. When thus excited he thought everybody was opposed to him. About five years ago he made an attempt on his life. He had a bottle of laudanum for six months and took some. 1 went for a doctor and saved his life.

To Sergeant Morice: I never saw the revolver produced until I saw it last night, after I came back with the constable. It was given to me by my mother as the pistol she found in the room. I believe it came from Ireland. He always had a revolver. He used to have one in Ireland. You will hear from other witnesses about his firing it out of the window at night. To a juryman: I believe he had had liquor yesterday. To Sergeant Morice : No one else but my father could have fired the pistol. Dr P. Doyle deposed: I was called to see deceased shortly before 8 o’clock last night. I found him quite dead. To-day I made a post-mortem examination. I found a wound on the right temple, through the skull, with a large amount of effusion of blood inside the skulL Externally the skull was blackened with powder. The wound in the skin was slightly oblong, but in the bone it was perfectly circular, There was no “starring” of the bone. The bullet had passed right through the brain, and fractured the bone on the opposite side of the skull without penetrating. The bullet had struck two inches higher on the left side on the parietal bone. The bullet was flattened and jagged, I found it in the brain. There was no other wound and no other mark. The pistol had been fired probably by himself. Had he fired the pistol with his right hand he would have caused such a wound.

To Sergeant Morice ; The bullet produced is that which I found. [The bullet was much altered in shape, but had evidently been conical and similar to others produced.]] Margaret Scott deposed : Deceased was my husband. We have been married 44 years about. We have always lived happily together till latterly, since he had a fever, about ten years I think. His mind was a little affected since that, when he would take liquor. He has not been drinking much lately. Yesterday he was a little “tight” when he came home, about six or half-past six o’clock. We had no words together. He was tired after his walk, and said he was too warm to take his tea. He had his tea. Afterwards my son John was in the yard on a horse, and my husband did not like the horse. He did not like the man that bought the horse. He struck the horse with a big stick he had in his hand. I got him in my arms and forced him into the house. He wanted to get out again, but the door was locked on each side. Then he locked himself up in his own room. Then we heard a report of a pistol, and after that a second one. My son Robert tried to get in at the door, and then went round to the window. I went into the room through the window afterwards, and saw that life was gone, I got the pistol under the bed. Deceased had nothing in his hand. John Scott, son of deceased, deposed: I came here about half-past three yesterday afternoon. I was on horseback. My father was not in, I was not well, and my mother advised mo to ride up the hill. I went up the mountain, and got back about a quarter to six. I asked for my father. They said he was in. I asked for a cup of tea and a biscuit. While I was talking to my mother and sister about the pretty view from the mountain my father came out. He stood with his back to the house at first. Then he walked round behind the horse. The next thing I noticed was the horse shuddering. I then saw him raise his stick to strike again. I said, “ Oh, what a cowardly action tc strike a poor animal like that,” My mother ran over to him, and told me to go away. 1 went away, and my mother took him in. I knew no more till my brother, Bobert, came to the hotel and told me that my father had shot himself, and that I must get the doctor quick.

The jury at once returned a Tordiofc “ That' deceased had shot himself while in a state of temporary insanity."