“TOO BIG A COWARD".

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3478, 14 October 1926, Page 6

“TOO BIG A COWARD".

CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE NAIVE CONFESSION BY DEFENDANT. [Per Press Association.] INVERCARGILL, Last Night. “I am too big a coward to commit suicide,” was the naivo confession of a man in tho Police Court to-day. Ho added; “I respect my wife and family too much to do that.” He was charged with being found drunk at tho Bluff, with damaging two blankets, and with attempting to hang himself, the cases arising out of an incident which occurred in tho lock-up at the Bluff police station on tho previous night. Sergeant Hewitt, who represented tho police, said that defendant was lodged in a cell for drunkenness. Some time after his admission, a constable went out to the lock-up, and found that strips had been torn from tho blankets, knotted together, and thrown over a hook in the coiling. When asked what ho was doing, defendant replied that ho was preparing to hang himself.

,Constable White then gave evidence that when ho was discovered, defendant said he was tired of life, and wanted to cause a sensation by hanging himself. , He was in. the lock-up three and a-hal£ hours, and should have sobered up in that time. Witness also produced the rope of police blanket, alleged to have been .used. In reply to a question by the Magistrate, he said that until this occurrence, no one had ever noticed the hook in tho ceiling. 1 It had since been removed. Defendant's story was that he went off to sleep immediately after being locked up. On waking he found he was lying on a roll of blankets, and began to wonder if they were clean. On unrolling tho bundle, he was surprised to find the rope produced by tho constable, inside. He thought to himself that someone had been trying to escape. For “devilment” he threw the rope over the hook in tho ceiling. Just then the constable came in and asked: Hullo, are you trying to commit suicide 7” Witness replied jokingly, "Yes, looks like it.” He thrpw tho rope up in order to draw the Sergeant’s attention to it, in case. somebody really tried to hang himself. Tho Sergeant: As a matter of fact, you like a little bravado, don’t you ? You knew that as soon as you put your weight on too rope it would break. , The Magistrate remarked that he was perfectly satisfied that defendant tore up the blankets. For this ho would bo fined £1 and costs -7s, and would bo convicted and discharged for drunkenness. The charge of attempted suicide would be dismissed. Defendant; Could I ask you to have my name suppressed ? This is rather a slur on my family. Tho Magistrate agreed that the case would bo a slur, and ordered that defendant’s name should be suppressed on tho attempted suicide charge, but added that it could bo published in connection with tho charge of drunkenness.