MIND UNHINGED

Northern Advocate, 29 July 1924, Page 5

MIND UNHINGED

MT. ALBERT TRAGEDY.

SAD RESULT OP ILL-HEALTH.

INQUEST AND VERDICT.

(Special to Advocate. ,, ) AUCKLAND, .This Day. . The adjourned inquest , in connection with the sad tragedy at: Mt. Albert on Sunday was held before Mr P.- K. Hunt, S.M., at 4 o'clock on Monday afternoon. The general story, which has already been made public, is by now fairly well known. The evidence on Monday was given by the doctor &nd nurse in, charge of the deceased and little new light was thrown upon the occurrence. The facts given at the previous hearing were briefly that Mrs Helena Harriet J) , Ath, wife of Edward Arthur D'Ath, had become demented and cut the throat of her nine-year-old son in the bathroom of her home and afterwards committed suicide by cutting her own throat with a razor. The tragedy occurred in the peace of the Sunday afternoon and was quite unexpected, although Mrs D 'Ath 's mental condition had not been satisfactory owing to illness. THE DOCTOR'S EVIDENCE. In the coruse of his statement Dγ John F. G. Richards said he had been attending the deceased Mrs D'Ath, who had been a long time-ill from general debility increased by an attack of diphtheria. Her mental condition was unsatisfactory, but not more so than could be -expected from one who had suffered such .a. long illness. He in-, structed the husband to. get a trained nurse and gave the nurse instructions, but did not give the nurse instructions as to Mrs D'Ath's mental condition, but said that she should not be left out of their sight. He knew that she had attempted suicide before with a pair of '< scissors and lie discussed with the husband the necessity for watchfulness. At one time they had a night nurse and Mr D'Ath did the day nursing. The deceased's mental condition improved j up till five days ago and she had ceased to talk about arsenic poisoning. About 5 o'clock on July 26 he saw his patient again and her mental condition was not so satisfactory, but he considered it not alarming. Had a healthy person shown such symptoms he might have considered commital to a mental hospital, but it was different in a person in such ill-health. He considered the health of his patient caused the weakness of the mind. Owing to ill-health she was not getting a proper supply of blood to the brain. He thought she had ( aenemia of the brain. NURSE NOT APPREHENSIVE. Nurse Florence E. James-Wallace said she was duly registered and lived in Liverpool Street, Auckland. It i would be three weeks on Tuesday since she was employed to nurse Mrs D'Ath. She did not know that deceased had < attempted to commit suicide and had i not "been informed of the fact. For the first fortnight the deceased seemed neurotic and the condition was not inconsistent with her illness. During the last five days, however, she began to I show mental trouble and from Friday last witness had come to the conclusion that deceased's mind was unbalanced. She rang up the doctor, who told "her to do the best she could with the treatment prescribed. The patient had a free run of the house. Witness had not been told to keep lior under contant observation nor thnt there weTe suicidal tendencies, but recognised that watchfulness was necessn ry. At times deceased seemed to be worried about her mental condition am! she (the nurse) tried to watch without being noticed. APPARENTLY OTTTET. On Saturday an improvement was shown and on Sunday Mrs D'Ath Was better still. In the moraine: she Wrote from about 10 o'clock until dinner time. One letter referred to alleged attempts to poison her. She had a quiet dinner and lay down on the couch. Her hus'band was present until she apparently went to °leep. The husband then wont out to the kitchen and talked to his boy, wTio had come home from Sunday School and to a visitor. Witness heard doconsed get up and went after Tier. The servant said: "Mrs D'Ath wants Unfold." The boy passed witness to reach hi- r»nther, who put her hand on hiru and drew him into the bathroom, wlik-h γ-ts just behind, closing the •door. Witness said she had no suspicion, Imt nfter whispering for some time s7ie t^ought they had been there long (mv.i:.Ti and put her hand on the door to nnen it, but found it locked. She tumnd away to speak to the husband vrhov. she heard the "boy give terrified scTenms.- She ran round to the lavatory vnndow and could see the woman ly s n:r with her arms extended and from the throat. She got into the room and said: "Where is Harold? What have you done? ,, Mrs D'Atii replied: "I have cut his throat, t00. ,, Witness took the razor from clppp.. - ■■\ threw it into the hall and asVrfl thsit the doctor be called. She couM *'•<■• tii.it nothing could be done for defpisr,!. r.ho bled to death in about two She was of opinion that tho ri/or "(raid not have been in the Witness had not been told all al-»r.t the case until afterwards. Witness added tMf -s .-"••■n ns she could leave deceased -Vi , <v< ?>t out to see the son and rhn i-0' 1 her that iud wae dead.