SUICIDE AT MURCHISON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 23 July 1923, Page 2

SUICIDE AT MURCHISON

THE INQUEST

(From Our Own Correspondent)

The inquest on the late William John Gaynnr, who shot himself at Murchison, was held in the Courthouse, Muiincsun, on Wednesday, before Mr John Bredburv, J.P.. Acting-Coroner, and a jury, of which Mr 11. Fraser was foreman. Constable Robertson conducted the inquiry and called— James Thomason, licensee of the Coin inertial Hotel, who said deceased was his step-son-in-law. lie had been residing at his hotel on and off for the last five years. On the 10th July he left the hotel and went to reside at Downic s Hoted. Prior to leaving, witness told him lie had better leave and go and find work. When he left he appeared to he in his normal state of mind. He had only done a few jobs during the last 18 months.

To the jury: He never heard him say that ho would take his own life. Sometimes he was a little, quarrelsome and appeared irritated. Everyone in the house seemed to he friendly with the deceased. Robert Brook Nichols said lie was a bank clerk employed at the Bank of New Zealand. Murchison. About 12.40 p.m. on the 17th July lie was in the dining room of Downic s Hotel having dinner, when Miss Black, a waitress at the hotel, drew his attention to the fact that the deceased had just passed down the backyard of the hotel, carrying a rifle, and"further stated that the deceased had told her on several occasions that lie would shoot himself. About a minute afterwards lie heard a shot. He then went out through the yard to the rear of Spiers' Garage and looked round to see if he could see the deceased. He was about four yards from the hack door of (lie garage when lie hoard a second shot. lie then went to the entrance of the garage and met Dr. Simpson, and in company with the doctor went through the garage and found the deceased lying behind the door. The deceased was lying on his left side, with the rifle partly underneath him. He was then dead! with a large wound in his head, lie saw the deceased about two minutes before the shooting. He was then going up the fire, escape steps towards his bedroom. To the foreman : There was a space of about half a minute between the first and the second shots. There was a marked difference in the sound of the two shots. Isabella Black said she was a waitress at Downic s Hotel. At about 12.45 she was in the dining room of the hotel and saw the deceased coming down the hack stairs of the fire escape. He was carrying a gun and he went through the back yard towards Spiers’ Garage. About, ten minutes later she heard a shot. She went out and saw deceased standing with liis hack to the rear of Spiers Garage. She did not see the gun. When she first saw deceased in the yard she informed Mr Nichols. I)r. Simpson deposed that about 12.50 p.m. of July 17th he was outside the Commercial Hotel, when he heard a shot fued from a rifle. Ho proceeded in the direction of the sound, and when near Spiers’ Garage heard a second shot. At the front of the garage he met Mr Nichols, and in company with him went to the rear of the premises, and at the back door of the garage they found the body of the deceased. He was dead as the result of a gunshot wound in the head, j To the foreman : In his opinion there was no doubt that death was caused by a gunshot wound in the head; but lie could not tell whether the shot was deliberate or accidental. To the jury: He had known the deceased for about 14 months, and had no reason to believe the deceased w r as affected in his mind. Constable Robertson stated that he proceeded to Spiers’ Garage and there found the deceased. He was lying at the outside of tho door, at the rear of the garage. He had a 44-40 Marlin rifle partly underneath him. There was a large wound on the left side of his head, and part of his skull was blown away. From the position of the body and from the way the rifle was lying, it had every appearance of the wound being self-inflicted. He examined the rifle and found an empty shell in the breech and a live cartridge in deceased’s pocket. He found a photograph with the date July 17th, 1923, written on the hack. Tiie witness James Thomason was recalled, and identified the writing on the photograph as the hand-writing on the deceased. This concluded the evidence.

The jury unanimously brought in the following verdict: “That the deceased, William John Gavnor, met his death Jay his own hand at Murchison on July lTt.i 1923, while in a condition of severe mental stress, there being insufficient evidence to show the cause.”