A DRAMATIC SUICIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11840, 18 December 1901, Page 5

A DRAMATIC SUICIDE.

MAN FOUND DEAD IN THE STREET. A man named Geo. Alfred Tatan committed suicide yesterday afternoon under rather singular circumstances, having apparently partaken of poison in the street. A little after three o'clock yesterday two carters named Samuel Thornelley and Geo. Peterson, who were on a dray, happened to notice a man go down Wellington-street, and on returning with their dray a few minutes later they saw the same man kneeling on the footpath, lie then lay down, mid when Thornelley and Peterson got up to him lie told them he had poisoned himself. One of them ran for Dr. Br.kewett, but Dr. Wine, who happened to be in the vicinity, arrived before the messenger reached Dr. Bakewell consulting-room.; 3)r. Wine pronounced life to be extinct, and Dr. Bakewell, on his-. arrival, could do nothing more. The body was lying on tht footpath on the corner of Wellington ant Kelson Streets, and a crowd soon gathered A soda water bottle with a label on >,■ marked '* poison." was found 011 the foopath near the body, and on exuminatifl the contents were ascertained to be oxa-e acid. The. police were informed of de death, and took the body to the mor<M?. and got deceased identified as Geo. Atfed Tatan, a. painter, who lived with ?<rs. Carbines in Karaugahape Road. Tatan was a man of about. 45 years of age, and .amc to Auckland from Christchurch. b-i'ore be fell on the footpath he was appnently trving to write something on a pice of paper. Mr. Greshani will hold an aquest to-day.