THE MOUNT – STREET. TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13171, 8 May 1906, Page 6

THE MOUNT - STREET. TRAGEDY.

CONCLUSION OF THE INQUEST

THE VERDICT.

SUICIDE WHILE TEMPORARILY

INSANE.

i The inquest upon the body of James Edgar Fenwick, the young man who was found lying in an emaciated condition in the outhouse of a vacant tenement in Mount-street on Wednesday evening last, and who died the, following day, was resumed at the Globe Hotel yesterday morning, before the coroner (Mr. T. Grcsham) and a jury of six. Chief-Detective Marsack appeared on behalf of the police, and Mr. A. tlanna watched the proceedings on behalf of the relatives. MEDICAL EVIDENCE. Dr. A. C. Purchas said he was summoned to a vacant' house in Mount-street on the evening of Wednesday, the 2nd inst., and found the deceased lying on the floor in the kitchen. He was. alive, but unconscious. The doctor then described several bruises and abrasions which he noticed about Fenwick. There was a large wound over the right temple. Deceased was removed in the ambulance to Rawlingstone private hospital, in Grafton Road. Deceased was then conscious. Witness asked him if he knew him, and ho nodded, signifying " Yes." Chief-Detective Marsack: Did you ask him anything else? Dr. Purchas: Yes. I asked him, "Were you hit?". He formed the word " Yes" with Ids lips, but could not articulate. Witness went on to say that he then asked deceased if 'he had been struck while in the street. Deceased, in reply, tried to say " No," and shook his head. After this Fenwick made further efforts to speak, but witness could not understand him, owing to his voice being so thick. One thing ho thought deceased said was, "I am in a very bad way." About twelve o'clock a marked change took place, and no began to sink. He died about. a-quarter past three on the Thursday morning. THE POST-MORTEM. On the following day he conducted a postmortem examination of the body, being assisted by Dr. Bull. Witness described the condition of the body. He considered that the various wounds, with the exception of that upon the forehead, were probably caused by a fall to the floor, and subsequent pressure by lying on the floor. Deceased evidently lay in a prone condition all the time. Witness did not countenance- the theory of assault altogether. On drawing back the scalp a small puncture (of which there was no external evidence) was found. This was evidently caused by a bullet, which was found in the bone over the left eye. An internal examination of the skull showed that the bullet, at the point of the impact, drove a piece of bono right into the brain, and then diverted in the direction of the left eyebrow. The cause of death was hemorrhage, resulting from laceration caused by a bullet wound. The Coroner: Would this bullet wound have produced unconsciousness immediately? | Dr. Purchas: Not necessarily so. Deceased may have been conscious for some time forwards. STATEMENT BY DECEASED'S BROTHER, Claude Fenwick, brother of the deceased, said deceased was employed by the firm of T. and 8. Morrin and Co. fox- some considerable time as town traveller. About a, month ago he was taken off the road, and placed in tftie store. The reason for this was that he came down to the office one night, and was the worse for liquor. Deceased was of an excitable, impulsive nature, but, in witness' opinion, not off his mental balance. Deceased went to the store as usual on the Thursday morning, but left again at about ten o'clock, in order to' seek fresh lodgings. He did not return, but knowing that he was shifting this gave them no cause for alarm. When the young man did not put in an appearance next morning witness made further inquiries, but without result. On the Saturday morning witness found that deceased had. left his luggage at the Globe Hotel. In one of his trunks he found the box of cartridges produced. He had never at any time heard bis brother say that he.would take his life; in fact, deceased, was? one of the last persons whom one would think •would do such a thing. He was always bright-hearted and cheerful. In reply to the foreman of the jury, witness said that deceased's reason for living away from home was that his father's place at Takapuna was too far away. Witness and deceased shared rooms together for some time until he (witness) got married. Since then deceased had boarded by himself. He frequently went home. To Mr. Hanna: On the formation of the private company, three years ago Mr. Fenwick, sen., placed 250 shares to the credit of the deceased, in order to give linn an incentive to work. Deceased held these until about a fortnight prior to his disappearance, when witness' lather got deceased to transfer the shares back to him, on account of his behaviour Deceased did not appear to be much affected by this, and when he spoke to witness afterwards seemed bright and cheerDR. BULL'S EVIDENCE. . The evidence of Dr. Purchas was read over to Dr. Bull, who assisted Dr. Purciias at the post-mortem examination. Dr Bull said Ik. was of the same opinion as Dr. Purchas as to the cause of death'. The direction of the bullet wound, slkditly upwards and inwards, was in favour of suicide. DECEASED'S .MOVEMENTS. William Alfred Bailey, licensee of the Globe Hotel, and formerly a detective in the Auckland police district, said deceased m ft to the , hotel at about nine o clock on the Thursday morning and engaged a room for a day or two. He said he was shifting his lodgings, and removed his luggage info the hotel. Witness never saw him again. Jervis Wright, salesman for E. Porter and Co., said ho sold a revolver similar to the one produced to deceased on Saturday, the 21st ult. He gave it to him in a cardboard box which he identified as the one produced. Witness also sold a box of .22 long cartridges to deceased at the same time.

Falkland McFarland, partner in the firm of T. and S. Morrin, gave evidence as to receiving the revolver produced from Mr. Finch, and said that at the hitter request he hooded the instrument over to deceased's father. James .Mcintosh, employed in the Customs Department, said he'boarded with deceased at Mrs. Melville's, in Mountstreet. They lived there together for TVT\ I 8 M [ s - Melville shifted on the 26th ult they had to find fresh lode. mgs, and' they separated, deceased remarking that, ho was going home. Onthe Saturday morning witness heard that deceased was missing. On the Sunday morning, witness had occasion to visit the vacated premise in Mount-street, and tried the door of the outhouse, which was locked. On the following Wednesday, hearing that the relatives were becoming very uneasy at the young man's absence, lie communicated with Mrs Melville, to see if she could throw any light upon his disappearance. He then" heard that the key of the outhouse was missing, and ,it occurred to him that perhaps the missing man, was inside. Witness and young Melville wont to Mr. Finch's in tin- evening, and asked if the door had been opened. Mr. Finch replying in the negative, they suggested , that perhaps deceased vvtss inside, and securing the police, burst open the closet, with the result that young Fenwick was found.

Robert 0. A. Eraser, salesman for T-. ami S. Morrin, said deceased drove in # cab up to witness' place in Ponsonby on the evening of the 26tti ult. He was not the worse for liquor, but bad been drinking. • ' " ; " , ■ ' '"■ Chief-Detective Marsack: What did h« say? ; ' "GOOD-BYE." Witness: He said, "I have come Ito say 'good-bye,' I am going away to Kaipara in the morning, and I could not go away without saying ' goodbye' to you." [ paid, "What is the meaning of this? What has made you come to this conclusion?" He said, "Come with me and I will tell you." Continuing, witness said ho went into the cab with the deceased and drove with him to the Pons on by Club Hotel, and from-there to the Star Hotel, Newton. They then visited the Caledonian and Wynyard Arms Hotels in succession, after which they drove back to witness' place in Ponsonby, in order that witness might change his clothes. On returning to the cab, witness found deceased vomiting. They returned to town in the cab, and after' visiting lbs Occidental Hotel, where they both had drinks, they went to Puller's. On leaving the Opera House, > they walked down the street as far as His Majesty's Arcade. Deceased invited witness in to supper, but witness refused to go, and left him. This would bo about eleven o'clock. Before leaving deceased said to witness. "Good-bye, Robert!" and shook hands. Witness offered to se/- him away by train next morning, but deceased asked him, as a favour, not to come. "THIS WILL DO THE TRICK." Chief-Detective Marsack: Now, I think there was an incident in the cab while you were driving from the Ponsonby Club Hotel to the Star Hotel. Newton? ' Witness: Yes. He said, "I am giving," and produced a, cardboard box. He said, "This will do the trick." I said. "Whatever have you there?" Deceased at first refused to tell me, but I saw that it was a. revolver. He said : " When I. go away, if I get into trouble, this will do the trick." On driving up WelJesleystreet, from the Wynyard Arms Hotel, young Fenwick remarked again that " this will do the trick," and said the revolver was loaded in every chamber. . And you thought it was all bluff, I suppose?— Yes. I never thought there was an atom of truth in it. Witness said be endeavoured to get the revolver away from the deceased, but could not. Deceased threatened bo shoot him. Deceased cried in the cab. The Coroner: Do you know whether he could stand much liquor? Witness: Oh, I think ,it would take very little to knock him over. To Chief-Detective Marsack: He had borrowed money on several occasions from him. To act as he did he must have teen in an unusual frame of mind. FINDING OF THE REVOLVER. Richard E. Finch, bookseller (the owner of the premises an question in Mountstreet), said that on the morning following the discovery of the deceased he washed the floor of the outhouse, and found the revolver. He took the weapon down to T. and S. Morrin's, and 1 gave it to Mr. McFarlamd to give to Mr. Fenwick. "At that time," continued Mr. Finch, "I did not know that the man was dead, or that there was any talk about the revolver." Chief-Detective Marsack: Now, did you give any information aiboufc this revolver to the police? Witness: No, not until the evening when the constable called upon me. No doubt I should have done so before. You did not intend to say anything at all about the revolver, is it?— Yes; unless it came, out that it, had been used.. Perhaps I did wrong in not reporting it. The coroner pointed out that it was the. duty of Mr. Finch to at once have handed the revolver to the police. EVIDENCE OF THE POLICE.. Constable Burke gave evidence as to bursting open the outhouse. Deceased was lying on his right side. They removed him into the house. • Witness went up to the place again and saw Mr, Finch, after the latter had cleaned out the place. Witness asked Mr. Finch if he found anything, but he said "No."

Chief-Detective Marsack said ho visited the scene of the tragedy on the morning of Thursday last, and picked up the cardboard box produced. He got the revolver produced from Mr. Fenwick. THE VERDICT. The jury found . that death was due to hemorrhage, resulting from laceration of the brain, caused by a bullet wound selfinflicted whilst temporarily insane.