OLD MAN'S SUICIDE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18223, 17 October 1922, Page 9

OLD MAN'S SUICIDE.

LETTER TO THE POLICE. "FAILURE AMONG FAILURES.' [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORHKSPONDENT.] WHANGAREI. Monday. An inmate of the Old Man s Home 'th« Whangarei Hospital, named Alexandei Bell, committed Buicide yesterday. At th. inquest to-day Dr. Hall, medical super in tendent, said he saw the deceased earliei in the day in the hospital groundsi anc spoke to him. He noticed nothing un usual and regarded him as in a norma state of mind. George Edward Taylor, residing a( Otaika Road, about threequarters of £ milo from the hospital, deposed to hear 1 ing a sharp report like a gun or a blast, He looked out of the -window and saw smoke near the bridge. -Ho went out tc investigate and found the body of tru deceased with the weapon he had usee sticking up in the ground beside the body. Constable Power said he found the bodj with the face terribly injured. Th< weapon which had apparently been used consisted of a piece of iron pipe, 13m, long. It was sealed at one end with a strong bolt and a priming hole had beer bored. He also found two bottles thai showed traces of having contained powdei and a solid piece of iron, which had evidently been used as a ramrod. In tht deceased's pocket he found a letter to th< police, which read as follows:— *' Why 1 take my life no one is to blame, I got the toois from Marshall's four years ago, and made preparations. '* Marshall is th« local ironmonger. The letter proceeded to give such reasons for his act as " Senility and senile decay, insomnia. . . , a failure among failures. * God forgives mc for the act and will receive my soul and may Gad forgive them that would deprive me of what the doctor prescribed for me, They stopped the malt." Dr. Hall recalled, said the medicin* had not been stopped and the deceased die not suffer from all the things mentioned in the letter. He must have been undei some delusion. The deceased was shown to have been 82 years of age. He was born in Grenada, and had been an inmate at the hospital sir.ee May, 1917. His full name was said to be John Alexander Bell. He was knows as "Captain," and was reputed to be a retired mariner and one-time gum digger. A verdict was returned that deceased caused his death by shooting himself with an improvised gun while insane.