DIARY OF DEATH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21254, 6 August 1932, Page 2 (Supplement)

DIARY OF DEATH

MOTORIST'S LAST HOUR RECORD OF PASSING CARS POISONED BY EXHAUST FUMES A motorist, seated at tho drivingwheel of his car in Epping Forest, Essex, on June 13, wrote a death diary while fames from his engine slowly poisoned him. The body was identified as that of Wiliam Hollis Dtckman, aged 40, of Wal thamstow. 110 had been employed by a London bacon company. Tho tragedy happened in the shade of a tree at High Beach. A motorist saw Dickman lying on the steering-wheel, and, thinking lie was ill, telephoned to tho police. When the police arrived the engine of the car was still running. Near Dicknian's mouth was a length of rubber tubing, which had carried tho exhaust gases into the car. Beside the body the police found a bank paying-in book. On tho cover Dickman bad written his name. Underneath in large letters was the warning, " Mind the exhaust." On the back of a page which had been torn from this book Dickman had written n diary of the vehicles which passed him during the hour preceding his death. Each entry was timed, the first being made shortly after midday. Then at short intervals were written the numbers of the cars which had apparently passed along the adjoining road. Midway in tho diary came a note of the passing of a police sergeant in uniform. Then at 12.45 p.m., in writing less clear

than the bold entries preceding it, the dying man had written " Engine still running." The last note—a car number—was made at 12.55. Near the diary was a sealed letter addressed to Dickman's wife. A doctor, who was summoned by the police, found that Diekman had died soon after the last half-illegible entry in his diary, Mrs. Diekman, when informed of the tragedy, would not believe it. " It cannot bo true," she said. " This is too awful. 1 cannot believe it." Diekman had lived in Walthamstow for many years, and had a family.