Accidents & Offences

New Zealand Mail, Issue 745, 11 June 1886, Page 30

Accidents & Offences

SUICIDE BY HANGING AT NEWTOWN. Another addition to the long list of suicides through drink is reported. A well-known express-driver named Thomas Mercer was discovered last Friday morning at an early hour suspended by means of a rope round his neck from a harness-hook in a stable at the rear of his residence in Donald McL'ean-street, New* town. From particulars supplied by Mrs Mercer, wife of the unfortunate man, it appears that Mercer had been drinking rather heavily of late. On Thursday night he was takeu home in a strange express in a drunken state, and could give no information as to where he had left his own. horse and, vehicle. He left the house again, and returned home later in a worse state than before. He then went to bed, and passed a restless night. He took a cup of tea at 5 o’clock last Friday morning, and shortly after got up. Mrs Mercer, not wishing her husband to go out, went for a neighbor named Reece to keep him company. Keece not coming she went for another neighbor named McKechnie, who accompanied her into the house to have a talk with Mercer. Not finding her. husband in the house, she asked McKechnie to look for him on the back premises. On going into the stable McKechnie discovered deceased in the condition above indicated. McKechnie, receiving a shock, did not cut the body down, but went for Reece, who returned with him, and the body, which was still warm, was cut down. The heels of deceased were touching the ground when the body was discovered, but life appeared to be extinct. Dr Collins was immediately sent for, but his services were of no avail.

An inquest touching the death of Thomas Mercer, express-driver, of Donald McLeanstreet, Newtown, on the morning of Friday last, was held at the Newtown Hotel, on Saturday morning, before Dr Johnston, coroner, and a jury of six, of whom Mr J. Bell was chosen foreman. The body having been view, Alex. McKechnie, barman, was called, and deposed to the effect that on Friday morning, about half-past 6 o’clock he was called in haste by Mrs Mercer, wife of deceased, to come and Bee her husband. He followed Mrs Mercer into the house, and, not finding deceased there, at Mrs Mercer’s request he went to the rear, where he found Mercer hanging by a rope to a post between two stalls in the stable. Deceased’s feet were touching the ground, but the whole weight of the body was upon the rope. Deceased seemed to be quite dead, but witness did not attempt to cut the rape, aa he received a shock, and thought it _ best to get assistance, which he obtained from Emmanuel Reece. The two of them got the body down when life seemed to be extinct, although the body was warm. Witness then went for Dr Collins. The witness, who was subjected to a severe examination by the Coroner, thought that about two minutes elapsed after the disooveiy of the body before Reece and he cut it down. He was bo startled at seeing deceased hangiog that never occurred lo him that deceased’s life might be saved if the body were immediately cut down. His first thought was to get assistance. Witness had never had anything to do with such cases before, and lost his presence of mind. If he saw a man drowning he would not wait to get assistance before making an attempt to save him. Emmanuel Reece, carpenter, said he knew the deceased.. About half-past 6 o’clock ou Friday morning Mrs Mercer came to his house and called to him to come to her house quickly. He got up and dressed himself and went into Mercer’s house, where he saw Mrs Mercer sitting on a bed. On asking what was the matter, Mrs Mercer exclaimed, “ Oh, my poor Tom 1 ” Witness looked out at the back, and saw McKechnie, who beckoned to him to come out. He followed McKechnie into the stable, where he saw deceased hanging in the manner already described. Witness helped to take the body down, and examined it. It was

warm, but he was quite certain that Mercsr was dead. The rope was not tight round deceased’s neck. They did not remove the rope because they thought it better that the police should see how it was. It took about a minute from the time he left the house to get the body down. Rebecca Mercer, wife of the deceased, said her husband was brought home in a strange express the worse for liquor ou Thursday evening about half-past 6. It was the first time he had been brought home, although he had been drinking lately, since he had taken to the business of express driving. He went out again shortly after, and witness followed him to the Newtown Hotel as she thought be was going to get more drink. She asked him to go back home, but he went inside the hotel, and as it was then raining heavily, and witness was getting wet, she returned home by herself. Could not tell if her husband got any drink at the hotel. He returned home about 8 o’clock. He then got a candle, broke it in two pieces, and put the pieces in his pocket. He then went to bed with his clothes on, and slept for about three hours. About 1 o’clock he got up and took his clothes off and went to bed again. He seemed troubled and restless, because, witness thought, his borse and express, which he had taken out on Thursday, had been taken away by somebody. At 1 o’clock he seemed to be much better, and afterward slept till about 4 J o’clock, when he got up and had a cup of tea which witness had left for him. He went to bed again, but did not go to sleep. Witness shortly after got up to make some toast and more tea for him. He seemed very unhappy and restless, and witness told him to lie still, and in the morning she would go with him to look for his express. He said he did not know where it was. At daylight he got up and partly dressed himself. Witness asked him not to go out again, but he replied “let me alone,” and witness, thinking he intended to go and get more drink, went out for Reece and McKechnie to keep him at home. McKechnie returned with her into the bedroom and not finding her husband there, she asked McKechnie to look for him at the back. When McKechnie returned he said he had found her husband in the stable, but advised her not to go there.' Deceased had not before threatened his life. He had been a very sober man until he took to the express business. He had been working on lea Station, and intended returning there with witness, having sold his express with that intention. The express which he had used just previous to his death was one that he had borrowed. And the loss of it seemed to prey on his mind. The foreman of the jury (Mr Bell) commentad on the blame attachable to hotelkeepers for supplying deceased with drink when in an intoxicated state. Another juror (Mr Wrigley), stated that he was in the Newtown Hotel when Mercer came in, and asked for half a pint of beer ; . but it was refused. He got no, driuk at all there. The Coroner thought that statement very satisfactory. In reviewing the evidence he said the most painful feature about the matter was the ignorance displayed where life might have been saved. The deceased lost his life through strangulation, and there was no possible doubt that he had committed the deed when in a state of insanity. There was just a possibility that had he been cut down when discovered he would have recovered, for it was evident that two or three minutes elapsed after the discovery until the body was cut down. He did not think, however, it was necessary to attach any blame to McKechnie in giving a verdict, as it was evident that the witness had entirely lost his presence of mind, and was swayed by the ignorant belief, common to many people, that in similar cases no action should be taken unless the police were present. What he (the Coroner) had said to the witness would doubtless act a 3 a salutary lesson to him and others placed in similar circumstances. There could be no suspicion of foul play infthe case, for of all instances of suicide hanging was the least open to doubt, owing to the difficulty of the crime being committed by others without evidence of a struggle on the part of the victim. The jury returned a verdict that deceased hanged himself while in a state of temporary insanity.

On Saturday night a man named Smith reported to the police that Thomas Page, milkman, of South Karori had been drowned during the afternoon. It appears from the statement of Mrs Page that her husband left the house with the intention of cutting her some wood. As he did not return for some time, she grew anxious and Informed a neighboring milkman named Smith of her husband’s absence. Smith, in company with another neighbour went in search of Page, and found him lying dead in a little stream, alongside which he had been cutting the wood. It is supposed that, beiog subject to epileptic fits, the unfortunate man must have been seized with a fit and fallen into the stream. When he was found the water was just rippling over his face, it beiug only 11 inches deep. Page had only been married a short time ago. He was a man of most temperate habits. The body was conveyed to the house of the deceased’a father.