A WOMAN'S DETERMINED SUICIDE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1200, 1 March 1895, Page 32

A WOMAN'S DETERMINED SUICIDE.

An inquest was Held at the Morgue on February 20th, before Lieut.-Colonel McDonnell, Acting-Coroner, concerning the death of a woman named Ellen Walker, •who was seen to throw heiself into the ' harbour, off the breastwork, at an earlyhour that morning. Mr D. A. Auld was . foreman of the j ury. Dr Pollen, who was called when the •woman was brought out of the water, deposed that when he reached the breastwork life was quite extinct, and his efforts to restore life fc>y means of artificial respiration were without avail. He attended the woman in the Manners street Police Station on Saturday night last. She was drunk then. Thomas "Walker, general dealer, residing in Manners street, identified the body of°the deceased as that of his wife. On Monday evening last she asked him to give her some other clothes, and he replied that there were none left, that she had sold everything. Ten minutes later he missed her, and did not see her again until after she was taken out of the water. She was of intemperate habits, and had been drinking heavily for the past three weeks. She had never threatened to commit suicide. j Mary Turner, general servant, said she •was in company with the deceased all day Tuesday, but they had only two drinks during the day. Between 4 and 5 o'clock next morning witness saw her coming out of her yard in Manners street. She had no hat on, and ;told witness she could not get into the house —that she was sick and tired of life, and was going to drown herself. She rushed straight down to the breastwork and deliberately leaped into the harbour before witness could catch up to her. Witness at once gave the alarm. 'Deceased was sober when she spoke to ; witness. Constable ,T. Smith deposed that the

body was not recovered for about 20 minutes. Nightwatchman Rogers swam out and brought it to shore. Witness added that Nightwatchinan Rogers volunteered to swim out to the body, as he lived near at hand and would be able to change his clothes sooner than any one else who was there.

The jury returned a verdict of " suicide by drowning." The foreman of the jury said he thought steps ought to be taken to discover where women got drink from.