SUICIDE AT ISLAND BAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6052, 9 November 1906, Page 8

SUICIDE AT ISLAND BAY.

An inquest was held at the morgue by the City Coroner, Mr James Ashcroft, yesterday afternoon into .the circumstances connected with the death of an Austrian fisherman named Jacob Eussion, whoso body was found suspended by the neck from the rafters of an outhouse at Island Bay about 7' o’clock yesterday morning. ' A married woman named May Griggs stated that 'she had lived with the deceased for about two yeara. He had been very strange in his manner on two or three occasions and once ho got up in the middle of the night, took a razor and threatened to cut witness’s throat. She took the razor from him and he quietened down after a while. He resisted her attempts to take possession of the razor, but when she had cut her hand with it he let go Ilia hold. This was about four months ago. On Wednesday morning he was strange in his manner and complained of being unwell and having a very severe headache. Ho went to town and returned before noon. He had proposed to go out again but said his head wa/s too bad. He added that he was going to bring all bis fisherman’s gear auhoro and sell everything. His gear consisted of a boat and nets. Witness went to bed about 9 o’clock and deceased went to tho hotel and got two bottles of beer, of which deceased, the witness and a boarder named Oaefiidy partook. In the morning Caesidy came and asked witness what was the matter with Eussion. She went out and saw deceased standing, as she thought, •in the shed. On putting her hande on him she found him cold and dead. They did not cut him down then, but called a man named Mickleson. Witness thought deceased had monetary difficulties. Ho was thirty-five ‘ years of age. Thomas Verdon Cassidy said ho got up about 7 o’clock yesterday morning, and went to tho yard -.find chopped some kindling wood. On looking round ho saw Hussion standing in the shed with his back towards him. Witness lit tho fire and as deceased did not come in ho went to see what was keeping him. Witness then found ho was hanging by a repo from .the raftera with his feet nearly touching the ground. Witne®. then knew Hussion was dead and had been so for some hours, for the body was cold and stiff, but he did not like to, cut tho body down until someone else was present. During the last few days deceased had seemed Strange and excited, and complained of his head. Tlio windy weather had interfered with his fishing work for the past ‘two or three weeks, and ho seemed worried about it, Charles Mickleson also gave evidence. When he came to see Eussion, Cassidy had n knife to cut down the body, but they saw the man was dead ana that they had come too late.

The jury found that the deceased had committed suicide whilst in a state of temporary insanity.