ASYLUM INMATE’S SUICIDE
HUNG HIMSELF IN A HAYLOFT. . The hanging of Andrew John Somerville, ,au elderly of tho Porirua asylum, at tho-institution'on Thursday evening was tho subject of an. inquiry yesterday by Dr McArthur, coroner. Deceased, who had been transferred to the asylum from the Napier gaol in 1901. had enjoyed a considerable amount of liberty, as he had always been well conducted. Though suffering from mild de•mchtia he had never shown any suicidal tendency. He was in his customary spirits on Thursday. When tho inmate© returned fo* the night, ’about 7.30 it i was found Somerville was massing, and his body was subsequently discovered in the hayloft, hanging from a rafter. - Deceased was unmarried, without relatives in New Zealand, and, according to Dr C. Hassell, the medical superintendent, had harped on the fact that he had appealed to the Executive for liberty without success. The coroner returned a verdict that Somerville committed suicide by hanging, while of unsound mind, no blame being attachable to anyone.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM19101203.2.123
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7301, 3 December 1910, Page 12
Word Count
166ASYLUM INMATE’S SUICIDE New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7301, 3 December 1910, Page 12
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.