FOUND HANGING

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12425, 20 April 1926, Page 7

FOUND HANGING

DEATH FROM SHOCK AN UNUSUAL CASE FIRST DOCTOR HAD SEEN Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April X 3. Charles Nelson, a single man, who resided at Dublin street, Lyttelton, was discovered hanging from a rafter in his cottage on Saturday. A strange circumstance in connection with the case was the evidence given at the inquest by Dr. Gilmour, who stated that death was not due to strangulation or a broken neck, but probably to syncope, caused by the shock of the attempt at suicide. EVIDENCE AT INQUEST MIGHT HAVE BEEN HEART FAILURE. Par Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April 19. At tho Lyttelton police station yesterday afternoon, Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., district coroner, opened an inquest concerning tho death the previous afternoon, of Charles Nelson, single, 68 years of age, a native of Sweden, who had been found dead in his bacli in Dublin street with a window cord which was attached to a

beam fastened around his neck. Actin g-Detoctire M. Hodgins represented the police. Miss Emma Duffell, a neighbour who identified the body, said tbat deceased, a fisherman by occupation, had done ,no work for the past two or three years owing to indifferent health, and lie lived alone. She last 6aw him at 8 p.m. on Friday, after he had paid a visit to her mother's .house, where he usually went for his meals. Latterly he had been more or less depressed concerning tbe condition of his health. At no time, however, had he given any indication that he intended to take his life. Constable "W. J. Irwin said that when he went along to the bach at 2.30 p.m. the front door was locked, and the back door was bolted from the inside. Deceased was hanging partly in the doorway leading to the kitchen from the front room. Deceased’s left leg was partly kneeling on. a backless chair, while the toe of the right foot was resting on the floor. The cord wa9 knotted underneath the chin, arid the end of the cord was fastened to a rafter above the doorhead, inside the kitchen. The weight of deceased’s body was on the cord. His naturalisation papers showed that he Iliad become naturalised in the year 1899. FACE NATURAL COLOUR Dr B. H. Gilmour said he examined the body at the morgue at about 3 p.m. on Saturday. The only external sign was the mark of the cord then around deceased’s neck. The neck was not broken and there was no sign of asphyxia. Tho face was practically a natural colour. He thought deceased had died from syncope. Dr C. H. Upham, who had also examined the body, was of the same opinion. This condition, he said, wooild probably be brought about by the excitement or fright when deceased was fixing up the cord or when he was / about to kick tho cbnir nwny. There waa no doubt deceased was in the act of committing suicide, ns the rope around his neck and one knee was on the chair. To tho coroner: Deceased might have died from heart failure. He had never seen a case like it before. The coroner said that as there was some doubt at present as to the exact cause of death ho would defer giving his vordieft until Wcdnefxlay, to enable Dr Gilmour to carry out a nost-mortem examination in the meantime.