SERIOUS CHARGE.

NZ Truth, Issue 169, 12 September 1908, Page 5

SERIOUS CHARGE.

Schoolmaster Blows His Brains Out.

The Same Silly Old Verdict.

Charges of indecency against school teachers have been pretty frequent of late, and there can be no doubt /that a charge qf this kind was the cause of Kdtnond Jardine, one of the masters of the New Plymouth High School taking his own life. It appears that Jardine was arrested by 'Tec. Boddam and. Uop. McIvor on a serious charge of indecency, but was bailed out half an hour afterwards by friends and taken to his quarters m a bachelor establishment. Whatever the nature of .the charge — whether it was .m connection -wit-h ohijdreji or not nothing has been divulged — it seems to have, weighed heavily on Jardine's, mind, and he became ' greatly depressed. He was last seen alive by J\{r A. H. Jobnstouie; a solicitor, who had a conversation with Jardine about midnight. The lawyer man appears tc have endeavored to cheer the school teacher up a bit, and the latter appears to have been impressed with the advice tendered to him by the lawyer, and promised to go to bed. About, a quarter of an hour afterwards the lawyer heard a shot m Jardine's room, and on running m, found the schoolmaster lying, fully dressed, on tie floor m a pool of blopd, with .a terrible wound m the head, a bullet having passed through both Hemples. A five-cham-bered revolver, with an empty cartridge, was found under the body. An examination of the weapon made it clear that deceased did not act on the impulse of the moment, as the cartridge was too large for the revolver and had' to be forced into position. Marks on the shell also show that the trigger had been pulled more than once before deceased effected his purpose. At the inquest Mr Johnstone stated thai; he . informed deceased of the charges which had been brought against hin.i, and, as far as he could judge, that was the first decease^ knew of the charges. A verdict of death whilst temporary insane was returned.