SHE WANTED TO DIE

NZ Truth, Issue 1206, 10 January 1929, Page 5

SHE WANTED TO DIE

Young Wife Takes, Poison On New Year's Day ROWS NEARLY END FATALLY

(From ".N.Z. Truth's" Special Christchurch "Representative). The ushering m of 1929 will remain a bitter memory for a young married woman m Christchurch. A fragile piece of flotsam buffeted about on the.;unQert^in sea of matrimony for a short eleven months, she attempted to take herpife, but failed.

WHILE the world at large was heralding, ; 4n festive 'mood, 'the birth of another year, s)ie wrestled with her conscience. ■ ;'. ■ v, • *' Her married life.had not. been what she thought "it • would, and her path had been crossed by one of those persons who, lurking m the shadows, is ever ready to take advantage of domestic emergencies. On New Year's Eve, instead of sharing the celebration of the season with her husband, she went out with another man. ■ - For half an hour her husband pleaclf ed with her to realize the folly of her adventure, but „■ without ■ avail. Her mind was made lip, and .'she went, leaving her- "husband to ; sip from the bitter cup of disappointment. "What she did after that her husband does not know, but on New Year's Day he pleaded, with her to return. . An argument arose between the two at their rooms .m Armagh Street. Christchurch, m the early morning of January 1/ and a little later the girl was found m a semi-conscious condition m the street outside the rooms. She was rushed to the hospital; where restoratives snatched her from an approaching death. In her bag was found a poisonous powder which she admitted she had ■ taken m an attempt to destroy her-. self. . /•■■■.: The woman, who is only twenty-two years of age;, was spared the indignity of being the cynosure of an inquisitive

gallery when she was brought before Magistrate H. P. ' Lawry on a slack' morning at court to answer a charge of haying- attempted to commit suicide. Showing' signs of distress, she pleaded guilty, and was committed to the care of the Salvation Army for a week, to enable the police . to get m touch with her relatives m Auckland. The husband, a .young man of respectable appearance, told the. magis-; trate that he had no home m Christy church, but was living m rooms m. Armagh Street. He and his wife had hail a few rows during their brief span of married life, but he had never seriously threatened. her with divorce. ;;. The husband said he was willing. 1 to take his' wife:, back, and after a brief consultation with her he said she also assented, though judging from the tone of some inaudible remark, she did not appear a very willing party. ' . ■Subsequently the woman was again brought before, the court; as her brother had arrived from Auckland and expressed a- desire to take 'her back home, to live with hijn and his mother. After a consultation with the brother, the magistrate convicted and discharged ' the girl, and advised her not to be so foolish m the future.