ANOTHER CASE OF SUICIDE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 827, 16 August 1864, Page 4

ANOTHER CASE OF SUICIDE.

A very melancholy case of suicide occurred yesterday morning, Mr Joseph Woolf, who was weU known as a brewer, destroyedjrbimsclf bytaking strychnine at fhe Shamrock Hotel, where he had entra.ed a bed on Sunday night. As soon as it was discovered what the uphappy man. had done, Mr T. M. Hocken, surgeon, and Dr. Hunter were called in. Despite their exertions, Mr Woolf died in about three quarters of aa hour after it was found that he had taken poison. Pecuniary difficulties, as in the recent case of suicide, undoubtedly prompted Mr Woolf to destroy himself, and here, again, those difficulties are described as being slight, arid such as might easily have been met and overcome. But Mr Woolf seems to have familiarised1 himself with the idea of self-murder; and he made an attempt, oravow d his intention, to commit the crime, a fewrmonths ago. Mr Hocken, the coroner, held an- inquest on the body, at the shamrock, during the atternoon,' when the following evidence was given. Mr Harvey, solicitor, attended to watch the proceedings on behalf of friends of the deceased;, and the Coroner briefly stated ths law as applicable fo the case.' William Bui mer "Davis: I am a commercialtraveller and I reside in the Shamrock Hotel. I knew the deceased for about ten-years. I sawliim last night, and he told mo- he was going to • s'e p here He was a brewer. I believe that hehas two children; his wife is dead. He came to my bedroom about half-past seven this morning.. He told me he had been playing cards on Saturday ni"ht and had lost money. He said that hia brother-in-law, Mr Joel, had been a great friend to him, and had helped him-, m every way, andr that lie wa<" ashamed to fr.ee him. He then said, he wanted L_Btomake up has accounts to-day*., and he asked me to go to ftfr Aikman, to see if he would'lend ifc. I said I would if he would giveniea letter ; and he did, audi went. Tiisisthe, " John Aikman, -Will you lend ms L2O for*one month. 1 will give-you my acceptance fop one month as collateral security, until you take* the amount out in beer, and I will also allow you, a very liberal discount o_-'eaeh hogshoad ot ale,. say lbs. a hogshead. , MJ . w^ "If you will do i_v give the money to thfe bearer. Don't mention anything aboufc last night." Mr Aikman declined to lend ths money. Oit my return, I found the decease 1 in my bedroom, where I had left him. He said lie would have* two hours' steep. I said, " No, you shall face the. matter ; and if you are not up when I come fron. hraakfisfc, 1 will pull you out o£bed." Gn comirg from breakfast, 1 found hiai standing against, the dressing table, occupie i with his.books and: papers, and he had evidently been writing, for he* A 0: closed the book as I got to the. door.. He talked very wildly, which I did not particularly notice, thinking he had been drinking last night; but, I went and told Mr Murphy, whogot up, and asked him to look in upon the deceased, who was lying on my bfd. I. then went ti Mr Joel, snd left word for him to come and see me immediately. He called on me .within a quarter of an hour, and we came down here. , The deceased at one* commenced talking very-' wildly. He had in. _ti< hand three papers, waiebb I took from him while Mr Joel held his hand*. Two were empty, and one contained a powder, which you pronounced to be strychnine; all wero marked " Strychnine—poison." There might have boan. more papers, for tbey were att. 4 CASES HATSj &c.

up, but I saw three marked as I have • stated. Mr-' Joel ran for a .doctor, and you came. I saw you administer something, and .also u?e the stomach pump. I thiok he survived for an hour. Dr, Hunter came, and I saw a deal of toffee used—pumped info the deceased. Whenever the deceased was embarassed, he was always very excitable—he did r.ofc like to face -' <li_-culties---ind<?ed, he could not face them. .;ud Ie shunned everything. I n<ver saw anything like insanity about him until this ntorr.ing, -when I ;thrus;ht he had a fit of delirium tremens, and therefore I went to Mr Joel, i-.e was veiy much excited when he came to my bedToom first. When I say that he talked wildly, I mean that he said that he was ruined-he -couldn't eet through it-he could not fcoe hts brother-in-law, who had helped him so oiten— and that ifc was drivin. him mad. It all related '-tohis prfsent misfortune. I saw the deceased last night: he was perfectly sober, but som<what excited. When I came back with Mr Joel, the deceased asked' Mr Joel to take care of lus - .-children, and he asked me to follow him to his ■grave- Ido not remember anything else that he By Jurors: I have known the deceased to be -frnquent'v. pushed formouey; I believe he was embarrassed now, but not to an extent to make Mm destroy himself. He was afraid to admit to ■ Mr Joel that he had lo<t at cards. By the Coroner: I handed to Mr Michael Murphy a _las< that had powder on its side. Daniel Murphy: lam one of the proprietors -of the Shamrock Hotel. About half-past ten ■ • -, -o'clock last nieht, the decease.'! came in and asked - me for a bed. I told him I had not a bedroom vacant, but' I would make up a bed in one of ..,, ,-*he parlours I did not see him again until Mr Davis called me this morning. Mr . Davis told me that he was going to the deceased^ brother-in-law; and he asked me to go mto his ■ and see the deceased, as there was some...■i':*_ing curious about his conversation. I went.. • ;. and -while there the deceased said,"'You ought - '. ----to kick me out for taking strychnine." He was ;.„..., perfectly sober R«t night, but he was a little •-escited—more jolly than he used to be. Mr Joel ,-■-, had gone for a doctor whenthe deceased spoke of -: •' .^strychnine. * ' . _, . -,w- "Maurice Joel: I am a storekeeper in Princes - r -.street. The deceased was my brother in-law, and " -was about 34 or 35 years old. -When I came to ' businc-s, about half-past nine o'tfo'-k, I beard -the message from Mr Davis, and I went to him - - --at Lantre and Tlioneman's. He told me the -deceased was very excited, and I had better go : and tee him.' We came down here at once. The deceased was lying on the bed. He asked me -what I came there for—couldn't; I leave him ' alone. I said, " It's no use going on like that,' ■ and I sat down on the bed. I saw paper in his Miand, and asked, "What have you got there 1 • and he said "Nothing." We-took these papers from him,- and then he said, " Well, j it's no good-it's too late; you can't nelp me now." The moment 1 saw these papers I ran oft to Dr. Hocken who gave me a prescription which I got, and Dr. Hocken was here be- ■ fore I got hack. The prescription was an emetic, •audit made the deceased sick. The stomach pump was used and coffee was copiously administered: . I think the deceased died in about three • quarters of an-bour after I got the papers.- I • found a letter in the b-droora. This is it: — , " August 1-fch, 1884. "Dear Josl and Kate,—For Almighty sake, "for my children's sake, donot blame me too much. Tour doctrine, I know, is to face the difficulties, I "through my own improvidence, have placed me , in. I cannot forgive myself fur what I have done. I assure you I intended never to play -cards m-y more; bufc through sitting down'to play for a small amount, and losing, and trying -to get it back, I believe I have forfeited your con"fidence. I have nofc the'face to see jou My poor, darling children, (iod knows who will take -care of them, without you and poor Kate look •after ihem. My God, this rash act will, I am , afraid, grieve you very much ; bufc I cannot help it. I have made up my mind what I am " -going to do. Yes., the thought is horrible; 'but, nevertheless, I have thought of this death for years and years, and at last lam -obliged to realise. I did intend to write a long letter, but I find I cannot- My mind is too . . "rmuch occupied. Dear Joel.'good bye. May tie ' blessiuf of a dying man always attend you. - -.'or -dear Kate's and fbr your own kindness towards ' iaefiJfeel grateful. For although I was going ' '"-to write to father and mother, but I.find I ean- -. not. vJoel, I cannot write any more. The time 1 is coming, and/ then I shall- know the grand secret. I leas^off with wishing your family ancl :self happirfess, and only trust I may be soon forgotten by you.' Good-bye. dear Jcel and IKafce. Joseph Woolf. " Aikman and Crawford, I have given them a , ' for LlO—all they have had from me this ."inohtb, but I had LlO from hun yesterday," I know the 1-tter to he in the handwriting of the . deceased. I did nofc notice am thing wrong in his ' • manner for the last few days He was apparently quite well' when I saw hjm on Saturday ■ --afternoon. I remr-mber about six weeks ago, he threw himeel' on the bed and would not eet up -or taik about anything. He was very exitable in temperament. He was in a little pscumary 1 trouble, but I believe he was solvent and some-•-tbiog more. • By Mr Harvey: I- do not think I should nave -'-atnil objected to lend him 1.28. I had often 'helped him, and we had not quarreled at all. By the Coroner : I found this book, iv which the deceased had written this morning. The Coroner said the book was a diary, and •' -that under the heading, "Monday, August ; 15th," there was written in pencil: - "Poison is taken. Mercy for my children, - Almighty God. I fe«l the poison, iv-ercy, :mercy, on my children. I feel the poison work- - "ing. My love to you, Kate. Be very kind to my children—a dying man asks you. Maurice .-Joel,. I <*an write no more. Write to father. • Write : I have no time to write to him. Poison "j's "taking effect. I can' feel it coming upon -ne.- "J. Woolf." " I am lying down en my bed to die. Dear -Joel, I must write to you, in my dying moments. I say so. My legs, I feel, are getting stiff. God have mercy on me. I have violated ray promise to you. Remember me to mother, father, Esther, Kate. Dear Kate, do mfc fret yourself^ You "have done all you three could for me, and 'so ha* .Joel. I must; leave off now. God bless Joel; I .-am sure he wishes me well.'' John Aikman: I keep the Glasgow Arms Hotel. I knew the deceased through business. . He came to me last night, betw< en nine and ten •o'clock, and seemed very much excited. He said tliat be had been playing cards.from Saturday night until just then, and had lost a deal of money- He said he wai= afraid to co home to "Mr Joel's—wa« afraid to face him. He said that •he would leave the place this morning, but I was ■not to reveal it to any one. I asked where he "was going, or what he meant to do; but he said ;he would nofc tell me I pressel to know where he was going; and he replied, "Oh ! '^you'll see it in the Evening Star ; but don't you tell any one." I thiuk he said .he'lost aboufc L3O, but I'm not quite sure. He was perfectly sober; but he was excited—from his loss, a3 I supposed. He got some envelopes and paper ■from me, saying he was going to write to his ■parents. Samuel Marks: lam a brewer, and was lately in the employment ofthe deceased. Three - -or four months ago, he called me into his room— • - he was lodging in the Shamrock—and burst out •crying. He told me he had lost T 400 during the week, and he had no money left to meet his bills. He took a pocket book from his pocket, and took out two papers, labelled '■ Strychnine-'* Be showed them to me, and said be meant to take •them. He showed me several letters written on ■mourning paper, and said they were to his fricnuV I remonstrated, and he. said it was no use, he -was determined. I said he would be a great 'rogue to desert his children. I asked him for the papers, bufc he refused, and put them into fche ' look, wbich he pocketed. I suddenly threw him back, and took the papers by violence; I asked _iim his difficulties, and he told me what money he wonted that dav—l6o for one bill and--130 ;for another. 1 said. "You shall have ifc: that's all over. What's next." He spoke of engagements; and I said. " We'll go through ;the bookB." I kept with, him all day, and left to morrow;

him cnlm at night. "Whenever he was m difficulty- the slightest-I consider that he was insane ; he had not, then, fche ordinal y prudence ot a By'a Juror: My wife burned the papers that I took from the deceased. He said afc the time, "It doesn't matter. I can get plenty more. The Coroner said that when he was called in, a paper wis shown to him which undoubtedly contained strychnine ; and the symptoms of P™™; ir-n- by strychnine were unmntakeably manifested b( the deceased. The tetanic convulsions were very strong. The deceased spoke once or twice: he asked him to wait a few minutes. He suspected that the deceased must have taken a very enormous dose of the poison ; and he believe', that no means could have saved him. ltie deceased vomited almost immediately after taking the emetic. , , ~ A Juror: Is it known where he got the P°The Coroner said that it w-'S bouehfc of Mr Bagiey. It was a'great pity that these violent poisons were so easily obtainable, -often it was sold avowedly for poisoning rats; but it was a pity that more care was not taken in its sale. It would be useless to. call Mr Bagley ; he was not to blame in the matter. The Coroner again briefly stated the law. It was for thp jury now to say whether the deceased, when he look the poison, was laboring-under ter- } pory insanity, or whether, while sane, be dcs troved himself. In the latter case, the deceased had committed a crime that deserved punishment as much as the murdering of another person. The jury were left to consult for about a quarter ot an hour. When the room was again opened, the Foreman (Mr H. Bastings} saii that 14 out of the 15 jurors agreed in the verdict, "That the deceased poisoned, himself while laboring under temporary insanity;" and they also wished to add this rider—" The Jury desire to express their opinion that steps should be taken as soon as possible, to prevent the indiscriminate sale of. poisons which has hitherto existed in the Province." ' The Coroner: I will record your verdict, gentlemen ; and I will take care to forward your rider to the proper authorities. •