SUICIDE AT KENSINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4743, 1 May 1877, Page 3

SUICIDE AT KENSINGTON.

An '.inquest Vas held at the Hospital yesterday, before Dr Hocken and a Jury of twelve, touching the death of Alfred Goldsmith. The following evidence was taken:— "' .'. : " ■;' • ■ :'

: Theresa Maria Goldsmith : The deceased, who was ray husband, was named Alfred Goldsmith. We lived at Kensington, and had been married about three and a half years. My husband was a labourer, and amative of Sussex. Ha was about 29 years of age at the time of his death. He was not at work hst Saturday! owing to the rain, but stopped at home and did odd jobs about the house. On tha Friday evening, he seemed very;low-spirited, and I fetched: some beer,; some of which he drank, and then went to bed. On Saturday evening, he went to the store, and, on returning to the house, asked me if I would hare some brandy. I replied '• Yes I,' and he went arid fetched a shillingsworth, of which he drank about n third. Ho afterwards gave me a £l-note, and told me to get" abattle of brandy, adding, "Don't spend all the pound." I did not see him take any of the brandy from the bottle, but I had some, and then went to bed. This was 1 about,twelve o'clock. , Be shortly afterwards, came to bed, and iissed. me, faying "God bless you." Thi3 was his usual custom, and I did not than, nor during the whole of tha Saturday, notice anything peculiar about him—he was apparently in his ordinary health and spirits. On Friday he was lowisplrited, but I havo seen him like that before;tho; gh Ido not know the reason. About two years ago he was sitting looking at some trees, when he'remarked to me, "Theresa, what a fine tree that would be for a man to hang himselfcin." I said, " Alfred, what would your father and mother think of you if they beard you speak like that?" After I had been in bed some time—l cannot siy how loner—l waß awoke by healing a great noise, sTnd, on looking up, saw my husband hanging by a rope round his neck to tho bedroom door, which was halt open. Ho waa struggling, and making a noise. His feet were some inches from the floor. I jumped out of bed and screamed out, "Oh, God! Alfred," and then cut the rope and let him fill on to (he floor. He was hot sensible then, but was breathing. I then r.n to Mrs Miller and Mrs Attywell and told them what had occurred, and some ens went for Dr Cowie, but before ho came life was extinct. When I cus deceased down I rubbed hi 3 body to try and do him same good. I know of no cause why he should commit suicide. Ho was a very temperate man. Sometimes I take a little drop too much, but th it would not depress the deceased : indeed, he weuld have been the first to give it to mo. There was a little case, which was used as a seat, ne»r his feet when I giw him hanging.—To a Juror: Deceased was niy second husband, and I hive no child en by him, but we lived very happily. . : Elizabeth Attywell: I live at Kensington, next door to Sirs Goldsmith's. Between 1 and 2 o'clock jesterday (Sunday) morning, I heard a loud row going on in Mrs Goldsmith's house. There was no one in the house but themselves. In about on hour afterwards I heard sonw noise a3 of a body falling on to the floor, and imnv diately afterwards Mrs Goldsmith came and screamed out, "Murder! my husband has hanged himself." I went with her into the house, and saw the deceased bolstered up with pillows against ths bedstead. The rope was hanging to the door, and a brandy box was boside it, with a lighted candle on it. I saw the mark of the rope on deceased's neck. • Mrs Goldsmith was talking incoherently to the deceased, who was not then dead. He lived for some minutes aftor I went into the house, but was insensible. I rushed out.of the house in my chemise, and aUrined the police. I last s»w deceased alive at 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, when be seemed to be in good heilth and spirits. Mrs Goldsmith frequently took too much liquor, and had been drinking heavly for a fortnight before this occurrence. Decease! was a. very quiet man, tnd I think he took to heart the intemperate habits of hi 3 wife, I always considered him a healthy man, and of sound mind.

Dr Cowi j.: About five o'clock yesterday morning 1 wasc*Ued" to see deceased, and upon getting to the house saw him propped up against' the bed. Life was extinct, and I should think he had been dead about an hour. There was a deep mark on the right aide of the neck, caused by the pres-ure of the rops. So far as I could judge Mrs Goldsmith was sober. :

i EWzibeth Miller, ft neighbour of Mrs Goldsmith's/ said: Between nine and ten o'clock on Saturday night I went, in.to Mrs Goldsmith'^ The deceased came in bringing a number of small articles, among which was a ahilling's worth of brandy, whioh his wife had told him to bring. Mrs Goldsmith had some of the brandy, which she ordered her husbani? to give her. She wjs a woman of intemperate habits, and ordered deceased about like a dog. 1 saw Goldsmith at about one o'clock on Sunday morning, when he was perfectly sober and i.i good health. I then went to bed, and sometime afterwards was awakened by hearing Mrs Goldsmith screaming out that her husband hail hanged himself- I thought she was under the influence of drink. Deceased had not a very happy life with his wife, who used to tell him to go up country and get out of her sight, and all sorts of things. Constable O'Br'on, stationed at Kensington: \t 20 minutes past 4 ytaterday morning Mrs Attywell called at the station and said that Mr Goldsmith had hanged himself. I went aoross to the houße immediately, and saw deceased sitting on the floor of his bedroom wiih his hack leaning agaim-t the side of the bed, I saw that he was not quite dead, as. his'eyes were moving, but he wa3 insensible, and breathing very slowly. He wns undressed, and had nothing on but his shirt and flannel. I looked at the door which was pointed cut to mo as the one that the body hid been cut down from, and siw the rope produced (a---piece of three-strand stuff about the &ize of an br.linary clothes line suspended from it. A loop was hanging over tha top of tho door, and a part of the Tope which had been cut off was lying on tha' ground. The knot by which the line was hitched is drawn tight, as if a heavy strain had been put upoa it. I have known deceased for about three weeks. He was a quiet, inoffensive man: but his wife was of drunken and dissolute habits. . • ■ The; Coroner: There, seems to be no reasonable

doubt but that .the deceased committed suicide by hanging himself, and the question therefore, for jou, ■gentlemen, to decide is whetuer or not be. was tern-; porarily insane at the time the deed was committed. The evidence is to the eff'ct that he was a man of quiet, sober hibits, but I question whether the con- ■' duct of h's wite, who, it hia been shown, was addicted to drink—was not enough to drive him temporarily mad, and to cause him to embrace any means of getting rid of the misery into which her excesses • plunged him. I think that a verdict of temporary insanity would be the most charitable and just one that, !you could return. ■- , ~ i After a short deliberation tho jury unanimously ;found—" That deceased committed suie'de while in; a 'state of temporary insanity;" and the Coroner there-; : upen called Mrs Goldsmith into the room, and, after j explaining toner the verdict, admonished her in a 'few? well-chosen'words to abstain in .future from drink,; ': which had been the cause of so much misery to herself

•and the means of bringing her husband to an untimely end. . ; , •> .; : ; ■;