A WEDDING TRAGEDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13652, 23 July 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

A WEDDING TRAGEDY.

DETERMINED SUICIDE. CHRISTCIIURCH, July 12. A shocking tragedy occurrcd at Lincoln this morning:. A young man named Charles M'Cutchoon was to have been married in the Lincoln I'rcsbytvriun Church | at 11.30 and all the arrangements i had boon made. .U'( 'I'teheon w;' - at the : church for the bride, and there was no Imit or anything in ilie nature of ! ir.iiredy until ;;l 11.15 Detectives I>ishop i and Ward arrested (he man in the church Mi! a charge of having forged a c!iet|iio for ; £158 ill Wcllingtu-!. U'Cuieheiui made u.i ; resistance when, amsXl. ]J C remarket) that he would !::• ;-hl« to clear liimself, and (raw Detoctivo Ward an account of hie movements, with the object of showing : that, he had nor been in Wellington on ! May 31, the' dale on which lie is allowed ■ to have cashed the chci|ue for £158 in the name of his employer, Mi' A. W. ; Andrews, of tirceiiparl;. He seemed qtiilo ; rcsiped io his position, and, in the words ; of one of the detectives, was "as cool p.s ?- cucumber," few minutes after his arrest ; M'Cnteheon miked that he. might he allowed I to speak to the clergyman who was to | have married him, the Rev. W. Sponce. i 'J ho request, seemed a perfectly reasonable | one, ami lite prisoner v;as allowed to go I into a front room of the manse with Mr ' Spence. Defective Rishop had gone away » little distance, and Detective Ward rej mained on the steps at the front door, ! from vhare lie could see, the prisoner. In j order to speak to his companion, however, ; Detective Ward lost sight of M'Cutcheon for a tow moments, ami the prisoner took advantage of the opportunity to secure Mr Sounce's permission to retire to a closet at the back of the manse. . The defectives were at. the door a few moments after he had entered, but almost immediately a shot was heard. The door was opened, and M'Cutc.heon was found lying on the floor with a smoking revolver in his hand and a large bullet wound in his forehead. Dr Lyon was soon on the snot, and found the man still breathing, but evidently very badly wounded. He <lid what was possible under the circumstances, and ordered that the wounded man should ho removed to the Christchurch Hospital. A start was made accordingly in a waggonette, the two detectives and the doctor accompanying the prisoner, but M'Cnfeheon died on the way The body was taken direct to the morgue, where it now lies: How M'Cuteh'eon had managed to secrete the revolver was shown when an examination was made of tho body. He had a wooden leg, and there was a large cavity in the side which would easily contain the weapon. The trouserleg had been pulled up to enable him to reach the hiding-plaee. The revolver was a large one, nearly new, and contained two exploded shells. As only one shot was lire,-! by M'Cnlehcon after his arrest, it appears ho had tried the weapon before j baud. He seemed to have prepared for what he felt might happen. July 13. The coroner's iurv todny returned a verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind" in the case of M'C'ufch"on. who shot himself at Lincoln yesterdav after being arrested on a charge of forgery and while waiting to be married.