SUICIDE IN PRISON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13995, 30 August 1907, Page 7

SUICIDE IN PRISON

THE INQUEST.

ALCOHOLIC WARDS PROPOSED. William Millar, who had been remanded; to tho Duncditt G>aol lor a wook's medical ixe&imont was found at 1 p.m. on Wednesday strangled with hi 3 waistbelt.- An inquest concerning bis death wae held at the Gaol yester't day before, tho Coroner (Mr C. C. Graham) nnia jury of six (Mr Charles Henry Hayward, foreman). . • Dr James Wait deposed to Iwiiig attended deceased on Tuesday evening at his residence, nnd to seeing him later in the gaol. Decease had been drinking, but was not then under the influence of liquor. He was,- however depressed from tho effeoia of- aloohol and Buffered from a certain disease. When in gaol he believed tho dootor was going to smother him 03 a public nuisance. There waa nothing in tho prisoner's conduct to lead witness to suppose that suicido w«a contemplated. To Sub-inepootor Norwood: Deceased waa Buffering from the effects of'alcohol. He did not think 0, a cmo for the Hospital, but thought the man should have been cut in a padded coll. To Dr Coughtrey: The responsibility for the treatment of suoh, oa&es should not bs thrown upon the police or the gaol, aiithoritiOß, In his opinion nil cases of doubtful insanity shou'd be treated in a properlyequipped hospital provided with observation words, as in Great Britain. 'John Miller, licensee of tho Oban Hotel, had known deceased since Jiis arrival in -the colony last May. Millar hni resided a.t the /Otan Hotel for six weeks; thon wont to the ' JJugsitß (or aii; weeks, and returned to the aOban llotol about a fortnight ago. He had rheen there over since. , When he relumed from the Nuggets deceased was- apparently wjbar, hut showed signa of having beon drinking Ho said h« had been away fishing imd walking, and that he was well-to-do. On Monday night deceased returned, to the hotel at 10.80 very intoxioated, and cm Tuesday afternoon showed signs of mental .incapacity Ho said, I'm done for. •I am sufforing from ?tr u h ';J'serfP'-" Witness took him to Dγ "alt, Witness said ho had tried to dis- , , courage Millar from drinking, but is muTiisolom, as ho would only go to somo other hotel end oomo back uvtadcsvtcd. . Deceased' ciuiio from laisley, where two of his sisters ntdll Charles WiHi<vm Lopdell,. constable of police wae attending a meeting at the Salvador, Army Forteeas on Tuesday evening, when deceased called in. Ho.said that !e was Til' t°> * a lie. W overheard two doctors m that tto were going to smoZ pnhU health. Deceased then smelt of efale Ho did not seem to have-been drinkin e reThllk ™l m ™ alcohol since IhTOsday. Decoaeed not seem to know TuMday moving, when ho waa told by tho oolock. Witness aasured deceased that ho Fohco Station. Dr Wart* wae sent for, anfl whioh witness^padded cell, which was frequently visitod during- tho night. D «W wa/a eS SS TIM h $ >*>« a S, clsrk in Scotland. He liad no relations in the colony Witness believed Millar was 2 sssslst* Md *?* «* Sub-mspcotpr oaid deoeased, when brought A" P™. was siting profuSy *3 Y^ o™*0 ™* «rffed in, said it was not »3? a tte f HM P*4'« no were inodo there for such .caeoo. The urinoner vrow then m tho room. Ho said' ho had been dnnkiag to cxon* ihnii tho .town SfeeS 'ons't'rf •" Ihe rf d «d SSS l.one were gircn that he waa to be watchwl boforo ihe court on *■*&■* drunk™ ill' remand.deceased wag taken u, the gaol JV mjtnißg d.cewa wa.^ llgh f h l % \, tcmnA W 8""it: Wo prisoner had ov-idontly been drinking, but ho had i^ I",™ 8 i] f h ° ffw earing from inonkl m lus coll.. The 'dootor was telephoned for ami witne M ,and tl» gaoler went to the c°l' v r ,° J 0 I»y on the floor. Tho slnu whjch had slranged him' had been remS and there appeared to ba no signs ofTf ' though ovprj! l llng was don. to produoe Jffi ml Wpitßtiou. Dr Coughtrey arrived at US, and pronmmcea life to be'.crtinof, ih:p^nA: r;wiwon,dh -p«'

lliomw Chiloii pnncip»l smc] {] , deceased on his bring brought i,,.' He *Z lie had been drinking- for a fortnight, but "Pofco rationally. When put in lho yanl deceased seemed to be doin» we]? Hμ dinner was g lV en lum-in bis cell Tl ere were ~o suspicious noises. Th o . strap J TL •f- d «w»«l , » waist Sn. James 0 Redly, wardpr, was on duty at the Srf b T t VM , u 4 n «» ohwjerf ho o i,u t L d,l \ ,vas n ,o w i ,fc «" ««^> outside tho colls. Decease was eive'n hi* dinner in his-coll by another prisoner, after . lawn* been exorcised in tho yard. H then . seemed quiU o»bn and collected, nnd showed Jio signs of having been drinking. ,Tnst before 1 o clock witness opened the cell doors to. the pmonen to put ont.thoir dinner ims. Un entering deceased's coll to t«ll him to go out to exercise lie found )iim sitting in a corner away from the door, apparently asleep. On closer inspeclioii he saw a belt was suspended to a hook about sft from tae floor, and twistod round his neck. J.no bolt was made into o noose by passing the biicte end through the runner. Deceased wa* quite dead, and his head f e ll limply sideways when Iho strap w< i 3 removed. When found deceased had his legs stretched out and the woight of the trunk of tho bodv was supported by the strap round his neck Artificial respiration was tried until tho doctor came, but without effect, and the doctor continued restorative efforts for over en hour oftor he arrived. Br Millon Coughtiey, gaol surgeon, found decoased practically dead, with warders and others usiiif. ih e nsm \ roß torative measures Ho also tried to restore animation. Ho eaimnea the body, and saw that tho Btrap had been pulled ttghtly round the neck befwwn ho chin and thorax. He thought decossod lrad hanged himself between half mid tliroo-QiiarlcH of an hour before the body ti r ' Ho height of the •heck from (ho floor, tho length, of the strap ami ihe cngth of the trunk would show that fto whole might of the body w«3 upheld by ho strap. There were no indications of a struggle. Death would have taken place within from three to ton minutes, occordine to pressure. Witness concurred with the remarks made by Dr Watt as to tho prow treatment of such caws, and drew nttontion to a c aiiEo in tho last annual report of the Inspector of Prisons protesting. against dcImnm troinons rases being sent to prisons for treatment. The Auckland gaoler had also deprecated tho practico ns unfair to patients, warders, .and prisonors Conlinjling, Witness raid that depression thio to alcoholism of ton gave rise to suicidal tendencies, especially in persons of unstable mind, and who differed from a spocific disease. Ho wished to put it on record that thero mi a padded coll at the Hospital, and If It wore used for civil cases o£ akohofem it should also bo used for prison cases, inore was nothing in deceased's condition to wise suspicions in tho lay mind, indicatiii" unending suicide. The- doctor further said that one of his Jirst recommendations made, after assuming ulflco hsd boon that if doubtful cases of ineqnily or acuto alcoholic cases were to be sent to the prison padded ccllsworo needed In reply to a question by tho Coroner, Dr Coughtrey caid, though, ho thought tho caso hopo'ess. ho did ns doctore did—fought on for a long time to save life.

In charging the jury, the Coroner said there was no doubt the cause, of death was hanging, and evidence allowed the man was in an incipient stage of delirium tremens mid not responsible for , bis actions. '

A verdict of suicide while temporally insane was returned, and the following rider •pas added:—"That the jury desires to call the attention of .the proper authorities to the necassity of having icgnlar wards for such cases elsewhere than in prisons or police stations, and thr.t observation wards be arranged for in connection with the eame."