THE INQUEST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 16

THE INQUEST.

(London Star.) Plundered of his only means, hb faim to gbt his promised salary, and dies cursing the company promoter who has decemcbd HIM. Oue of the most painful stories ever heard in that dismal place where so many a depressing narrative is disclosed — a coroner's court — was disclosed this morning at the City Mortuary to Coroner Langham, and the jury empanelled to inquire how, when, and where William Harry Lewis came by bis death. It was the recital of a tragedy which should make one's blood boil with indignation at the shameful events which led to the suicide of the unfortunate man. Mr Ernest Todd, solicitor, appeared for the widow, and materially assisted in eliciting the disgraceful facts. The widow was the first witness called. Between her sobs, which moved even the officials of to.c court to sympathy, inured as they are to these stories of misery, she said her hußband, who was a man of 41 years, and of most sober habits, had recently taken a position with the Great Britain Co-operative and Industrial Printing and Publishing Company (Limited). He hai i seen an advertisement, and on answering it Mr .Humphreys, the promoter of the company, promised him *.he position of secretary at £2 10s weekly if he would - DEPOSIT £150 AS SECURITY He paid that £150 ; but although this occurred in February last, he had never received more than £10— four weeks' salary. The whole of that £10 Mr Humphreys borrowed back and only repaid £2. Deceased constantly applied to Mr Humphreys for the repayment of his money or else the payment of hia salary, but his salary being three months in arrear he had to sell up nearly all the furniture at his home Jn Waactp ■

1 worth to supply himself and His poor wife with I food. ' Of course the deceased got fearfully de- ' pressed, and witness believed his dealings with t Mr Humphreys unhinged his mind and led up to the deplorable act, which he committed while away from home, in the city. James Miller, a journalist, who was engaged on April 1 as assistant editor to the company, stated that last Thursday the deceased told him he had learned from his solicitors that Mr Humphreys had no interest whatever in the property at Haverstock Hill and Fulham which he had told both deceased and witness belonged to him. Witness thereupon rejoined that if that was to, none of Humphreys' statements could be believed. He took steps to bring about a board meeting, but Humphreys did not attend until late, when he entered in a state -of intoxication, and witness left, leaving a message for Humphreys that he was not in a fit state to transact business. Subsequently deceased said he expected a cheque from Brighton, and asked witness to take steps to prevent the letter in which it would come from falling into the hands of Humphreys. The letter never came though, so far as witness knew. On Monday another board meeting was held, and deceased wished to be present, but Humphreys objected. Some of the directors wished to allow him to attend, and witness suggested that the best way would be for deceased to retire while a resolution was passed authorising him to attend.. Mr Lewis walked out into the rpom opposite, and while witness was reading the minutes A SHQT \VA3 £EAJID, a,nd, ft was found that Mr Lewis had shot himself through the head. Witness himself had never launched nor lost any money in the company, but had $he company been floated he should haye taken scares in it. Just before the tragedy deceased had told witness that the premium op kia life insurance for £1000 had become due, and he bad no means to meet it. Witness had only gob' £7 odd of his salary, leaving £30 odd due. An execution had been put in the office of the company, and the goods sold yesterday. Mr Todd said that when the deceased deposited his £l£o with Humphreys the company was not registered, although it was represented to him that it was. A juror wanted to know what had become of the £150. — Mr Miller said deceased had told him Humphreys had bonght furniture at auction sales for his private house with it. Witness knew of no banking account of the company's, and since he had been there all cash transactions had been taken charge of by Humphreys. Here the man Humphreys, of whose appearance a better idea cannot be given than by referring readers to the portraits published of CAPTAIN PLUNKETT, to whom he bears a strong facial. resemblance, got up and whined out something about the responsibility for all the financial transactions being the company's generally and not his own. The Ooroner, however, ordered, him to sit down and await his turn as witness, and he sullenly obeyed. A constable produced documents found on the body of the poor fellow in his trousers pocket. The first was a memorandum of the purchase of a revolver and cartridges, "to be used through that immaculate LIAR, THIEF, AND DRTJNKABD, Bison James Humphreys." The next document was as follows : — " I am impelled to this act simply because I have been practically ruined by Elson James Humphreys, of 11 Barclay road, Fulham, who has' swindled me out of a large sum, and left my future, so far as I can see, a blank and hopeless one. The circumstances of his action are partially disclosed in the Financial News of May 15 is an I article headed • Finance that loo^slike a s"- : ", This only deals partway w ;th «* ' " -""idle. Sill- T ■ "-»*•#* wWSS ITJ' 8 .. "- liar J e V^F m ,et, a man whoso previous reto t, m \i mt tea? pqratiny, as this is only one of the frauds in: which he' has been engaged— witness the Beaconsneld Athensuuin, &c. I trust the others he 1 has defrauded' wiß 'stop 'his career. Documents Substantiating tha above are in the possession of Sriejlson and Greenup, solicitors, George street, Mansion' House, EC. Another month of the An&ety and worry 1 have had during the jiasfr three months "would drive me m *MStW** e « to get away from it. I hope someone wttl break this gently to my poor wife \ she knows how troubled I have been, but not that I contemplated this act. I desire that my body may go to one of the medical schools. Jts may be of use there. W. H. Lewis. The man Humphreys then volunteered to give evidence. He said the money from the deceased had not been paid to him direct, but through Messrs Fredericks and Co., the financial agent of the company, of 124 Queen Victoria street. As for deceased selling his furnitura to get food, h&had not heard of that till to-djiy— "except," he added, "I only heard soraaside wind of it." i Cross-examined by Mr Todd, he mad» the cxi traordinary statement that he did nob know | who " Fredericks and Co." were* hui> on being pressed he admitted knowing that the firm consisted only of a man nan&ed William Frederick Cleveland. Then Hutaglireys triumphantly produced A LETTER 3^PM, MR LEWIS, in which that unha»Dy, man said he intended to end himself by ojiibtang a bullet through his head. " He makes noaqcußation against me," chuckled the witness, \wth a smug satisfaction, which was. perfectly, odious to. behold. A juror, pointed out that the agreement which the deceased had signed, was not with the company. at all, but with Humphreys. I « That doesn't make me liable," whined HoraJphreys. I Th^ ]ury retired to fo w*mlate their verdict, the effect of which they were entirely agreed upon as their comments r>lainly indicated. When they returned, after dewing it up, the coroner read it out. It decla/.ed that the deceased took his Me during a fit r,f temporary insanity ; that he was driven to the act by the conduct of bison James Hufjaphreys; and that the public prosecutor should be called upon to take action m tee matter. AN APP&'AL TO DUNBDIN FIHENDS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— T'je newspapers which I forward to you by this to' ail contain an account of tl le untimely decease o f Mr William Harry Le wis, who returned -to this country at the close c »f last year, attser b aying spent 14 years in New Zealand. I am «v formed that he was well knox vn in Otago, where he was engaged upon the Government ratl.7 /ays, and universally esteemed r md respected bj those with whom he came into contact, ?ffe called upon me a Jitfcle ove « a week ago, w&bh an introduction from his . next - door neighbour, and told me some of the details of the nefarious swindle of which h a had been the victim. It was then too late to recover any of the money he had "deposited": I could only '-advise him to consult the polio je and promise him whatever assistance I coul jd command to bring the thieves who had flef jced him to justice. In the whole of our convc irsation ha made no allusion whatever to his mis enable domestic condition, and it was not un- til the coroner's officer called at his residence ' that any person had even an inkling of the de plorable destitu-

fcion that reigned at his home. If: anything more than misery were required to lead us to condone the fatal effect of his despair, surely we shall find an argument in the spectacle of naked < walls (described at the inquest) without even a bed or chair for the partner of his sorrows. Steps are being taken to bring to justice the rascals who duped him. I need scarcely say that timely aid has been extended to the unhappy widow. Among the fraternity of which he was ■ a member a movement is on foot for giving substantial expression to the sympathy which we all feel for her. Doubtless there will be old friends in your immediate vicinity who would participate in such a movement, and I venture to ask you to receive their subscriptions; or any remittances may be sent' direct either to myself or to Mr W. H. Dowland (P.M. Lion and Lamb), 54 Glengall road, London, S.E.— I am, &c, 46 London Wall, London, E.C. W. Mills. July 9, 1889.