ATTEMPTED HANGING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3763, 27 April 1926, Page 65

ATTEMPTED HANGING.

CHRISTCHURCH, April 19. "i--The theory that a man who was prepar-i* ing to commit suicide actually died fright before he concluded the act was put> forward by two doctors at an inquest held at Lyttelton yesterday. The man wax] found dead with a cord round his neck*! 1 but the nek was not broken, and there wasC. no sign of asphyxia. His condition might possibly have been brought about by excite-' ment or fright. The inquest was iourned for further medical evidence as tho < doctors had never known a similar case before. At the Lyttplton police station yes- 3 terday afternoon Mr H. Y. * district coroner, opened an inquest con* cerning the death the previous afters noon of Charles Neilson, a single man, A 68 vears of age. and a native of who had been found dead in his bach in* , Dublin street, with a window cord, which! \ was attached to a beam fastening, around’ his neck. Acting Detective M. Hodgins* ( represented the police. Miss Emma Duffell, a neighbour, wild) * identified the body, said that a fisherman by occupation, had done _nol r work for the past two or three vears owins? ' to indifferent health. He lived alone and i she last saw him at 8 p.m. on FndayJ V after ho had paid a visit to her mother si i house, whery he usually went for his meals.) Latterly he had been more or less deoressetfr concerning the condition of his health. Afcj no time, however, had he given an 7 tion that, he intended to take his life. 1 Constable W. J. Irwin said that wheii he went along to the bach at 2.30 n .m thofront door was locked and th* back door was bolted from the inside. Deceased was banging partlv in the doorwav leading to the kitchen from the front room. Deceased’s left leg nartlv kneeling on a backless chair, while the toe of the right foot was reding on the floor* The cord was knotted underneath the chin and the end was fastened to a rafter above the door head and inside the kitchen*. The weight of deeePßed’s’ body was on the cord. His naturalisation papers showed that ho had become naturalised in the year 1899. . ~, . t ‘ Dr B. H. Gilmour said he examined the body at the morque at about 3 p.m. on Saturday. The only external sign was the mark of the cord then around deceased’s neck. The neck was not broken; there was no sign of asphyxia, and the face was practically a natural colour. He thought deceased had died from syncope. \ Dr C. H. Upham, who had also exaj* j mined the body, was of the same opinion. ITis condition would probably be brought about by the excitement or fright when deceased was fixing up the cord, or when l he was about to kick the chair away. \ There was no doubt that deceased was I in the act of committing suicide, as the l rope was around his neck and one knee ( was on the chair. . 1 To the Coroner: Deceased might have/ died from heart failure. He had never* seen a case like it before. The Coroner said that as there was Some doubt at present as to the exact cause of death he would defer giving his verdict until Wednesday in order to enabler | Dr Gilmour to carry out a post mortem \ examination in the interim