DEATH OF MR H.F. SELDON.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14142, 19 July 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

DEATH OF MR H.F. SELDON.

(From "The, Colonist," July 10.)

■ Mr Frederick Seldon, an old resident, of Nelson, died at his residence, tfi;> Wood, on--Saturday,-.in .painful circumstances. He had been ill for some time past, suffering"from ah internal «'omplaint, and a few days ago lie ihfliete'l Hi juries to his j'thro'at-," which hastened bis er.d. The deceased," who was a n:i tive cf Newport; Monmouthshire England, was 77•'years-of age. ' At tee'age of 14 he joined tho; Na^y,■'■'and •-serve*i oit H.M.S, Diamond, at- the-bpmhnrd-•rcent of' Sevastopol and at the Battles of Inverman. .Balaclava,'•'and- Alma. On leaving the* Navy he took up the profession of surveyor '.•"and railway engineer, biity his' thealth' failing, he came out to Nelson ■ gonie thirty years iip;o; pitrchasirig'a store in the Wood, which he named'" ''Sebastopol House.'" . The late Mr Seldon, who leaves a widow and a family of three sons an^ three . daiighters,'..was;of.a quiet, retiring disposition, hut was highly esteemed by those with whom he was actmainted. ■'July, 11. ' An inquest was also held by Mri:3. * S. Evans, Coroner, yesterday touching T.he death of Henry Frederick Seldon, | aged 76 years, who died on Friday at: \ tlie Hosoital.;; .. ' ' >■" I

Dr. AVastibourn, "'• acting resident surgeon at the Nelson Hospital, stated that deceased-was admitted to th^, Hospital on.the afternoon of. -July 4tli*,- 7 .suffering froi»; a wound >in the front of the: neck. The injury {had been renaired by Dr. Inicas before admission. •The,patient was. suffering from mental cVran£eifeent' while in the ' Hospital. He died at 7.45 a.m. on the 7th vinst. ! Sea th was due to heart failure from exhaustion, due' largely to deceased's ijijerijtal-condition and contributed to by [th'e'wound. - ''..,■'. ■:.-'■

Mary Ann Seldon, widow of deceas- ;(•/}. who-resided; with -her husband in Ciljifcon street, stated that he had been in' ill-health:' for several ifioriths -^past.' and"'had' ;been•-'attended by a-' dpc'tor. IXrjLucas :sJ\\r jfiinv on 29th June: .He •■was • very depressed':frpm sleeplessness anVUwaf. in a very weak .state;.> V:H> "also i suffered vroucn, pain. 'She visited ,de(.'eased: at 2: a.m:v"and ■ again '■'■ at 6.30 a.ml> :l\ie next^time-she saw liira^'fis; at 7.30 a.n:..;;and he .was/then, trying: to cut His-*tnroa^ with.a pocket Icnife: Deceased had lost a goo(i deal of blood ho'tu . two 'wounds ■:h&. had .ip, his .tiirqat.V I^r. LucasVwa^su jan-ipned and^canve mimediately-f%nd:diess'erl /fchn Avound!.' liater in- ■the-Vdax/.vte-.-^fdei'iiin,, 4ps': renipvalftb; the Hospi^al^r:^ecea;se4' : : hVid- neyei'^/threatened -to^r^lnp^JifeS iimvjmcT hfe : givxiri any, indj^|ion;?tSa^" )}6 ■ wouldTattempt to ;do. so^^he;;taß: :n^ver ";; b^en^ cpncerned^fregardingtiiis; 1;;;:::;-v:>^;::A;;vj||^ f^lClip^inqnest^ t^sm :fldi(^^e^^)eT)al)^[>| if^^|^?af^raob&;,^r;*^e|i&|^ ;^^^^A^^^f^ott^lfe|^^^^:?.^i^_s^^g^d^w^

nothing wrong with it; He appeared ;-J itohava xMusions labbut it; but hewas-^ never in a condition, that witness could; certify\ as being; insane, i; He told1 - Mrs.:; Seldon! about the delusion about the : throat,-but gave no. special warning to keep a. watch on: deceased. : > He displayed iio suicidal tendency. He-was called in at 7.30 a.m. on July 4th; and found him suffering^froiri a wound.in the throat. \He put a stitch in and dressed the wound, and ordered his removal to the Hospital. He,was not ' moved immediately; and he (witness) went back again in the afternoon, and found that lie had made a second and more serious a^teapt, the wind-pipe being Severed. He had him removed to I the Hbspital, and did not see him j again. He considered that the second wound hastened his death. The inquest was then adjourned to recall Mrs. Seldon and Ker son in regard to the second attertpt.

.. ■ •■' , July, 14. Alter hearing further evidence yesterday concerning the death of Frederick Henry Seldon, the-, coroner found that the deceased died from exhaustion and heart failure, following an attempt on his throat while in a state of temporary insanity.

One of Marlborough's oldest identities —Mr William Sowman —passed awjay at Blenheim on Wednesday evening, at the age of 73 years. The deceased came' out to New Zealand in 1853, and had been resident in the; Nelson and Blenheim districts for practically half a century.