VERDICT OF SUICIDE

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1933, Page 9

VERDICT OF SUICIDE

DONALD MORRISON INQUEST • “DEPRESSED BY HARD TIMES.” ADJOURNED INQUIRY ENDS. BOOTS PROVIDE IMPORTANT CLUE. “After carefully considering the lengthy evidence given at this inquest, and the very weighty circumstantial evidence, I must come to the conclusion that the skeleton discovered at Kohuratahi on September 18, 1932, can be none other than that of Donald Morrison,” stated the coroner, Mr. W. L. Kennedy, at the Stratford Courthouse yesterday morning When the adjourned inquest on the alleged remains of Morrison, which were found at Kohuratahi by two men on the relief works, was brought to a conclusion.

The evidence of Roy Jarvis Deare, bootmaker of New Plymouth, was heard. Deare stated that he had been well acquainted with the deceased, and had had business dealings with him on September 7, 1930, when he was in witness’ shop in New Plymouth. For fully five years up to the time of his disappearance, Morrison had been a regular customer of witness’. When in the shop one day Morrison showed witness a pair of boots he was wearing, telling him that he had bought them at Auckland. He also- remarked at the time that it was about the only pair of boots he had purchased other than from witness, for a period of about five years. Witness said that he examined the boots at the time, and he described them as a pair of willow calf Cookham boots i made by A. Marlow, Northampton, England. Morrison subsequently sent this pair of boots to witness’ shop for repairs, which were duly carried out. On. a pair of boots being produced in court, Deare said that beyond doubt they were, exactly the pair he had seen in the shop, and he’ definitely identified the repairs as having been carried out in his shop. He considered that the boots were certainly Morrison’s. \ : There were certain other details which substantiated witness’ convictions. On the inside of the boots was stamped “made expressly, for —, Auckland, N.Z.” It was a boot not very often sold in this country, stated witness. He could not recollect having repaired.-' during recent years any other boots of. the type produced. . The repairs done were .half sole and rubber-heeled. . Morrison had , a particularly s high arched instep, and he had asked that the rubbed be put on top of the full heel. The verdict was that the deceased committed suicide by shooting himself with a .303 rifle on or about February 19, 1931, while mentally, depressed over financial matters. The coroner added that one of the most important points in the evidence was the fact, pointed out by Gower, that the last action of the rifle had been the firing of the cartridge, the shell of which was found in the breech, with, the ejector jambed. r