A TRAGIC EVENT.

Wairarapa Age, 3 July 1929, Page 4

A TRAGIC EVENT.

DEATH OF MR. DAVID OGILVY. There were many expressions of Jeep regret yesterday when it beeaM known that Mr. David Ogilvy had bee* found dead in a bathroom a.t Gleewood Hospital. Mr. Ogilvy was laet seen alive when he was making his way to the bathroom. A little later he was found lying in the bath with a wound in his neck. He was dead when found. The late Mr. Ogilvy w r as the owner of an important butchery Lwsiness and was highly respected in business circles and by the community generally. Ha was the'son of the late John Ogilvy and was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1877. He had been in Mastertoa for the past twenty-five yeers. Previously he had «>pent some time in the United States. Of a kindly disposition, Mr. Ogilvy had many friends and took a keen interest in public affairs. Ha was chairman of directors of the Mid'and Hotel Company and for a number of yeans wm treasurer of the Meet erton A. and P. Association. He i« survived by a widow and two sons. The funeral will leave the Renall Street, to-day, at 2.30 p.m., the Masterton Cemetery. A number butchery notify by advertisement their premise* will be closed from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to-day. THE INQUEST. An inquest w’a« conducted by the District Coroner (Mr. J. Miller H.M.) .yesterday afternoon. Sergeant T. H. Dyer appeared for the police. Dr. J. A. Cowie said that he received a telephone call to Glenwood Hospital at 7.25 a.m. yesterday. On gtwng there he w’as shown the body of David Ogilvy lying on the floor of a bathroom, where nurse* were carrying out artificial respiration. On examining the body, he found that Ogilvy was dead. There wa* a wound in the neck. He was informed that Ogilvy was found in the bath, face down in the water. He appeared to witness to kava died from lows of blood and drowning. The wound mentioned could have been inflicted with the pocket-knife produced, which was found in the bathroom. Deceased was admitted to the hospital mi Sunday night, June 30. He waa then rather restless and was suffering from the effects of drinking. H® was quite cheerful when witness saw him on Monday. Ogilvy ne'er at any- time made any suggestion of suicide. To the Coroner: Witness had never seen Ogilvy drunk and did not know until reeent months that he drank at all. Some two months ago he WB. admitted to hospital and after treatment sppoared quite well. He never wa. abnormal, so far as witness could see, in his mental outlook, but he had got into a state in which he eonld not rest or sleep. The result of his drinking was not swh that he had lost control of himself, but during the last week he had been depressed and inclined to be moody. To Sergeant Dyer: About twenty years ago, Mt. Ogilvy had a very serious accident which laid him up for quite a long time. On that occasion hie head was injured. ■* . x Nurse M. Preston deposed that when she went to Mr. Ogilvy’a room at about 7.20 yesterday morning he appeared quite all right. She spoke to him and he said he was going to the bathroom and would feel better after his buth. She told him to leave the door of the bathroom unlocked and did not know it wee locked until ahe tried to get in. She made Mr. OgHrytt bed, and on leaving the room heard a peculiar noise coming from the bathroom, which was opposite. She found the bathroom door locked and got no answer when she knocked and called. She ran downstairs for aesistance. An entry was made and Mr. Ogilvy waa found lying face downwards in the bath, which was half-full of water. They got him out and applied artiflcial respiration, but ho was dead. The pocket-knife .produced was found closed nt the back of the bath. She did not know that deceased had a knife. She knew he had not a razor. It wae not usual to search patients when they came in unless anything was suspected and Mr. Ogilvy was never suspected. No ■special instructions were issued to her regarding Mr. Ogilvy. He had never suggested suicide and appeared to be quite normal all the time he waa in hospital. He did not seem to lie worrying, though he had appeared to be worrying when he was in hospital about two months ago. The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased was found dead, the cause of death being loss of blood from a wound self-inflicted and drowning. "It is one of these unaccountable, sad things that happen.” said His Worship. He extended his sympathy to the relatives of deceased.