SUICIDE AT PATEA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19478, 23 December 1925, Page 10

SUICIDE AT PATEA

MARRIED MAN HANGS HEMSELF JURY FINDS TEMPORARY INSANITY An inquest, was held yesterday, before Mr E. F. Hemingway, actingcoroner, touching the death of Moanui Koto Broughton, which took place at Otautu on afternoon. Dunna Whanan gave evidence that he was a dairy farmer residing at Otautu and knew the deceased, who was a nephew of his. Deceased, with a number of others, was at witness’ house on Sund; y afternoon and appeared to be in his usual good health and spirits. Deceased and his wife lived with witness. Witness was at the milking shed when one of his children came for him. He ran up to the orchard and found loanui mging by a strap from a tree. He tried to unfasten the strap, but could not, and then called out lor someone to bring him. a knife. On receiving the knife he cut the body down. Moanui was dead. This all happened within half-an-hour of tlie time witness went to the cowshed. He had never heard Moanui threaten to take his life, and witness did not know whether ho had any linancial worries or not. Dr. Simmons stated that he went out with Constable Armour to Otautu about 6 o’clock in the evening and saw the body of deceased. He was dead, and apparently had been so for about an hour. Death was due to strangulation by hanging. Hari Broughton stated that she was the wife of the deceased. The last time she saw her husband alive was about 4.30 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. When deceased went out of the house he appeared quite all right. Just before he left the house they had a discussion over weeding mangolds; ho wanted to leave them and go into Patea, but witness would not agree. Shortly after deceased left the house sin* and others found him hanging. In reply to the jury witness said that deceased had no cause to be jealous. He was very good to witness. She could rot say if he had any business worries; he certainly did not seem to worry about anything. Constable Armour gave evidence as to the condition of the body.

The jury brought in the following verdict: —“That Moanui Koto Broughton met his death on Sunday, December 20, 1925, through stangulation, by hanging himself whilst temporarily in-