Inquest Into Death Of Auckland Dancing Tutor

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 July 1949, Page 6

Inquest Into Death Of Auckland Dancing Tutor

CORONER'S FINDING

Self-Administered Poison After Being Hit In Eye AUCKLAND, Yesterday (P.AJ—A verdict of suicide by a sei (-administered overdose of nembutal tablets was returned by the Coroner, Mr. A. Addison, at a resumed inquest into the death of Alfred Edgar Edney, aged 60, dancing teacher, whose body was found on a bed at his studio in Queen Street on May 21. Senior-Detective W. R. Fell appeared for the police and the executor of deceased’s estate was represented by Mr. Cocker. Twenty-two witnesses were heard. The coroner said that all the evidence pointed to death having occurred during the night of May 20-21. The coroner said he felt sure that the deceased .while in his doorway, received a blow to an eye from some unknown person. DISCOVERY OF BODY. William Jeffrey Adams, caterer, Who called with another man to go with Edney to the pictures and found the body on a bed covered with an eiderdown- said he had known him for 14 years. Edney had been like of member of witness’s family, frequently spending week-ends at his home. He was usually calm but could flare up very quickly . Adams said that when he and Harold Quintal, a bookkeeper, called for Edney about 7.30 witness noticed bloodstains on the writing desk at the top of the stairs. The light was on in the kitchen. There was a pool of blood on the table. In the bed sitting-room Edney’s feet protruded from the bed and he was lying on his back stone-cold. Edney was dressed as when witness and Quintal left him the previous evening. His right eye was blackened and there was a towel under his head. Witness telephoned tht police. Concerning a note addressed “For You, Bill” which Edney left on the table with £2OO, witness said he was the only “Bill’’ with whom Edney was friendly. Edney did not owe him money but had given witness to understand that he would receive all his estate if anything happened to him.

"He was always grateful for the way I had assisted him at the studio,” witness added. “We had talked of a trip to England and he mentioned that there would be no worry about fares.” Witness described Edney as “temperamental and artistic.” He had never noticed anything wrong in his behaviour and had never heard anything said against him. In that connection he had never heard complaints that he had acted improperly toward any of his friends or pupils. A number of persons who had received dancing lessons from Edney at the studio gave evidence. One, a woman, said his only interest in life seemed to be dancing. DANCING LESSONS. Constable J. F. Collins, who took dancing lessons, said Edney "pawed over” witness when teaching him to dance. The coroner: Did Edney know you .were a constable? —Witness. No. Collins added that he had a lesson from Edney on the night of May 20. When he left at 8.15 Edney seemed jovial and in no way depressed. A youth aged 18, said Edney impressed him as having “an effeminate manner” and added that he thought deceased used lipstick. A carpenter’s apprentice said Edney handled him in an improper manner and when witness complained deceased seemed to be ashamed. Gordon Walter Stace, assistant Government analyst, Auckland, said

he found 6.6 grains of nembutal in specimens. 1 Dr. F. J. Cairman, pathologist, who made the post-mortem examination, said: “In my opinion death was due , to nembutal poisoning. The injury to the head was not severe and in itself 1 would not have caused death.” As some if not all, of the nembutal had been swallowed in capsule form it could be deduced that it was self- ' administered. The fatal dose could < have been taken automatically but that was not very likely. . Senior Detective W. R- Fell, who was in charge of the inquiry, said that • Edney arrived in New Zealand in 1914 and served overseas with the first field ambulance unit from March, 1916. He returned to New Zealand in J May. 1919, and was discharged and ‘ placed on a pension. “We have no direct evidence that ' Edney was a homo-sexual type,' wit- ‘ ness said, “but we know he associated with persons of that type. Twenty- . one ot his male pupils told us that he , handles them in an indecent manner. Some discontinued taking lessons.’ Police inquiries had failed to disclose any motive for Edney’s death. Mr. Cocker suggested that the only verdict was one of death from an | overdose of nembutal self-administer- ] ed, but that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that it was taken < with intent to commit suicide. It was not clear that there had been an as- . sault, but the police suggested that J the deceased did not call for help ( because there was something to hide. He submitted that there was no justi- j iication for such an outrageous sug- ( gestion. As to certain irregularities , suggested, the deceased was not here ‘ to give his account. ONE MAN NOT TRACED. ’ The Coroner said the last known , person who saw the deceased alive u-p to 8.15 p.m. on May 20, had sworn ' that as he was about to leave a man apparently known to the deceased ' came into th e foye r and later began ‘ to talk to the deceased. That man had not come forward or been traced. Evidence had also been given that two persons wer e dancing together at 1 9.30 p.m. Assuming tnat one of them was the deceased the other had not come forward or been traced. There ; was also evidence suggesting that the persons left at about 10 p.m. From ' then until the following night, when I the deceased was found dead, there was no eye witness evidence of his movements, but in the interim he had r suffered a fractured skull and con- r sumed some poison. t After reviewing the evidence, s the coroner said he felt satisfied c that the deceased, while at his < doorway at the bottom of the 1 stairs, received a blow to his f right eye from some person whose identity had not been s established. ( The evidence showed that a large f overdose of nembutal, some, if not all, 1 in capsule form, was taken and he } was satisfied that it was taken after | the injury. t When the deceased wrote the note £ he knew, or believed, he was going to 5 die; the coroner continued. If he nad 5 wanted to live he could have sought help while he was locating his money, i writing the note and moving about, i The sequence appeared to be that hav- < ing written the note, the deceased was content to lie on his bed, place ; an eiderdown over himself and await the end. “I cannot escape the conclusion that the deceased knew that he had taken a fatal dose and that he had taken it to bring about his own death,” Mr. Addison said. No reason why the deceased should determine to end his life was disclosed by evidence, but it was significant that no outside assistance was sought following the injury and the taking of the poison followed shortly after the injury. He had come to a conclusion that the deceased deliberately caused his own death by nembutal poisoning.