DISTRESSING TRAGEDY.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 45, 20 April 1927, Page 3

DISTRESSING TRAGEDY.

FACTORY MANAGER’S SUICIDE.

CARTERTON, April 17.

A distressing tragedy occurred at Kokotau, a farming settlement six miles from -Carterton, this morning, when Alban William King, dairy factory manager, was found dead at the back door* of his residence. Deceased, who was 35 years of age, married, with two children, had been employed at the factory , for the past ton years, proving himself very efficient as a cheese-maker, and was exceedingly popular in the district. It appears that deceased arose as usual at 6.30 this morning and starting the boiler fire at the factory, returned to his house for breakfast. Ho had brought the car out for his wife and family to go to clffirch and they left at 7.45.

As the manager did not’return to the factory, as was usual, and the suppliers’ carts were beginning to arrive, the assistant sent a message over to tell him to come across. On going around the side of the house, the body was found lying on the ground with a single barrel gun across the legs. At the inquest hold this afternoon the medical' evidence showed that deceased had had mental depression over the state of his health, and a verdict was returned that he came by his death as the result of a gunshot wound, self-inflicted while in a state of mental depression.