News was received from the Head of Lake yesterday that a man named Paul Biro, 32 years of age, and a Hungarian by birth, had committed suicide at Paradise early that morning. Constable Rowe proceeded to Glenorchy per launch immediately word was received, and made the necessary enquiries into the tragedy. It appears that deceased went to the Head of Lake six weeks ago under engagement to work in the scheelite mine at Paradise. He was an experienced miner, having worked at Otira and other places, and, notwithstanding his nationality, was generally respected. According to the evidence which was given at the enquiry at Paradise last evening before Mr W. H Koch J.P., deceased had been somewhat despondent for a week prior to committing the rash deed. He left his hut at 6.30 a.m., and not returning at 7.30 a.m., a search was made and deceased was found about 8 chains away, lying on his right side. On investigation it was ascertained that the deceased had taken his life by means of gelignite for the body was badly mutilated. The following verdict was brought in at the inquest: "That deceased, Paul Biro, blew himself to pieces whilst in an unsound state of mind." It is not known if deceased had any relatives in the Dominion. He wrote to a friend in Tuatapere on Sunday last. -Lake Wakatip Mail, 3/4/1917.
Paul Biro, an unnaturalised Hungarian, committed suicide at Paradise. The deceased was a miner by occupation, and had worked at the scheelite mine for about five weeks, and during the past week he had been very quiet. He had been living in a hut with a man named Thomas Knuckey, close to the mine. At 6.30 a.m. on Monday Knuckey missed deceased, and noticed that he had left the hut in his light shoes. As the deceased did not go to his work a search was made by his mates. The body was found about eight chains from the hut with the chest blown away and a hole in the ground close to the body. Apparently deceased had laid on the ground face downwards and put a plug of gelignite between his chest and the ground and set fire to the fuse, with the result that the chest was partly blown away. At the inquest the verdict was that the deceased committed suicide while in a state of unsound mind. The deceased's relatives reside at Csongrad, Hungary. The deceased was single, and 37 years of age. -Otago Daily Times, 7/4/1917.
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