82023 James L Begbie (?-1/1/1921). "staying with a friend"

SHOT WITH A PEA RIFLE.

TIMARU, Jan. 1. A young man of about twenty-six years, named James Begbie, said to be, or to have been, a jockey m the Auckland district, was found dead last night, the result of a pea rifle shot in the mouth. Deceased was staying with a friend a few miles out of Timaru.  -Ashburton Guardian, 3/1/1921.

SUICIDE AT KINGSDOWN

VISITOR SHOOTS HIMSELF. 

About 8 p.m. on Friday night, the report of a rifle shot arrested the attention of Mr J. Hill, of Kingsdown. Going in the direction of the explosion Mr Hill visited a house, at present occupied by Mr J. Morris, hairdresser, Timaru. Entering the house he found the body of James Begbie, aged 26, lying in a pool of blood, and with a rifle by his side. Begbie came to Timaru only a week ago from the south, and has resided with Mr Morris since he came to the district. He was an ex-jockey.

THE INQUEST. 

The inquest was held in the Courthouse yesterday afternoon before Mr D. Stuart, J.P., acting coroner, and the following jury: Messrs G. H. Hedges (foreman), V. D. Drake, F. H. Palmer, F. R. Drake. 

John Morris, tobacconist and hairdresser, Timaru, said he knew the deceased, James Begbie. He called on witness about a week ago, and as the result of a conversation witness took deceased to his home at Kingsdown. On December 31 witness motored deceased to Kingsdown about 3.30 p.m. and left him there. He was then sober and in his usual health and spirits. Deceased was alone in the house when witness left. Between 7 and 8 p.m. witness returned to Kingsdown and found deceased lying on the floor of his bedroom. There was a pool of blood alongside, and a rifle to the trigger of which was attached a piece of green cord. The other end of the cord was fastened to the index finger of the right hand. Witness was the owner of the rifle, which he kept for shooting rabbits, and which was unloaded when he left for business on Friday last. The ammunition was kept in a box in witness’s bedroom. When last seen by witness deceased gave no signs whatever of committing suicide. 

Joseph Hill, farmer, Kingsdown, said his residence was about two chains from that: of the previous witness. He had known deceased for a few days, having seen him with Mr Morris. Witness was talking to deceased about 5 p.m. on December 31 in Mr Morris’s house. Deceased then had a rifle in his hand which he said he was cleaning prior to going out shooting. Witness asked deceased to have some tea, which he refused, and the former then went away. Shortly afterwards witness heard a report which he thought was the explosion of a cracker. He was not suspicious of anything, and finished his tea before again returning to Mr Morris's house. On entering witness called deceased by name, but got no answer, and on making search found deceased lying on the floor as described by the previous witness. Witness then locked up the house and sent for Mr Morris, as he could see Begbie was dead. Deceased was in his usual spirits and was quite sober when witness spoke to him fifteen minutes before he heard the shot. Witness never saw deceased under the influence of liquor, and there was none kept, so far as he knew, about the house. 

Edgar Benham and Constable R. H. Watkins gave further corroboratory evidence.

Dr. Ussher said he was called to Kingsdown on Friday evening, and found the body of a man lying on the bedroom floor of the house occupied by Mr Morris. The body was lying on the right side huddled up. A rifle was close to the body with a cord attached as described. Life was extinct when witness arrived, and he ordered the removal of the body to the morgue. Later witness conducted a post mortem examination, and found a bullet wound on the back of the brain, the bullet having penetrated the base of the brain and lodged at the hack of the skull. Witness removed the bullet produced. The cause of death was hemorrhage and injury to the brain. From the direction of the wound the head must have been directly over the muzzle of the rifle, which suggested a self-inflicted injury. 

The jury returned a verdict that death was due to hemorrhage of the brain caused by a rifle wound  self-inflicted.  -Timaru Herald, 3/1/1921.

The case of James Begbie is a strange one.  The "Online Cenotaph" has no record of him.  The date of his death matches the newspaper reportage but the age on his gravestone does not.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Allan Steel photo.