A most melancholy, but a most premeditated and determined suicide was committed at the Shamrock Hotel yesterday morning. Mr Joseph Woolf, a well known brewer, destroyed his life by taking a large quantity of strychnine. Pecuniary difficulties, and inability again to face friends, promises to whom he had broken, are set forth as the motives to suicide; for this is the burthen of a letter which the deceased left in the bedroom, addressed to a relative, and there is a repetition of the same statements in writing in his diary, which he did after taking the poison. The case is altogether a most painful one; but we need not here refer further to they circumstances, as a full report of the evidence given at the inquest, will be found in another part of the Times. Mr Woolf was 34 or 35 years old. He was a widower, and he has left two children, a boy and a girl. -Otago Daily Times, 16/8/1864.
ANOTHER CASE OF SUICIDE.
A very melancholy case of suicide occurred yesterday morning. Mr Joseph Woolf, who was well known as a brewer, destroyed himself bytaking strychnine at the Shamrock Hotel, where he had engaged a bed on Sunday night. As soon as it was discovered what the uphappy man had done, Mr T. M. Hocken, surgeon, and Dr. Hunter were called in. Despite their exertions, Mr Woolf died in about three quarters of aa hour after it was found that he had taken poison. Pecuniary difficulties, as in the recent case of suicide, undoubtedly prompted Mr Woolf to destroy himself, and here, again, those difficulties are described as being slight, and such as might easily have been met and overcome. But Mr Woolf seems to have familiarised himself with the idea of self-murder; and he made an attempt, or avowed his intention to commit the crime, a few months ago.
Mr Hocken, the coroner, held an inquest on the body, at the Shamrock, during the atternoon, when the following evidence was given. Mr Harvey, solicitor, attended to watch the proceedings on behalf of friends of the deceased, and the Coroner briefly stated the law as applicable fo the case.
William Bulmer Davis: I am a commercial traveller and I reside in the Shamrock Hotel. I knew the deceased for about ten years. I saw him last night, and he told me he was going to sleep here. He was a brewer. I believe that he has two children; his wife is dead. He came to my bedroom about half-past seven this morning. He told me he had been playing cards on Saturday nght and had lost money. He said that his brother-in-law, Mr Joel, had been a great friend to him, and had helped him in every way, and that he was ashamed to face him. He then said, he wanted L28 to make up his accounts to-day, and he asked me to go to Mr Aikman, to see if he would lend it. I said I would if he would give me a letter; and he did, and I went. This is the letter: -
"John Aikman, Will you lend me L20 for one month. I will give you my acceptance for one month as collateral security, until you take the amount out in beer, and I will also allow you a very liberal discount on each hogshead of ale, say l0s. a hogshead. J Woolf.
"If you will do it give the money to the bearer. Don't mention anything about last night."
Mr Aikman declined to lend the money. On my return, I found the deceased in my bedroom, where I had left him. He said he would have two hours' sleep. I said, "No, you shall face the matter; and if you are not up when I come from breakfast, I will pull you out of bed." On coming from breakfast, I found him standing against the dressing table, occupied with his books and papers, and he had evidently been writing, for he closed the book as I got to the door. He talked very wildly, which I did not particularly notice, thinking he had been drinking last night; but I went and told Mr Murphy, who got up, and asked him to look in upon the deceased, who was lying on my bed. I then went to Mr Joel, and left word for him to come and see me immediately. He called on me within a quarter of an hour, and we came down here. The deceased at once commenced talking very wildly. He had in his hand three papers, which I took from him while Mr Joel held his hands. Two were empty, and one contained a powder, which you pronounced to be strychnine; all were marked "Strychnine — poison." There might have been more papers, for they were all crumpled up, but I saw three marked as I have stated. Mr Joel ran for a doctor, and you came. I saw you administer something, and also use the stomach pump. I think he survived for an hour. Dr Hunter came, and I saw a deal of coffee used — pumped into the deceased. Whenever the deceased was embarassed, he was always very excitable — he did not like to face difficulties - indeed, he could not face them, and he shunned everything. I never saw anything like insanity about him until this morning, when I thought he had a fit of delirium tremens, and therefore I went to Mr Joel. He was very much excited when he came to my bedroom first. When I say that he talked wildly, I mean that he said that he was ruined - he couldn't get through it - he could not face his brother-in-law, who had helped him so often — and that it was driving him mad. It all related to his prfsent misfortune. I saw the deceased last night: he was perfectly sober, but somewhat excited. When I came back with Mr Joel, the deceased asked Mr Joel to take care of his children, and he asked me to follow him to his grave. I do not remember anything else that he said.
By Jurors: I have known the deceased to be frequently pushed for money; I believe he was embarrassed now, but not to an extent to make man destroy himself. He was afraid to admit to Mr Joel that he had lost at cards.
By the Coroner: I handed to Mr Michael Murphy a glass that had powder on its side.
Daniel Murphy: I am one of the proprietors of the Shamrock Hotel. About half-past ten o'clock last night, the deceased came in and asked me for a bed. I told him I had not a bedroom vacant, but I would make up a bed in one of the parlours. I did not see him again until Mr Davis called me this morning. Mr Davis told me that he was going to the deceased's brother-in-law; and he asked me to go into his bedroom and see the deceased, as there was something curious about his conversation. I went and while there the deceased said, "You ought to kick me out for taking strychnine." He was perfectly sober last night, but he was a little excited — more jolly than he used to be. Mr Joel had gone for a doctor when the deceased spoke of strychnine.
Maurice Joel: I am a storekeeper in Princes street. The deceased was my brother in-law, and was about 34 or 35 years old. When I came to business, about half-past nine o'clock, I heard the message from Mr Davis, and I went to him at Lange and Thoneman's. He told me the deceased was very excited, and I had better go and see him. We came down here at once. The deceased was lying on the bed. He asked me what I came there for — couldn't I leave him alone. I said, "It's no use going on like that," and I sat down on the bed. I saw paper in his hand, and asked, "What have you got there?" and he said "Nothing." We took these papers from him, and then he said, "Well, it's no good - it's too late; you can't help me now." The moment I saw these papers I ran off to Dr. Hocken who gave me a prescription which I got, and Dr. Hocken was here before I got back. The prescription was an emetic, and it made the deceased sick. The stomach pump was used and coffee was copiously administered. I think the deceased died in about three quarters of an hour after I got the papers. I found a letter in the bedroom. This is it: —
"August 14th, 1864. "Dear Joel and Kate, — For Almighty sake, for my children's sake, do not blame me too much. Your doctrine, I know, is to face the difficulties I, through my own improvidence, have placed me in. I cannot forgive myself for what I have done. I assure you I intended never to play cards any more; but through sitting down to play for a small amount, and losing, and trying to get it back, I believe I have forfeited your confidence. I have not the face to see you. My poor, darling children, God knows who will take care of them, without you and poor Kate look after them. My God, this rash act will, I am afraid, grieve you very much; but I cannot help it. I have made up my mind what I am going to do. Yes, the thought is horrible, but, nevertheless, I have thought of this death for years and years, and at last I am obliged to realise. I did intend to write a long letter, but I find I cannot. My mind is too much occupied. Dear Joel, good bye. May the blessing of a dying man always attend you. For dear Kate's and for your own kindness towards me I feel grateful. For although I was going to write to father and mother, but I find I can not. Joel, I cannot write any more. The time is coming, and then I shall know the grand secret. I leave off with wishing your family and self happiness, and only trust I may be soon forgotten by you. Good-bye, dear Joel and Kate. Joseph Woolf."
"Aikman and Crawford, I have given them a receipt for Ll0 — all they have had from me this month, but I had Ll0 from him yesterday."
I know the letter to be in the handwriting of the deceased. I did not notice anything wrong in his manner for the last few days He was apparently quite well when I saw him on Saturday afternoon. I remember about six weeks ago, he threw himself on the bed and would not get up or talk about anything. He was very exitable in temperament. He was in a little pecuniary trouble, but I believe he was solvent and something more.
By Mr Harvey: I do not think I should have at all objected to lend him L28. I had often helped him, and we had not quarreled at all.
By the Coroner: I found this book, in which the deceased had written this morning.
The Coroner said the book was a diary, and that under the heading, "Monday, August; 15th," there was written in pencil:
"Poison is taken. Mercy for my children, Almighty God. I feel the poison, mercy, mercy, on my children. I feel the poison working. My love to you, Kate. Be very kind to my children — a dying man asks you. Maurice Joel, I can write no more. Write to father. Write: I have no time to write to him. Poison is taking effect. I can feel it coming upon me. "J. Woolf."
"I am lying down on my bed to die. Dear Joel, I must write to you, in my dying moments. I say so. My legs, I feel, are getting stiff. God have mercy on me. I have violated my promise to you. Remember me to mother, father, Esther, Kate. Dear Kate, do not fret yourself. You have done all you three could for me, and so has Joel. I must leave off now. God bless Joel. I am sure he wishes me well.''
John Aikman: I keep the Glasgow Arms Hotel. I knew the deceased through business. He came to me last night, between nine and ten o'clock, and seemed very much excited. He said that be had been playing cards from Saturday night until just then, and had lost a deal of money. He said he was afraid to go home to Mr Joel's — was afraid to face him. He said that he would leave the place this morning, but I was not to reveal it to any one. I asked where he was going, or what he meant to do; but he said he would not tell me. I pressed to know where he was going, and he replied, "Oh! you'll see it in the Evening Star; but don't you tell any one." I think he said he lost about L30, but I'm not quite sure. He was perfectly sober; but he was excited — from his loss, as I supposed. He got some envelopes and paper from me, saying he was going to write to his parents.
Samuel Marks: I am a brewer, and was lately in the employment of the deceased. Three or four months ago, he called me into his room — he was lodging in the Shamrock — and burst out crying. He told me he had lost L400 during the week, and he had no money left to meet his bills. He took a pocket book from his pocket, and took out two papers, labelled "Strychnine." He showed them to me, and said he meant to take them. He showed me several letters written on mourning paper, and said they were to his friends. I remonstrated, and he said it was no use, he was determined. I said he would be a great rogue to desert his children. I asked him for the papers, but he refused, and put them into the book, which he pocketed. I suddenly threw him back, and took the papers by violence; I asked him his difficulties, and he told me what money he wanted that day — l60 for one bill and 130 for another. I said. "You shall have it: that's all over. What's next." He spoke of engagements, and I said. "We'll go through the books." I kept with, him all day, and left him calm at night. Whenever he was in difficulty - the slightest - I consider that he was insane; he had not, then, the ordinary prudence of a boy.
By a Juror: My wife burned the papers that I took from the deceased. He said at the time, "It doesn't matter. I can get plenty more."
The Coroner said that when he was called in, a paper was shown to him which undoubtedly contained strychnine; and the symptoms of poisoning by strychnine were unmistakeably manifested by the deceased. The tetanic convulsions were very strong. The deceased spoke once or twice: he asked him to wait a few minutes. He suspected that the deceased must have taken a very enormous dose of the poison; and he believed that no means could have saved him. The deceased vomited almost immediately after taking the emetic.
A Juror: Is it known where he got the poison?
The Coroner said that it was bought of Mr Bagley. It was a great pity that these violent poisons were so easily obtainable, often it was sold avowedly for poisoning rats; but it was a pity that more care was not taken in its sale. It would be useless to call Mr Bagley; he was not to blame in the matter.
The Coroner again briefly stated the law. It was for the jury now to say whether the deceased, when he look the poison, was laboring under tempory insanity, or whether, while sane, bh destroyed himself. In the latter case, the deceased had committed a crime that deserved punishment as much as the murdering of another person.
The jury were left to consult for about a quarter of an hour. When the room was again opened, the Foreman (Mr H. Bastings} said that 14 out of the 15 jurors agreed in the verdict, "That the deceased poisoned himself while laboring under temporary insanity." and they also wished to add this rider — "The Jury desire to express their opinion that steps should be taken as soon as possible, to prevent the indiscriminate sale of poisons which has hitherto existed in the Province."
The Coroner: I will record your verdict, gentlemen; and I will take care to forward your rider to the proper authorities. -Otago Daily Times, 16/8/1864.
IN THE INTESTATE ESTATE OF JOSEPH WOOLF.
ALL claims against the deceased Joseph Woolf, of the Red Lion Brewery, are requested to be left, in duplicate, within seven days, at Maurice Joel's, Princes street, Administrator in the above estate. Dunedin, 23rd August, 1864. -Otago Daily Times, 26/8/1864.
Louis Woolf's brewery, the Red Lion, was managed by Maurice Joel until his death in 1907.
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