THE SUICIDE AT ROSS.
(Guardian, August 30.) Yesterday about noon the towns-people were started by the intelligence that Mr Edmund Louch Case had shot himself, and unfortunately it turned out to be too true. He lives in a cottage at the foot of Aylmer street, and yesterday about twelve o'clock, while in his bed-room, shot himself with a fowling piece, the charge entering at the right side of his neck, and coming out behind the left ear. Mrs Case heard the report .of the gun and ran into the room in great alarm, when she found her husband lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She immediately ran outside and told Mr Deakin, who was passing with a dray at the time, that her husband had shot himself. Mr Deakin came into the house for a moment, and seeing it was only too true, then ran off for medical assistance. Dr Duff was promptly on the spot, but found life quite extinct. It is supposed the unfortunate man leant his head over the gun, and struck the cap on the nipple with a hammer, as one was lying beside the gun. The fact of Mr Case using a gun did not give rise to any suspicion in the mind of his wife that he contemplated self-destruction, as he was very often in the habit of shooting pigeons. He had been in a very desponding state of late, owing to Mrs Case having been dismissed from the position of mistress in the Ross Government School, and continually brooding over his misfortunes is supposed to have been the cause of him having committed the rash act. Deceased, who was 61 years of age, leaves a wife and four young children in very poor circumstances indeed. An inquest on the body will be held to-day. -West Coast Times, 31/8/1877.
An inquest was held on the body of the late Edmund Louch Case, who committed suicide at Ross last week. The evidence of Agnes Case, wife of the deceased, was as follows: — "I am the wife of deceased; I have been married to deceased nearly ten years; deceased has been liable to depressions of spirits lately, because he could not make a living for me and the children, more particularly since I lost my situation as mistress of the Ross State School; lowness of spirits has latterly grown upon him; he has often threatened to destroy himself; on the morning of the 29th instant I was sick in bed, and he gave me my breakfast in bed; after breakfast I rose and tidied up the place, and laid down again; when I was in bed, deceased came ill and kissed me; he said I was cold, covered me up, and then left; sometime after, but I do not know how long; I heard a shot and a fall; I then ran into the room whence the sounds proceeded, and found deceased lying on the floor; I said ''Edmund, speak to me," but he did not reply; I then ran outside and asked Mr Deakin, who was passing, to come in, which he did." On cross-examination she also stated that they had not enough food lately, having given it nearly all to the children. Constable Keating found a small piece of paper on deceased, which was produced at the inquest, and written on it was the following: — "My dear Agnes, — Don't let ____ act as coroner of my body; it would not be in character, he being my murderer. God bless thee for ever and ever. Farewell. — Edmund Lough Case." The brother of the deceased identified the handwriting as that of his unfortunate brother, The jury, without retiring, returned the following verdict: — "That the deceased, Edmund Louch Case, met his death by a gunshot wound, caused by his own hand, while laboring under a temporary fit of insanity." -West Coast Times, 3/9/1877.
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