Alfred Goldsmith, of Caversham, committed suicide yesterday morning by hanging himself with a clothes line on his bedroom door. -Evening Post, 30/4/1877.
INQUEST.
Mr Coroner Hocken and a jury of twelve, of whom Edward Holmes was appointed foreman, held an inquiry at the Hospital today touching the death of Alfred Goldsmith. The following evidence was taken:-
Theresa Maria Goldsmith: The deceased, who was my husband, was named Alfred Goldsmith. We lived at Kensington, and had been married about three and a half years. My husband was a laborer, and a native of Sussex. He was about twentynine years of age at the time of his death. He was not at work last Saturday, owing to the rain, but stopped at home and did odd jobs about the house. On the Friday evening he seemed very low-spirited, and I fetched some beer, some of which he drank and then went to bed. On Saturday evening he went to the store, and on returning to the house asked me if I would have some brandy. I replied “Yes," and he went and fetched a shillingsworth, of which he drank about a third. He afterwards gave me a pound note and told me to get a bottle of brandy, adding, “Don’t spend all the pound.” I did not see him take any of the brandy from the bottle, but I had some and then went to bed. This was about twelve o’clock. He shortly afterwards came to bed, and kissed me, saying “God bless you.” This was his usual custom, and I did not then nor during the whole of the Saturday notice anything peculiar about him — he was apparently in his ordinary health and spirits. On Friday he was low-spirited, but I have seen him like that before, though I did not knew the reason. About two years ago he was sitting looking at some trees, when he remarked to me, “Theresa, what a fine tree that would be for a man to hang himself on.” I said, “Alfred, what would your father and mother think of you if they heard you speak like that.” After I had been in bed some time — I cannot say how long — I was awoke by hearing a great noise, and, on looking up, saw mv husband hanging by a rope round his neck to the bedroom door, which was half-open. He was struggling and making a noise. His feet were some inches from the floor. I jumped out. of bed and screamed out, “Oh God! Alfred,” and then cut the rope and let him fall on to the floor. He was not sensible then, but was breathing. I then ran to Mrs Miller and Mrs Attywell and told them what had occurred, and someone went for Dr Cowie, but before he came life was extinct. When I cut deceased down I rubbed his body to try and do him some good. I know of no cause why he should commit suicide. He was a very temperate man. Sometimes I take a little drop too much, but that would not depress the deceased — indeed he would have been the first to give it to me. There was a little case, which was used as a seat, near his feet when I saw him hanging. — To a juror: Deceased was my second husband, and I have no children by him, but we lived very happily.
Elizabeth Attywell; I live at Kensington, next doer to Mrs Goldsmith’s, Between one and two o’clock yesterday (Sunday) morning I heard a loud row going on in Mrs Goldsmith’s house. There was no one in their house but themselves. In about an hour afterwards I heard some noise as of a body falling on to the floor, and immediately afterwards Mrs Goldsmith came and screamed out, “Murder; my husband has hanged himself.” I went with her into the house, and saw the deceased bolstered up with pillows against the bedstead. The rope was hanging to the door, and a brandy box was behind it, with a lighted candle on it. I saw the mark of the rope on deceased’s neck. Mrs Goldsmith was talking incoherently to the deceased, who was not then dead. He lived for some minutes after I went into the house, but was insensible. I rushed out of the house in my chemise, and alarmed the police. I last saw deceased alive at 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, when he seemed to be in good health and spirits. Mrs Goldsmith frequently took too much liquor, and had been drinking heavily for a fortnight before this occurrence. Deceased was a very quiet man, and I think he took to heart the intemperate habits of his wife. I always considered him a healthy man, and of sound mind.
Dr Cowie: About five o’clock yesterday morning I was called to see deceased, and upon getting to the house saw him propped up against the bed. Life was extinct, and I should think he had been dead about an hour. There was a deep mark on the right side of the neck, apparently caused by the pressure of the rope. So far as I could judge Mrs Goldsmith was sober.
Elizabeth Miller, a neighbor of Mrs Goldsmith’s, said: Between nine and ten o’clock on Saturday night I went in to Mrs Goldsmith's The deceased came in bringing a number of articles among which was a shillings-worth of brandy, which his wife had told him to fetch. Mrs Goldsmith had some of the brandy, which she ordered her husband to give to her. She was a woman of intemperate habits, and ordered deceased about like a dog. I saw Goldsmith at about one o’clock on Sunday morning, when he was perfectly sober and in good health. I then went to bed, and some time afterwards was awakened by hearing Mrs Goldsmith screaming out that her husband had hanged himself. I thought she was under the influence of the drink. Deceased had not a very happy life with his wife, who used to tell him to go up country and get out of her sight, and all sorts of things.
Constable O’Brien, stationed at Kensington: At twenty minutes past four yesterday morning Mrs Attywell called at the station, and said that Mr Goldsmith had hanged himself. I went across to the house immediately, and saw deceased sitting on the floor of his bedroom with his back leaning against the side of the bed. I saw that he was not quite dead, as his eyes were moving, but he was insensible and breathing very slowly. He was undressed, and had nothing on but his shirt and flannel. I looked at the door which was pointed out to me as the one from which the body had been cut down, and saw the rope produced (a piece of threestrand stuff about the size of an ordinary clothes-line) suspended from it. A loop was hanging over the top of the door, and a part of the rope which had been cut off was lying on the ground. The knot by which the line was hitched was drawn tight, as if a heavy strain had been put upon it. I have known deceased for about three weeks. He was a quiet, inoffensive man; but his wife was of drunken and dissolute habits.
The Coroner: There seems to be no reasonable doubt but that the deceased committed suicide by hanging himself, and the question therefore for you, gentlemen, to decide is whether or not he was temporarily insane at the time the deed was committed. The evidence is to the effect that he was a man of quiet, sober habits, but I question whether the conduct of his wife — who, it has been shown, was addicted to drink — was not enough to drive him temporarily mad, and to cause him to embrace any means of getting rid of the misery into which her excesses plunged him. I think that a verdict of temporary insanity would be the most charitable and just one that you could return.
After a short deliberation the jury unanimously found “That deceased committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity" and the Coroner thereupon called Mrs Goldsmith into the room, and, after explaining to her the verdict, admonished her in a few well-chosen words to abstain in future from drink, which had been the cause of so much misery to herself and the means of bringing her unfortunate husband to an untimely end. -Evening Star, 30/4/1877.
Alfred Goldsmith lies in an unmarked grave in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery.
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