Fred Nicholls, who had been drinking heavily, committed suicide at Castle-street, Wellington, yesterday, by taking laudanum. -Auckland Star, 10/6/1884.
SUPPOSED SUICIDE.
What has the appearance of a case of suicide was reported to the police last evening. Frederick Nicholls, the deceased, aged about fifty, was an old soldier, and was employed as messenger at the New Zealand Loan and Agency Company's office until Friday last, when he was discharged. Since then he had been drinking heavily, and was taken to his home in Castle street drunk yesterday afternoon. Shortly before five o'clock he called his wife into the bedroom and wished her good-bye. In his hand he held a bottle, which Mrs Nicholls took to contain rum — a spirit he was in the habit of drinking. She saw him drink the contents and went into the kitchen, whither he followed her in a short time. He then lit his pipe and began smoking, and in a few minutes fell upon the floor. His wife at first thought he was merely suffering from the effects of drink, but his heavy breathing induced her to think there was something wrong, and medical aid was sent for. Dr Copland was procured, and on reaching the house he found the deceased in the last extremity ; and he died almost immediately. The body presented the appearance of death by poison, and the bottle in question was found to have contained laudanum. An inquest was held at four o'clock this afternoon at the Victoria Hotel, before Mr Coroner Hocken and a jury.
The Coroner said that if the jury concluded that the deceased committed suicide by taking laudanum their duty would be to determine the state of mind he was in at the time.
Mary Nicholls, wife of the deceased, was the first witness. She said that her husband was an Episcopalian by religious persuasion. He arrived in New Zealand in 1861 and fought in the Maori War. Yesterday morning her husband came home, and after sleeping for about an hour, threatened to take the lives of witness and her family with a tomahawk. They all ran out of the house, and her son went for a constable. The deceased went out again and returned about 1.30 p.m. He was very drunk then, and went to sleep for another hour. As he again threatened her, she went out. When she returned, about half past four he said "Good-bye; I am going to take my life." He took a bottle which witness believed to contain spirits out of his coat pocket. He said it contained the wherewith to take his life. After this he followed witness into the kitchen, and said "Good-bye for ever. The stuff I have taken will finish me in half an hour." He then dropped on the floor. When witness ran to lift him she smelt laudanum. Deceased had frequently threatened to commit suicide while under the influence of drink; his father had also committed suicide by drowning while intoxicated. -Evening Star, 10/6/1884.
The jury's verdict was that Frederick Nicolls had died by taking laudanum "while in a state of temporary insanity, induced by drink. He lies in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery.
The "insanity" part of the jury's verdict was a common one, and a remainder from the days when a suicide, who had effectively committed "self-murder" and thus disturbed the Monarch's peace, had all assets confiscated by the Crown as punishment and possibly as a deterrent to other would-be suicides. A verdict of insanity meant that the deceased's heirs could legally inherit their estate.
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