John Brown, (1838-5/2/1864). "thought he was going mad"

A man named John Brown, in the employ of Mr. Barnes, road contractor, was working with two mates on the road now being made in that neighbourhood. On the night of the 4th he woke his tc telling them that he believed he was going out of his mind, and requested to go into town with him in order that he might give himself up to the police. They came in accordingly, and during the night went to the police station, where Brown repeated his statement and asked to be token into custody. The sergeant in charge could discern nothing whatever in the conduct of the man to justify taking him in charge, and, refusing to do so, after a short time the three went away. About 11 o'clock Brown left his work, and about twelve his mates, on searching, found him hanging by a piece of thin cord to a tree in the neighborhood of their tent. They at once cut him down but life was quite extinct. Information was given to the police and the body was brought into town, where it awaits an inquest at the Robin Hood Hotel. Some money found on his person, together with money handed over to the police as belonging to the deceased, amounted to £37 10s, and by a pocket book it appeared that he had a sum of £110 deposited in the Bank of New South Wales for 12 months. In this pocket book an entry, apparently made just before he destroyed himself, appears as follows: — "I am a native of Northallerton, Yorkshire, 25 years of age, December 6, 1863 John Brown." It does not appear that deceased was subject to insanity, but full particulars will no doubt be disclosed at the inquest.  -Press, 10/2/1864

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An inquest was held on Monday at the Robin Hood, on the body of John Brown, who hanged himself on Friday morning last at the Kaikora valley. Olaf Teber, who was mate of deceased, had resided in the same tent for seven weeks with him. During this time deceased showed no symptoms of abberation of intellect; and there did not appear to be the slightest grounds for supposing that he contemplated suicide. Deceased was an unmarried man, about 24 years of age, and was from Northallerton, in Yorkshire. It seems that he had been appointed foreman over some work in King street, under Mcvenzie's contract, and in the morning preceding the day of his death, he said that he regretted it, because it compelled him to separate from Teber. Early on Friday morning he woke Teber and said, "Olaf, I believe I am going out of my senses, I do not know what is coming over me. I have got some money in the Maitland Bank, and some in my pocket. I have a brother in Maitland." Deceased had come from the Sydney side, and had been in New Zealand about two years. Teber told him to go to sleep and he would be better in the morning, and this seemed to tranquilise him for a few moments. After that interval he again said that he thought he was going mad, and asked Teber to take him into town and give him up to the police. After some hesitation Teber got up and, accompanied by another man who lived in the adjoining tent, went down to the police office; but on the road deceased seemed to recover, and said it was folly to give himself up. The party proceeded, however, and on arrival at the station he stated his case, and requested the police to take charge of him. The constable on duty declined to lock him up, stating that he (the constable) did not see anything that would justify him in doing so. At that time deceased appeared perfectly sane, and the three returned. On the way deceased said that he knew the police would not take him in charge as he felt quite right. He went to bed, and in the morning got up and made breakfast for himself and mate, and then went down to the contractor, Mr Barnes, to settle about some work on the Kaikora. He seemed in better spirits, and spoke about again working with Teber. The work was not to be settled about till the afternoon, and deceased not feeling well, said he would go back to the tent to take some medicine and lie down. Teber returned to the tent about one o'clock, and found that deceased was out. His coat was lying on the bed, and two knives belonging to him were also lying there and newly sharpened. Teber instantly suspected something was wrong, and went out in search, but had gone a very short distance- before he found deceased hanging to a tree in a wood near the creek. At that time he was quite dead, and Teber, with a neighbor, cut him down. On searching his pocketo L31 in notes, six shillings, and a receipt on the Maitland Bank were found. From the evidence of another witness, Frederick Palmer, overseer to Mr Flaxman, it appears that on the morning of Friday deceased applied for work, though he had then two engagements. Mr Palmer could not give him work then, but asked him to call again. Deceased appeared very low spirited then, but Mr Palmer attributed it to being out of work. The police constable to whom deceased applied at the watchhouse, and who attended when information of the suicide was given, gave similar evidence to that of the previous witnesses, and proved that the death of deceased must have been by his own act. The pocket book of deceased contained amongst other things the address of an unmarried female in England, with some doggrel love verses. There could be no doubt that deceased committed suicide while laboring under temporary insanity, for he had been a sober steady man, and a verdict to that effect was returned.  -Otago Witness, 13/2/1864.