Edward Gibbs, (1856-10/3/1907). "the pain he was enduring"

 SUICIDES.

Little expecting to witness a gruesome spectacle, Mr S. P. Leith, in company with Mr J. Hogg, entered his livery stables in Manor street shortly after eight o'clock yesterday morning, and there found the body of Edward Gibbs, a groom, hanging by the neck. Dr Gordon Macdonald was summoned, and pronounced life extinct. The body was accordingly removed to the morgue by the police. Gibbs was fifty-one years of age, and of late had been in bad health and greatly depressed. These facts no doubt furnish the cause of the man's action, for the circumstances point to suicide. Mr Leith last saw his groom at eleven o'clock on Saturday evening. Gibbs lived by himself on the premises. An inquest was to have been held by Mr Widdowson, coroner, at five o'clock this afternoon.  -Evening Star, 11/3/1907.

SUICIDE BY HANGING.

An inquest was hold at the Morgue yesterday afternoon on the body of Edward Gibbs who was found dead on Sunday morning hanging by a rope from one of the rafters in Mr S. P. Leith's livery stables in Manor street, where he had been engaged as a groom. Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., acted as coroner, and Henry Thomas Trevena was chosen foreman of the jury. Station-sergeant King represented the police. 

Dr Gordon Macdonald stated that he was called to Mr Leith's stable in Manor street about 8.30 on Sunday morning. He found the body of the deceased hanging by a rope from one of the rafters. The body was quite cold, and the man had evidently been dead for some two or three hours. There was a box under his feet. The deceased had evidently stood on this, and after fastening the rope round his neck jumped off it, or kicked it away. His feet were just off the ground.

Samuel Pellett Leith said that deceased had been employed at his stables as groom, for the past 12 months. Deceased slept in a room in the stables. Witness last saw him alive about 11 o'clock on Saturday night, when he appeared to be in fairly good spirits. For the past three months deceased had been very melancholy, and appeared to be fretting over something, and had often said that he was tired of this world. Apart from that he had never said anything to witness to indicate that he contemplated suicide. 

David John Stuart Robertson, farmer, residing at Tomahawk, said he last saw deceased alive at the stables door at about 12 o'clock on Saturday night, when he (witness) called to get his horse. Deceased was then in a fairly cheerful mood. 

John Gibbs, a son of the deceased, said his father had frequently complained to him of being in ill-health. That appeared to worry him a good deal. A week ago deceased said that with the pain he was enduring he could lay down and die. On Saturday night he complained of being worse than ever he had been. Witness had been informed by Dr Long, who had attended deceased, that his father was suffering from a stroke of paralysis and lumbago, and was generally run down. Deceased's wife had been dead for some years. 

Evidence was also given by John Ogg, alter which the jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had committed suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.  -Otago Daily Times, 12/3/1907.

Edward Gibbs has no recorded resting place.