SECOND EDITION.
SUICIDE AT DUNEDIN.
[By Telegraph.] UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. Dunedin, This Day.
John Richard Baxter, aged 80, stickmaker, of Rattray-street, committed suicide this morning, cutting his throat with a razor. He had been depressed in spirits for some time. -Evening Post, 11/10/1892.
SUICIDE.
John Richard Baxter, aged eighty years, a gold chaser and stick maker, committed suicide this morning by cutting his throat with a razor.
Mrs Catherine Marshall, daughter of deceased, residing in Maclaggan street, states that she last saw her father alive yesterday evening at about eight o'clock. When she left to go home he seemed to be in his usual spirits. She returned this morning to make him some gruel, and on entering the shop called out to him, but derived no answer. Thinking he was asleep, she went on making the gruel, and took it upstairs to his room, when she noticed blood. She immediately ran out of the house and told Mr Robert Porter, licensee of the hotel next door, and he went into the house, and proceeded upstairs. He found deceased lying with part of his body in the bed, and his head and shoulders over a washing basin, which was filled with clotted blood, and in his right band he held an open razor. He was terribly cut on the right side of the neck. Fanny Mullhern, a servant at the Britannia Hotel, stated that she saw deceased at 6.30 this morning drawing water from a tap. Dr Teevan, who arrived on the scene, has certified that death was caused by the wound on deceased's neck. Deceased wrote the following note on a piece of printed paper, which was found on the kitchen floor: — "Would prefer death than to eat the bread of charity." Deceased, who was a widower, leaves a married daughter. He had been in depressed spirits for some time. An inquest will probably be held to-morrow. -Evening Star, 11/10/1892.
SUICIDE.
An inquest on the body of John Richard Baxter, who was found dead with his throat cut at his residence in Rattray street on Tuesday morning, was held at the Britannia Hotel yesterday before Mr Coroner Carew and a jury of six. Mr Charles Johnson was chosen foreman.
Mrs Catherine Marshall said that deceased was her father, who was born in Birmingham, and had been in the colony about 30 years. He was a widower for the last three years, and was 80 years of age. He was very hearty for his age. Witness last saw him alive at about 10 o'clock on Monday night. She used to go down to his house every evening to make his bed. He asked her to come and see him on Monday as he was in trouble about his rent. He owed L12 for rent, which appeared to worry him very much. Witness stopped with him all Monday, when he seemed to be very cheery. She now thought that his cheerfulness had been a "blind," as he did not want her to see the state of his mind. Witness never thought that he would do such an act, as he was too good a man. She went to his house on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. He had left the verandah door open, as was his custom. She went into the shop and called for him, and getting no answer ran upstairs thinking that he was asleep. She went to his door and said, "Daddy, are you not awake yet," but got no answer. When she went into his room and saw what had happened she ran out and told the servant at the Britannia Hotel. On Monday afternoon her father kept walking up and down, saying that he wished he had a lot of money to leave her. He then seemed to be uneasy in his mind. He never had any trouble about money before. He seemed to be getting over his trouble on Monday night, and witness was very pleased to see that.
Fanny Mulhern, servant at the Britannia Hotel, stated that she saw deceased on Tuesday morning at about half-past 8. He was getting water at the side of the house, and was fully dressed. He seemed to be shaking his head in a rather peculiar way. She saw him shaking his head the same way on Monday afternoon, and witness thought it was a bit strange. She told Mr Porter about the matter.
Robert Porter, residing at the Britannia Hotel, stated that on Tuesday morning he went to deceased's room. Deceased was in bed, undressed. His head was resting on a wash basin, which was half full of clotted blood. He was dead, and had a wound on the side of the throat. Witness considered the deceased a very temperate man.
Dr Teevan said he examined the body, and found a wound on the right hand side of the neck about 6in long and 1in deep. There was blood on the hands, shirt, sheet, and basin. The right hand was partly clenched, and the left hand extended in the ordinary way. All the exposed parts of the body were quite cold, and the parts under the sheets partly warm. On a table near at hand was an open razor, covered with blood. The wound could have been self-inflicted by the razor (produced). There were no signs of any struggle. He thought the body had been dead about two hours.
Arthur Marshall, grandson of deceased, and Constable McGill also gave evidence.
A verdict to the effect that deceased cut his throat whilst temporarily insane was returned.
Mr J. A. Hislop, who appeared for Messrs Speight and Co., the landlords of deceased's house, stated that as reference had been made to deceased having been worried about rent, the inference was that the present landlords, who have owned the premises for the past six weeks or so, were pressing him. Such, however, was not the case, as they had never, since they became landlords, asked him for rent, or even sent in an account. The rent must have been owing to the former landlords. -Otago Daily Times, 13/10/1892.
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