SUICIDE BY SHOOTING.
(BY TELEGRAPH. — PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Dunedin, this day.
James Pithers, a newspaper runner latterly employed as a gardener, committed suicide at Roslyn by shooting himself with a gun. He had been much depressed in spirits since his return from Sydney, whither he had gone to visit his only relative three months ago. A month ago his mind became slightly unhinged. Deceased was fifty years of age and unmarried. -Auckland Star, 7/10/1889.
SUICIDE AT ROSLYN.
An inquest was held this morning, at Roslyn, before Mr Coroner Carew, on the body of James Pithers. The following is a summarised report of the proceedings:
James A. Park, auctioneer, said that the body shown to the jury was that of the late James Pithers. Witness thought he was an Englishman, born in London. He had been upwards of fourteen years in the colony. He had been in witness’s employ for over four years as handyman and gardener. He was not married, so far as witness was aware of. Witness had known him for about two years before employing him. He was working about the district, and previous to that he was a Star runner. His health broke down the winter before last, and he was then under the impression that he would not last through that winter. About four months ago he caught cold and had a severe attack of pleurisy, and, witness thought, visited Dr Brown. After his recovery he was very weak, and spoke of taking a trip to Auckland to see if it would improve him in any way; but instead of Auckland he visited Sydney, having relations there. It was, witness believed, fully a month before he found his relations there, which seemed to make him despondent. He returned to Dunedin on the 31st August last. He said he felt better, but he did not look any better. About a month from Thursday last he got up in the middle of the night and wandered to Port Chalmers. He said when he came back that he did not know how he got there. Witness saw him the following day, and he seemed to be perfectly sane. Mrs Park offered to send for a doctor, but he said he was perfectly right and would not have a doctor to see him. Since then he would very seldom leave the premises, seeming as though he did not want to meet anyone who would talk to him about his past movements. Witness had had a lad at the place recently, and used to ask him about Pithers, whether he noticed anything wrong about him. His answers were always “No,” and to the effect that he was all right and quiet. On Friday night witness beard the servant said he was brighter and more cheery than he had been, but that he spoke strangely sometimes. The last time witness spoke to Pithers was on Thursday morning between 8.30 and 9 o'clock, and got rather a quiet reply. Immediately after replying Pithers walked away. Since then it had occurred to witness as strange that Pithers did not stay to speak to him as he usually did; but that did not occur to witness at the time. Witness fancied that Pithers considered himself a burden and of no use, because he had not been able to do the work he used to do. The lad was only temporarily there to assist him in heavy work. Witness never gave Pithers reason to think he was dissatisfied with him. Witness told him, after he wandered to Port Chalmers, that he was foolish to brood over matters. He said if he had been in business he should have gone wrong long ago. Witness told him that so long as he liked there was a home for him with witness, and that he could potter about and do what he could. Witness thought he was over fifty years of age, but he made himself out, witness believed, to be forty-eight years. He had wandered about a good deal during his life — had been in Victoria, through part of the Maori War, on the Otago diggings, and at Allans’ of Hopehill, before he came to town. The carbine produced was witness's property. It used to be in Pither’s custody. Whenever witness gave it up to him it was always empty. On Saturday morning witness asked Pithers to have his rifle cleaned and have it ready by the afternoon, which witness understood he did. Witness heard at lunch time what had happened to Pithers.
Dr Brown said that on Saturday last he was called by telephone; and arrived at Mr Park's at a few minutes before 2 p.m. He found the body lying on its back in an outhouse, at full length on the ground. Deceased had the barrel of a carbine in his right hand, pointing towards his head. The right side of his bead was blown to pieces by the discharge of the carbine. Portions of the skull and brains were lying beside the body, and nieces of brain were scattered about the woodhouse, the roof, and floor. The injuries could have been self-inflicted. In October, 1888, he consulted witness. He was then sutffering from pleurisy. Witness had not seen him since. Any severe illness might depress a man mentally; if it lasted long it would be very likely to do so.
Margaret Anderson, general servant at Mr Park’s, said that she had asked Pithers what made him dull, but he did not tell her. He said: “Never mind; you don’t know anything about it.” The night before he went to Port Chalmers he said that he was tired of living. He did not say why. He said he would like a good walk. Witness had never since then heard him talk about making away with himself. On Saturday morning he was very quiet and dull, and hardly spoke to witness. It was the same at breakfast and dinner-time. He had his dinner about five minutes past twelve. He did not eat much, and said he wished he had a good appetite. Witness did not see him with a gun that morning. Before he went to Port Chalmers witness sometimes thought his mind was affected, but had not thought so since. The people in the house were always very kind to him.
Richard Harris said that he knew Pithers, and used to work with him at Mr Park’s at gardening. Witness had noticed that he was very quiet for the past two or three days. After witness returned from dinner on Saturday he found Pithers’s body lying on the floor, and reported the occurrence.
The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased shot himself while temporarily insane. -Evening Star, 7/10/1889.
The Dunedin Herald of last week says: — The suicide of James Pithers was one of the most revolting that has been seen for many a day. We refer, of course, to the state in which the body was found. The right half of the face was blown completely away, and huge pieces of skull and brain were lying about, some at a distance of about four yards. The body was lying in a little lake of blood, in which pieces of brain and bone were floating. The bullet, after doing its deadly work, cut its way through the wooden ceiling and galvanised iron roof of the shed. The one redeeming feature of the affair was the coolness dismayed by a young man named Richard Harris, who first discovered the deed. When he entered the building he had two of Mr Park's children with him and taking in at a glance the state of affairs, but not wishing to terrify the children, he quite coolly called "Jim," and receiving, of course, no reply remarked "Oh! he's not there, let's go and see where he is," then turned and walked away. -Poverty Bay Herald, 17/10/1889.
James Pithers lies in an unmarked, pauper's grave in Dunedin's Southern Cemetery.
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