Christensen Family, New Zealand

Coroner's Report: Calvert Christensen

(J 45 COR 1907/912)

Note: This gets a little gory folks, so if you get queasy, click here to move to the next page. However, in the interests of making an important bit of social history available to relatives, here goes...

Item 1

Palmerston North, New Zealand.

3rd October 1907

To: The Under Secretary, Department of Justice, Wellington.

Sir,

On the afternoon of the 2nd October I received a message from Sergeant Stagpoole that a man named Calvert Christensen, a labourer, had died in the Public Hospital from a gunshot wound received in Shannon on the 19th September. An inquest was held by me this day. The evidence showed that the wound was self-inflicted. The man had been in the Mental Hospital at Wellington and it appears that since then he has been in a morbid  state of mind, muttering and talking of leaving this world. Dr. Wilson of the Hospital said his case was absolutely hopeless from the first. The papers I send with this and I have the honour to be, sir,

your obedient servant, John Mowlem, Coroner.

Item 2

Information of Witnesses: Colony of New Zealand, to wit.

INFORMATION OF WITNESSES severally taken and acknowledged on behalf of our Sovereign Lord the King touching the death of Calvert Christensen at the Public Hospital at Palmerston North in the Provincial district of Wellington, in the colony above mentioned, on Thursday, the third day of October, one thousand nine hundred and seven before John Mowlem, one of the Coroners of the said Colony, on an Inquisition then and there taken on view of the body of Calvert Christensen in the Public Hospital Morgue, then and there lying dead, as follows, to wit:-

George Wilson, being sworn, saith that I am a duly qualified Medical Practitioner and visiting surgeon to the Palmerston North Public hospital. I remember the deceased being brought to the Hospital at noon of the 19th September. I was in attendance shortly after his arrival in the Hospital. He was suffering from a gunshot wound on the left side of the forehead. There was a compound communicated fracture of the left portion of the temporal bone. The wound was lacerated and ingrained with powder, which goes to show that the weapon where fired was held close to the skull. There was a communicated fracture of the right half of the of the frontal bone. The brain was oozing from the wound where the bullet entered. He was quite conscious. He was asked in my presence why he had done this. His reply was that he wanted to get out of this. I trephoned at one o'clock the same day and failed to get the bullet. Two days before the man died we got the bullet out. Part is produced. He died yesterday morning, the 2nd October. He was in a hopeless state all the time. The cause of death was cerebritis and there was an abscess on the right side of the brain. - (signed) George Wilson.

Michael Andrews, on his oath, says: I am a labourer and reside at Shannon. I knew the deceased. He was living with me in a whare belonging to his father. About 5:15 a.m. on the 19th September, I left him asleep in the whare. On the previous night I had a conversation with him. I could detect nothing unusual in his manner. At 9 a.m. on the 19th Sept. I returned to the whare. As soon as I entered I saw the deceased lying on a bag on the floor, with a cushion under his head for a pillow. The blood was running all over his face and he was blinking caused by the blood running into his eyes. Seeing him so, I staggered back from the shock. I immediately closed the door and ran to inform the police, but the Constable was absent. I then ran to the Post Office, where I saw Mr Moynihan, the Postmaster, and Mr O'Connor, a J.P., and the chemist. I returned to the whare with Mr Moynihan, the chemist and Mr O'Connor. On the outside of the whare a lot of towels were lying about covered with blood. The pea rifle, produced, was lying alongside of him in the whare. The cartridges, produced, I found in a drawer in the whare. The rifle belonged to deceased, and I have seen it often before. I knew he had been in the Asylum. About 8 or 9 weeks ago he returned and came to my whare about 9 p.m. - (signed) "Macel Andrues" (Note: probably his writing skills were very limited, hence the mis-spelt name)

Michael Moynihan, being sworn, says: I am the licensee of the Club Hotel, Shannon. I remember the morning of the 19th September. I was on the street going to the Post Office when the last witness informed me of the accident. I met Mr O'Connor and knowing the local Constable was away, Mr O'Connor wired to Levin for a Doctor and the Police. I went over to the whare in company of Andrews, Mr O'Connor and the chemist. I opened the door of the whare and found deceased as described by Andrews. He pointed out the place where the bullet entered, to Mr O'Connor. He was perfectly conscious. I know he made statements to Mr O'Connor that he had done the deed himself and that no-one was to blame. I sent a wire to his brother and on returning to the whare found Doctor McKenzie from Levin  there, who dressed his wounds and sent him to the train on an ambulance stretcher, to go to the Palmerston North Public Hospital. - (signed) Michael Moynihan.

Henry Maurice Kirby, on his oath, says: I am a Constable stationed at Levin. On the 19th September I received a wire telling me of the accident at Shannon. I went to Shannon by the 10:30 a.m. train. When I stepped on to the platform, I saw the deceased lying on a railway ambulance on the railway platform. I assisted to put him in the railway van and accompanied him to Palmerston. When I got to Palmerston, I found Dr. McKenzie had come by the same train. Dr. McKenzie assisted me in Palmerston to place him in the ambulance. I produce the gun and ammunition which was given to me by Mr Moynihan this morning. I was speaking to him on the train. He was perfectly rational and spelt his name to me, told me his age, and when I asked him why he did this act, he replied he was tired of life. - (signed) H.M. Kirby.

Item 3 onwards

Then follows a page outlining the number of pages (six) that comprised the above witness statements, and saying that they were" taken and sworn or affirmed before me, at Palmerston north in the said colony, on the third day of October, 1907 - John Mowlem, Coroner."

The Jury consisted of Walter Henry Overton (Foremen), Thomas Basten, John Charles Tregurtha, Samuel Burton, Arthur Broad Rowlands, and William Wickens.

The verdict was that "on the 2nd October 1907, at the Palmerston North Public Hospital, the deceased Calvert Christensen died from the effects of a gunshot wound in the head, self-inflicted on the 19th September 1907, while in an unsound state of mind."