Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 159

Transcript

The days of old – Suicides

Your remarks upon suicides, inquests and burials, bring back to recollection a case coming under those headings, which occurred in Christchurch in the days of old. Some thirty years, more or less, ago, an immigrant ship arrived in Lyttelton, having as usual a medical man in charge of the passengers. The ship was the Mercury or some similar name, and amongst her immigrants was the first instalment of what has since developed into the organised demi monde of Christchurch; those being some dozen or more reformatory school girls whom some well intentioned people at Home had sent out to distant New Zealand to become well behaved matrons, amid their new associations. The experiment was largely a failure. Indeed to persons with any experience, to expect otherwise, considering the ways of immigrant ships in those times, would have been a very great belief in the impossible – almost. The medico was a proper old time immigrant ship medico, a case hardened sinner glorying in drink and its surrounds; arrived, he went in for an enlarged carouse, and accompanied by one of the trusty band of reformatory girls had a thorough good ending by taking in marriage the young lady. All went merry, until funds failed and credit became exhausted, when face to face, like cases happening in these days, with money troubles and soberizing thoughts he duly honored the White Hart Hotel, in which he had passed many a high old time with his chum, Dr Murphy, by taking the necessary quantity of poison, and stretching himself upon the public room couch, informed his friend that he had taken poison.