Suicide while of unsound mind was the verdict of H. M. Coroner, Mr. C. H. Haines, at the final hearing of an inquest into the -death of Private George Willson held in A. M. Police Court yesterday. The chief evidence heard was that of a Korean woman with whom Willson became associated, some nine months ^efore his suicide an July 20, while undergoing punishment for a breac. of army discipline. Previous witnesses had testified to the morose character of the soldier, which was confirmed by the evidence of this woman, Proceedings opened yesterday with the recalling of 2nd. Lieut. K. R. Bradley to the witness box for formal identification of the Korean lady, whom he saw shortly after the suicide on July 22. The Korean lady who was present in court with her husband, then entered the box, and stated that she first met Willson in October, 1939, and soon came to know him very well. He visited her house frequently, often twice or three times a week, Her husband, who was not in Shanghai when she first met deceased, returned in April of this year, and was immediately told of the circumstances. also met Willson, and became friendly with him, frequently in-yiting him for tea. Witness said that the soldier was always talking about killing himself, saying that he was "tired of life", but that she did not take him seriously, regarding him as a young boy. He fell very much in love with her, but she did not reciprocate his affection, merely regarding him as a friend, On one occasion, she related, he tried 10 jump out of a window when she refused him, but at the time she had looked on this as a display of temper.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.