Thomas Pauling

1896 - 1928  (32 years)

• Name	Thomas Pauling
  Birth	29 Jul 1896	Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Newspaper	1 Jul 1922	"Evening Post", New Zealand   [3]
  	Magistrate's Court Mr F K Hunt, SM presided at to-day's sitting of the Magistrate's Court. Tow first -offending inebriates were leniently dealt with. Arthur Russell, who was charged with obtaining a sum of money by means of a false pretence, was remanded until Friday next. A similar remand was granted in the case of Thomas Pauling, who, it was stated, had been arrested by Constabale Dawe last night on a charge of stealing an overcoat valued at £3 15s, the property of the New Zealand Clothing Factory.
  Newspaper	7 Jul 1922	"Evening Post", New Zealand   [4]
  	COAT SNATCHER GOES TO GOAL "Coat snatching from doors of shops is becoming a very serious offence," said Sub-Inspector McNamara at the Magistrate's Court to-day, when Thomas Pauling admitted having stolen an overcoat, valued at £3 15s, the property of the New Zealand Clothing Factory. The Magistrate (Mr F K Hunt) agreed that the offence was becoming too common, and he sent the accused to gaol for fourteen days.
  Electoral	1925	Ellesmere, Canterbury, New Zealand   [5]
  	PAULING, Thomas, Lake Coleridge, tunneller
  Newspaper	4 Jan 1928	"Evening Post", New Zealand   [6]
  	THIEF SENT TO GAOL Described by Detective Sergeant Holmes as a sneak thief, Thomas Pauling, a labourer, aged 34, pleased guilty in the Magistrate's Court on Monday to the theft of a cigarette case, valued at £1 5s, the property of Walter John Mellish. He also admitted stealing £5 the property of Thomas Thompson. Detective-Sergeant Holmes said that Pauling was caught in the act of stealing the cigarette case from the coat of a passenger on the Auckland - Wellington express on the 31st Decemeber, while the owner was having a wash. Pauling also visited the room of a man at a private hotel in the city on Christmas Day and stole £5 from a wallet he found under a pillow. He had several previous convictions. On the first charge, Pauling was convicted and discharged, and on the second, he was sentenced to three months imprisonment.
  Death	27 Dec 1928	Mount Crawford Prison, Miramar, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand   [7, 8]
  	Cause: Verdict of Coroner: Suicide by hanging in police cell
  	From 9 Goring Street, Wellington
  Newspaper	28 Dec 1928	"Evening Post", New Zealand   [9, 10]
  	DEATH IN CELLS MAN HANGS HIMSELF Thomas Pauling, a labourer, aged 34 was found hanging in his cell at the Mount Crawford Prison at 1.55am today. He made a rope by tearing his blankets into strips and tying them together. Pauling was found in a state of helpless drunkenness in Lambton Quay on Christmas Eve and was arrested and locked up at the Central Police Station. He became violent however, and was removed to Mount Crawford. The deceased wa to have been dealt wth in the Magistrate's Court this morning. An inquest will be held.
  Newspaper	29 Dec 1928	"Evening Post", New Zealand   [11]
  	LABOURER'S DEATH SUICIDE N PRISON CELL OFFICERS FREE FROM BLAME The death of Thomas Pauling, a labourer, aged 34, in his cell at the Mount Crawford Prison formed the subject of an inquiry before the Coroner (Mr J H Salmon, SM) at the Magistrate's Court today. The verdict returned was that the deceased committed suicide between 11.30pm on Thursday and 1.45am yesterday by hanging himself. No blame, added the Coroner, was attachable to any of the officers. Constable S J Lush said that about 6.45pm on Christmas Eve the deceased came up to him in Lambton quay. He said he had been drinking heavily for the past fortnight and that if he was not locked up he would commit suicide. Pauling was taken to the Central Police Station, where he was charged with helpless drunkenness and locked up. Witness gave the deceased his breakfast the next morning in his cell, and he then wanted to know if he could get some poison. He was brought before the Court on Wednesday, and was remanded for medical observation. Evidence was given by John Down, superintendent at the Mount Crawford Prison, that the deceased appeared to be quite rational when he was admitted to the prison about 3pm on Wednesday, and said he was getting on all right. No instructions had been received that the deceased had shown signs of suicidal tendencies, and as he gave no indication when witness saw him that he would take his life, he was treated as an ordinary drunk and placed in one of the regulation cells. Robert Scollay, night watch officer at Mount Crawford, said he commenced duty on Thursday at 11pm and went the round of the cells which he completed in half an hour. He found everything in order; the deceased was in bed and appeared to be asleep. After that he passed Pauling's cell every half hour. Everything was quiet. About 1.45am yesterday he turned on the light in Pauling's cell and found the deceased was missing from his bed. He was hanging by the neck from one of the bars in the window, being suspended by a piece of blanket. With the assistance of the orderly officer, he cut the deceased down. He was then quite dead. The cell chair was close to the window, and it had the appearnace of having been kicked away. Witness had no nstructions to keep a special watch on the deceased, who appeared to sleep well the first night he was at the prison. The orderly officer, Joseph Edwards, said that on each occasion he visited Pauling's cell he appeared to be normal, and gave no indication that he would take his life.
  Burial	3 Jan 1929	Karori Cemetery, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand   [12]
  	PAULING THOMAS Deceased Date: 00-00-0000 Occupation: Service Date: 03-01-1929 Service Provided: Burial Funeral Director: WILSON Cemetery: Karori Section: CH ENG2 Plot Number: 796 G Record Number: 86059
  AAA Last Date	20 Jan 2023
  Person ID	I2826	Ailsa and Bill Family Histories

  
  

  Father	William Pauling,   b. 30 Sep 1870, Leeston, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand d. 27 Jul 1913, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand (Age 42 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mabel Grace Bishop,   b. 1 Sep 1877, Greytown, Wairarapa, New Zealand d. 16 Oct 1937, Kingseat Mental Hospital, Papakura, Auckland, New Zealand (Age 60 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F415	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 29 Jul 1896 - Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] NZ BDM Indexes, Microfiche or Online, (Name: NZSRGO; Location: Lower Hutt, New Zealand;), Folio No 2941, Sept Qtr. [S1] Certificate held on file:, supplied by Dennis Pauling. [S10] Newspaper, Type: Various Papers, Paperspast - Evening Post 1 July 1922, Page 8 Magistrate's Court. [S10] Newspaper, Type: Various Papers, Paperspast - Evening Post 7 July 1922, Page 8, Coat Snatcher Goes to Gaol. [S6] NZ Electoral Roll, Subject: Elections, (Name: BAB Microfilming, Auckland, New Zealand, 1853 - 1967;), 1925 Electoral Roll, Ellesmere. [S10] Newspaper, Type: Various Papers, Paperspast - Evening Post 7 Jan 1928, Page 14, Thief Sent to Gaol. [S2] NZ BDM Indexes, Microfiche or Online, (Name: NZSRGO; Location: Lower Hutt, New Zealand;), Folio No 497, March Qtr 1929. [S1] Certificate held on file:, Supplied by Dennis Pauling. [S10] Newspaper, Type: Various Papers, Wellington newspaper dated 28 Dec 1928 - Evening Post vol CVI Issue 150 Pg 9. [S43] Dennis Pauling, Supplied by Dennis Pauling, Recipient: Ailsa Corlett, Address: Auckland, New Zealand, Author E-mail: dennis.pauling@actricx.co.nz, (Name: Various dates starting 2001;), Letter dated 10 Dec 2004 with photo of Alfred. Photo and article published in the Weekly Press 12 may 1915, Collection held at the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. [S10] Newspaper, Type: Various Papers, Evening Post newspaper Wellington - Vol CVI, Issue 150, Pg 9 - Papers Past. [S3] NZSG, NZ Cemetery Records, (Name: NZSG, Auckland, New Zealand & Online Council Databases; Date: 1988;), Online database Karori Cemetery Wellington.