The story of a strange delusion was told at an inquest at Westminster, London, yesterday, on David Walter Williams, aged 48, a tailor, who was found dead in his room.
Deceased's employer said that Williams had recently suffered from a delusion that a light from the Convent at the back of his lodgings shone into his room and burned him.
Witness tried to reassure him and heard that deceased had complained to the Lady Superior at the Convent, and to the police. The latter reasoned with him, and since then he had been all right.
Witness had offered to pay the expenses of a holiday in Switzerland for him, but the offer was declined.
Other evidence was that deceased barricaded himself in his room, lay on a mattress, covered himself with a blanket and turned on a gas bracket which was near his head. He had lost money at Farrow's and the National Penny Bank failure, but he had a considerable sum invested in War Loan.
A verdict of "Suicide while of unsound mind" was recorded.