Michael died on or about 15 April 1901 in Munarra Gully in the Meekatharra district.  He was buried by Police Constable Louis V Simpson (Regimental Police Number 15) in Munarra Gully.  Witnesses present at the burial were James H Ginnivan and Thomas Forrest.  His death was certified in writing by EM Dixon, Acting Coroner, Nannine.

This hotel keeper died by his own hand, exploding dynamite in his mouth.

Some time earlier, the deceased speculated the whole of his capital in building an hotel at Munarra Gully and, for a time, while the mine was in full swing, business with him was good.  Bad times came along after the mine shut down and he, notwithstanding the fact that his property cost something like 500 pounds to erect, could not pay his creditors.  He went to Cue in March in order to borrow 100 pounds on the building and pay his debts - but could not do so and returned to Munarra.

Shortly afterwards, the bailiffs stepped in but in a few days, the deceased was appointed his own bailiff for a fortnight, when the property was to be put under the hammer.  On the last night, however, Koningas, after playing a few hands of cards, bade goodnight to his friends and, instead of retiring, wrote a few letters, enclosed them in mourning envelopes and pushed them under the door of the Munarra Hotel opposite his own.  One was to Mr E Zurcher with whom he was friendly and whom he informed he was going to burn his place down.  He then asked him to forward the other messages to their destination.  The others were to his pressing creditors whom he gave to understand were not going to be paid and in a sarcastic note to one wrote that he left him as a memento a small building at the end of his back yard.

Kongingas having burnt the property to the ground, left Munarra going forward to Nannine but his tracks proved that he came back to his place and went in the direction of the Munarra Mine.  

He was found under a bush with his brains blown out, having put dynamite in his mouth attached to a fuse.  Alongside him were also found two knives.  An inquest was held and a verdict was returned that the deceased committed suicide by exploding dynamite in his mouth.  A telegram received by the Commissioner of Police from Sergeant O'Halloran, of Cue, stated that at the inquest into the cause of the fire at Koningas' Hotel, Munarra Gully, a verdict of incendiarism against the owner, Michael Koningas, had been returned.

Koningas, who was a foreigner, was generally looked upon as an honest man.

An unknown pioneer who is buried beside Mr Michael Koningas at Munarra Gully.