BODY IN CANOE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19140, 25 October 1927, Page 12

BODY IN CANOE.

A GRUESOME FIND, i [THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, October 24. . Gently rising and falling to the swell of the Caribbean Sea, a dug-out canoe, containing the dead body of a negro, was picked up by the steamer Tongariro, which arrived at Auckland, last night. The throat and stomaGh of the dead man, who had evidently met his death some days previously, were badly slashed. It was on the afternoon of September 29th, when the Tongariro was within a day and a half's steam of Colon, at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal', that a-member of the crew sighted the drifting dug-out on the starboard bow. As the- steamer passed fairly close to the canoe it was seen that it contained tho body of-a man. As soon at the matter was reported to the master the Tongariro reduced speed and circled round, finally stopping within close distance of the drifting canoe. The weather being fine with a smooth sea, a boat in charge of the Chief Officer was lowered and sent away to make investigations. On coming rip to the dug-out the boat's crew from the Tongariro beheld a sickening sight. Lying on the bottom of the canoe was the naked body of a negro. The man had been dead for some days and his body was considerably decomposed. Closer examination showed that his throat had been slashed almost from ear to ear, while there was also an ugly wound in his stomach. In the boat was found a small hand grip containing several clean shirts and collars. A hat with tho name of a firm in the Argentine was beside the bag, but there was nothing to establish the identity of the dead man; A blunt knife, much rusted, was found in the bow of the dug-out, but it did not appear that the wounds which had.caused the man's death had been made by the knife. As the body of the negro was badly decomposed, the dug-out was weighted with fire-irons and sunk by the crew of the Tongariro's boat, tin arrival at Colon the affair was reported, to the shove authorities.