Farm Hand's Body Found

Chronicle (Levin), 2 September 1946, Page 5

Farm Hand's Body Found

-Press Association

SEVERE WOOND IN HEAD

Bv Telegravh-

AtrcKLAND, Sept. 1. Circumstances suggcsting mttrder surround the discovery of tlie body of a young farmhand lying face upward in the corner of a paddock bn the property of Mr. J. W. Tims, at Peria, 3-k miles from Matamata, at 8 o'clock this morning. ■He was: — JOHN ROSS- BOWMAR, aged 24, singlev He was an employee of Mr. S,t. Elmo C. Steele, sharemilker on Mr. Tims': farm. The body of dieeeased, for whom an unsuccessful search had been made when he did not put in an appearance' to help with the morning 's milking, was discovered by Mr. Steele as he waS Leaving the farm .in a waggon to take milk to the Matamata cheese factory. There was a severe wound on the left frontal hone of the skull. The body was dressed in pyjamas and a pullover and was without boots and socks. It waS saturated by rain which had fallen during the night. Death had evidently oecurred some hours before the bcidy was found. There was no indication of how deceased had come by his injtiry. A large party of deteetive and unL form police was despatched to the scene of tbe tragedy irom Hamiiton, Auckland and Rotorua. A pathologist, Dr. W. GiLmottr, accompanied the Auckland detectives tcr Matamata. Mr. Bowinar, who came from Rotorua, had been employed by Mr. Steele since June. He lived in the same house as Mr. and Mrs. Steele, their two children and another young man who came to the district recently. Deceased was a retttrned soldier of the Second World War and was well known.