Big Squad Of Police Probing Unusual Death

Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1947, Page 5

Big Squad Of Police Probing Unusual Death

-Pres& Association

Rv Telegraph-

CHRfST'CliURGH, Mg. 4, A big sqnad oi detectives and polioOfnen i§ daiaged in sarFying' oiit fu'll enquirles fOHowing the discovery of the body ©f Wiliiam Keefe Oi'ds, aged abollt 56, of Abet SHifth Stfeet, WeBington,- iii the grouhdsi of G^hterbury University Gollege Bhis morrimg. Btartled workmen found the body a't 8.45 a.m. today.- He was stre'tehed fuil1 ; length in a shalToW; * trfeneh witli mosi of the body actually ' hidden itnder * neWly-ereeted biiilding. The mosi . .iigniliCant aspect of'the mystery,- froru ■ ihe point Of view of' the police, is tha ► uhe bbdv Was covered With an dfdinarv coal sack. To shi61d the body' even more thoroughly, a big piece of tin wa. piaeed up against the side of the buiJd mg, completely hiding the griin Objecr jnderneath the" hooring. Thq" man wa- • otterly without money when the body i was searched by detectives.- The ro ti bery m'otive has not been discounted by -he police. Information obtained thi.afternoon revealed that the man's bodybore no obvious signs of violence. There , were no bruises or abrasions showing, and the face, head, body and clothing did not Carry bloodstains. When the boay was found some of its limbs were linip. It is believed thai the man had probably been dead for from 12 to 20 hours. Mr. Olds was a veteran of the first world war. He had. bad lung troubbresulting from war ifijuries. His land lady describes liirn as " a kirfd oio chap". He was very careless with himoney. "He always seemed to have" plenty of it, " she stated. She used to warn liim about lea.ving money care lessly aliout the rooTii but his attitude was. "I'm honest myself — why shouldn't everyone else -be honest V He was unmarried but it is believed ht

had a nephew and" sister livmg in Wellington. Mr. Glds joined the staf; of Census and Statistics Department in 1945. Olds had been on siek_leave since the iniddle of July and he' is known ti. have been in Wellington on Thursday. It is believed that n& visited Christ church for the Gratid National face meeting on Fridav. He left his bags a; a private boarding house in Christ church and apparently did not return Mr. John Rand, of 117 Pine Avenue. South Brighton, and .Mr. E. Watson, oi Flockton Streef, St. Albans, employee> and Vale and Company Limited, dis oovered the body when they were about to crawl beneath the biiilding to atten>. to some pipes whieh- were lying in a trench 18in wide' and 18in deep, tt give workmen • aeCess among - tln foundations: Other trenches had been dug and that chosen by the workmen contained the body. When they removed the piece ofdtin leaning against the buildings and e-o^ering the opening to tlie trench; they discovered the body, almost out of sigbtpwith tlie head amt upper part of the body covered by a coal sack. The body was stretched a fuil length and'iio evidehce of violenci was appareht on casual * observation. Olds was fullv dressed in a blue piu striped suit and liik collar and tie were not badly disarranged. The suii carried an R.S.A. Badgfi, No. 26499, of the first world waW There was no overcoat or hat. The dead man was wear ing his shoesi A Post Office savings bank hook, found lamoftg other doeu ments in the dead toan's pockets, showed that he was in a sound (inancia! position. After photographs had been taken and the surroundings searched by tli police, the body was removed to the liiorgue at the Christchurch publie hos pitul for a post-mortem examinaticm which will probably be made by tfi. chief pathologist, Dr.- A. B. Pearson. In the meantime the Superintendeni of Police in Christchurch, Mr. H. Scott, has asked anyone who can give in forniation on Old's movements ou Friday, Saturday or Sunday, to advisc Ihe police. Mr. Scott said that thc caret'ul manner in which the body wa; hidden indicated suspicious circnm stanees.