SUPREME COURT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 21

SUPREME COURT.

' ; SOUTH AFRICAN MYSTERY. 'DISAPPEARANCE OF J. P. SNOOK. A South African mystery in which the central figure was formerly a resident of Neiv Zealand' has just been rovived in the Supremo Court.. It came up when Mr. J, W. M'Donald, solicitor for tho Public Trust' Office, applied, on behalf of the Public Trustee, for probata of the will of John Pollard Snook, formerly of Wellington, New Zealand, and latterly of Johannesburg, South Africa, builder. , Mr. Snook in tho year 190G became connected with a company known as tho Airlie Mining Timber Company, which had its headquarters near Airlie, in tho Eastern Transvaal, a place distant about 200 miles from Johannesburg. The timber was felled there aJid sent by. rail to Johannesburg for sale t'o the mining companies. In August, 1906, Mr. Snook left Johannesburg for Airlie station, and never returned, nor has any trace since been found of him. At the time of his disappearance ho was supposed to have had in his possession a considerable sum of money. The fullest inquiries were rnado by Mr. Snook's relatives with tho object of tracing him, and t'ho South African Police inado a thorough investigation without'any satisfactory result. Inquiries were also instituted through the Secretary of State for tho Colonies, and duplicates of official dispatches from his Excellency tho Governor of tho Transvaal to tho Colonial Office, and also from tho Primo Minister at Pretoria, were submitted for the information'of the Court in support of the appljcation for probate. His Honour tho Chief Justice probate of' tho will to tho Public Trusteo under appointment by the executors therein named.