THE FINDING OF A SKELETON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4033, 25 June 1884, Page 3

THE FINDING OF A SKELETON.

Auckland, Tills day. Particulars relative to the skeleton found at. the Tlireo Kings shows that when iiivt discovered th. po.-.ition of the skeleton was very peculiar, as the b-jdy seemed to have been doubled completely up. so as to cause the feet to meet each other at the back of the neck. After the discovery some little sensation was caused, owing to an impression that it was a sequel to the mysterious disappearance of a half-caste known as "Jemmy," who once gave evidence against Wiuiata for stealing a saddle, which evidence caused a conviction. " Jemmy " disappeared soon after "Winiata's escape from prison, and so far as is known-has never been seen or heard of since. A careful examination of the remains, however, showed that they must have been in the ground many years—in all probability a quarter of a century. Moreover the teeth indicate a greater ago than tho unfortunate half-caste, while the shank and hip bones wcro those of a much taller man. Of course it is a common occurrence to find remains of Maoris in volcanic caves around and in tho vicinity of the Three Kings, but Mr Bishop says the Maoris never interred their dead in the manner in which this body was buried, aud he does not think, even though the romaius are those of a Maori, that they were buried there by a Maori. There is one remarkable thing in connection with this discovery, namely, that the large bone of one of the fore-arms appeared to have at one time been fractured, but the settiug of the fracture seems by its neatness to. have been the result of considerable surgical skill.