A Strange Case

Levin Daily Chronicle, 13 March 1917, Page 3

A Strange Case

INQUEST ON A HUMAN SKELETON. s

About live years ago a man named I'oier Smith, who had been a storekeeper at Manakau, mysteriously disappeared, and 110 trace coukl 'be found of him. On 16th February last, Constable Satherley, of Otaki, was informed that a skeleton of a man had been found under the stump of a large rata tree, about six miles back on the hills behind Manakau.

A bush fire had swept over the country and consumed the tree, and the human rc;;:ai;'.s found had also been burnt, leaving but a skeleton.

Alexander Mackenzie, a farmer, living near the spot, was told : by some Maoris of a skeleton lying- under a tree, and he went to see. He found the skeleton, and beside it a watch, knife, key, silver ring and money in Silver. His impression was, aft(V]'| the police had investigated, that the remains were those of a man in business, because of the amount of small L'li.iiigc r.r tlie spot. He had heard that about 12 months before he settled at Manakau a storekeeper named Smith had disappeared. 'He .knew tiiat Smith was well acquainted with the locality where the skeleton was found, as he had been contracting to tell bush there. Constable ISathejrliey deposed tto joing out. on receiving information, to the back o'f -Mackenzie's property, six miles back. He found the skeleton of a man, much burnt, and on handling it the whole crumbled to pieces, which he placed in a sack and brought to Otaki. In company with a few Manakau residents he dug abont the spot and found threepenny bits, sixpences, two shilling and half crown pieces. Also l a door key, pocket knife, silver ring, silver watch and chain, all much discoloured by the. fire. The money amounted to £8 los 9d; notes, if any, would have been consumed. On the dome of the watch was the name "G. E. Bennett." On the inside of the case "W. 11. Reynolds," or "Reynold." No <one of Snath's acquaintance's could identify the articles, but they believed that the remains were those of Peter Smith, a storekeeper, who suddenly disappeared from Manakau on the 3rd August, '1911. He was a German, and an early settler in Manakau. No trace of any relations had been found, though inquiries had been prosecuted. Smith Was about oft sin high, thinly built and his age was 55 or 56 years. He wore a silver ring, but the one found was so burnt that no one could identify it. No other person had been reported missing from the district. Smith was in the habit of keeping his money in his own care. He had nothing in the bank. The general impression was that Smith had a plant som:where among the hills.

' The coroner adjourned the meeting sin clie, no evidence adduced being completely satisfactory that the remains found are those of Peter Smith.