The Severed Hand.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1588, 22 December 1885, Page 2

The Severed Hand.

AN INSURANCE ROMANCE.

The cirenmstances attending the supposed drowning of Arthur Howard* ar* given as follows m the Canterbury papers :.— A friend stated that Howard* was cautioned not to bath* by a relative of Mr Day's who keeps an hoUl at Sutuner, at which Howard* went to hare a glass of beer on the Saturday afternoan. Howarde then said he wa* going to bar* a dip, and the lady of the house cautipued him of the danger. After leaving the hotel, he conversed with Ashtoa, who keeps a gingerbeer stall, and told him he would bare time to have a dip, and still catch the 6 o'clock coaob. This w&gabout4or 4.15 p.m. From there Howarde took a be-line for the bathing place, and wits teen by the , body off workmen there walking about among th,e rooks, eviduntly not having yet mad* up his mind to. go into the water. Sera* of the men stated that at half-past 4tß*> sea was washing aver the breakwater, and was very rough. Next day, w* believe, Howarde'a clothes were discovered on the rocks, and a reward of £50 w»» offered without success for the recovery of bi* bod j. Howard r was a married man, earning, it is said, something leas than £150 a year, but tie had also aoiu* small property. He had insured his 111* m the Government Association;; for £1000, a similar sum m the Mutual Provident,' and effected a policy of £400 with on* -of the accident Insurance Cqinpanics, m that if he was drowned thes* bodies stand to lose £2400. Th*,evi. dence of the fatality, kowever, has' bot been sufficiently conclusive to induct these institutions to pay tbe , £2400 to Howarde's supposed heirs. Rumours are current that on the same evening.bat at a subsequent hour to that at which h* must have been drowned, if drowned at all, he was seen proceeding from Sumner towards Lyttelton, and also .that his clothes were not, an hour or Intfo after tbe assumed fatality, m the pli£* where they were subsequently found. Of course, these n»ay be all baseless rumours, but the fact remains that. itK* insurance companies have not paid. Now comes tbe discovery ot' the hums!n. hand bearing a ring identified as Howarde's, The singular fact is, however, that the hand is said not to be at all decomposed. Wow if it had been floating about amongst the Sumner rooks > «t|d breakers for 67 days, it is certainly extraordinary that there are no signs of decomposition, and that any flesh sbonl<l remain on the bones.; The .insurance companies, we hear, do not believe In the muaculous preservation p6wers of Snmuer billons, and even the severed hand has ' hot convinced them that Howarde was really drowned m October last, or that it is tbeir duty topay up.