SKELETON IN CAVE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 52, 23 October 1931, Page 4

SKELETON IN CAVE

TWO BOY SCQUTS MAKE - . • ■ GRLM FIND IN - ' VALLEY. SYDNEY, Tuesday. What police believe .was a ghastly ipurder. was unearthed yesterday afternoon, . when two scared Boy Scouts f ound the headless skeleton of a man in a cave about two miles from the Val-ley -Heights railway station. The body had lain there more, than a year. , Police. were. last. night trying to trace. records of men who have been missjpg for a year or more, but learned Iittle that might lead to identification. .RObert and Harley Jordon, two VallSy; ■ Heights Scouts, were hiking throjqgh the _ bush when they found the : Skeleton, which was almost out of sighh in: a small cave on Russell's estatre, far down in the. valley. They wait.ed Jong ■ enough to see that the head .was missing, and then raced hom'e. Their parents rang Constable Kent (Springwood), who hurried to the Cave. . , . No, Trace of Head. He seafched with the aid of torches but* could find no trace of the head. . A piece of broken rock was pressed against the body where the cranium should.. have been, and a bottle, half-filled with wine, was nearby. 'fhe' local Government Medical officer ' (Dr. Higgins) will examine the boneg to-day, and should be able to i*ay -whether the 'head was severed by s0'>rie instrument or has been gliawed off by ■animals, possibly foxes. Thtttyed blue trousers and a white shfrt heid the bones together, and a blue coat and "brown hat were .beneath. —Dati ' shoes, stamped "Haig last" were- on the feet, and one hand apeared'to be slightly deformed. In one pocket of the Clothing was a leather wallet eontaining a pencil, somdiwax matches, and safety razor bladCv The skeleton* was about- 5ft 7in" high-' v-' :