BODY IN HARBOUR

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 271, 6 February 1928, Page 11

BODY IN HARBOUR

LYTTELTON DISCOVERY NO FATAL WOUNDS DROWNING SAID TO BE CAUSE Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH. To-day. It is semi-officially stated that the result of the post-mortem reveals that the death of Charles James Mahan, at Lyttelton, was due to drowning and not to wounds on the head.

The body of Charles James Mahan, aged 55, and a resident of Timaru, was found in Lyttelton Harbour early on Saturday morning. The head was injured and at first it was thought that deceased had been murdered. A closer examination of the bc%ly, however, is said to have revealed the fact that none of the injuries was sufficient to cause death. They are severe flesh wounds, but the deceased’s skull was not fractured. It is even suggested the wounds may have been caused by fish. Detectives who made an examination of the man’s clothing found only 3£d in his pockets. Well dressed and with his boots brightly polished, Mahan, the pplice are satisfied, had only been in the harbour a few hours whep the body was discovered at 2 a.m. Floating near the swimming steps 50yds from the eastern end of Gladstone Pier, the body was discovered by Mr. Samuel Gilray, a nightwatchman, who was doing his rounds. Mr. Gilray secured assistance and summoned the Lyttelton police, who rowed out to recover the body.