GARROTTED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 310, 29 December 1908, Page 2

GARROTTED.

SUSPECTED MUBDEII IN WELLINGTON.

A SENSATIONAL CASE. The recent cases of garrotting in various parts of Wellington were followed on Sunday by the sensational discovery that a mau had been murdered in the heart of the city, says yesterday's Dominion. The town awakened to a

thrilling rumor of robbery ami murder, and oil inquiry at the police station it was found that there was some foundation for tire ugly rumors in the air, although the picture, had as it is, is not so outrageous as the man in the street made it. The popular story was that a limn, apparently a seaman or lubover, had been found alongside Ilis .Majesty's I Theatre, Courtenay I'laee, at 2.35 11.111., ! by Constable lloore, of Mount Cook, and that the man liad hem brutal'y murdered and robbed. The story lust nothing as it passed 011, and the final \ and perhaps the most persistent rumor was that the man had been strangled by garrotters. Tile police 011 being interrogated gave a somewhat dill'civut story. A man whose name was unknown had been picked up dead by Constable -Moore at i.'Jo a.m., but there j was 110 direct evidence as to the cause

of death, and it could not be said definitely what the cause was, although suspicious. It appears that when Constable .Moore was doing tlie Courtenay Place , beat early 011 morning he was making a round of ilis Jlajestys Theatre, when his attention was 'attracted 1 by the body of a man lying on his back with tile arms outstretched, and the ' legs drawn up, slightly up the alley-way 011 the eastern sule of the theatre. The constable left tile body where he found • it, and communicated with his headJ quarters at once on finding that the f man was cold and apparently dead.' 1 Sergeant Uaskeville joined his subordinate, and after inspecting the body com- ' liiunicated with l)r. Uilmer, who was 1 quickly 011 the spot, and made an ex--9 animation, after which lie ordered the 0 removal of the body to the morgue, " On taking the clothes oil' the body to 1 facilitate tile work of investigation, a y further examination was made, but no ' marks of violence were noticeable, with '' tho exception of a small cut 011 the lorcl ~ head ,a couple of scratches alongside e the nose, and on each side of the neck, e and another scratch 011 the shoulder. The doctor was not satisfied with the a cursory examination, and intimated that d a post-mortem examination would hay: '3 to be held, so tliat the fullest investiga:r tion could be made into the matter.

Deceased was found lying in the doorway of an outhouse up tire alley-way, and his clothes were very much disar-1 ranged, I-ii3 coat and vest were both unbuttoned, and were wide open, anil the pocket on tire right-hand side of his trousers was torn right, out. A leather belt, which deceased had been wearing, was found on the ground, about eighteen inches away from the body, jiear the man's head. A careful examination of the ground near where the body was found did not reveal any signs of a struggle having taken place. A post mortem examination of the body was made by Dr. Lyfe, ana lasted for about two hours, which fact gave a fresh lease of life to the ligly rumors. No announcement was made after the examination was held, but, it was generally understood that it had bsen iound that deceased was sound organically, and that some suspicion attached to the marks on his neck, although there were no distinct marks of fingerprints. The police, were of opiui >u that there had been foul play, and only awaited the word of the doctor. The case developed a most serious aspect on Sunday night, when au announcement was made by Dr. l-'yll'e, when approached by a representative of the Dominion. Asked for the j'esult of the post mortem, the doctor replied that the man had "probably been garrotted." Pressed for further particulars Dr. Kyll'e said lie had made the inquiry for the police, and did not feel justified ill divulging the information lie held until the inquest, "but," he added, "deceased was undoubtedly seized by the throat and killed."

Deceased was a strongly-built man, about, 40 years of age, about <>ft siu high, with dark brown hair and rather heavy moustache, and three or four decayed teeth ill front. He has brown eyes, and is tal.ooeil on the arms. On the right arm is a full-rigged sailing ship, and around the wrist is a bracelet.

A blue and white design of a shield and flags appear on the left arm, which also has a bracelet on the wrist. ll'e was dressed in a dark blue serge coat and vest, black ei'ape tie, and black boots. The only property found on the body was a pipe, a newspaper, three pieces of pencil, a comb, a white handltcrebie'f with blue border, 2s in money, and a tram ticket.

A large number of people visited the morgue for the purpose of trying to identfy deceased, but up to (i late hour the identity had not been fixed. Two people thought tliey knew deceased, and both parties went away to make quite eertain, with the result'that tliey found that deceased was not Hie man they look him for.

THE CORONIAL INQUIRY

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last iglit. An inquiry into the cause of the death uf the unknown man who was found near His Majesty's Theatre 011 (Saturday night, was opened at the morgue betore Jlr. George Lambert, acting-coroner, this afternoon,

l)r. Kingston Fyil'e, who performed tlie post mortem, said the man was 6ft Jill in height. The body was well nourished and was that of a man probably between 45 and SO years of age. Witness described tlie tatoo marks 011 the aiuis. The hands were marked as if by | lile use of a pick and shovel or handling a sail. At tlie top of tlie forehead there 1 was a slight abrasion about half to a quarter of an inch long. There were two small abrasions 011 the left side of the nose, which appeared to be more recent than the mark previously described, and some small scratches on the neck. Blood had been effused under the skin where these marks occurred. The larger marks were such as might lie produced In a man taking hold; jof the deceased hy the throat, and the smaller might easily he the marks of linger nails. The marks looked like, a right-handed grip, which had been shifted from tlie front of tlie' throat. There was a recent abrasion 011 tlie ~iack of the left shoulder. Witness found no marks of constriction era the neck. The tongue was bitten 011 the left side, close to tile tip. The coroner: Do yon infer that the man whs ai'izuri irum the front'/ Witness: Yes. Continuing, he said the gullet was normal, but the larynx wa- very con-

gested mul blue iu color. There wer numerous ecchynioses all over the in terior of the lilies. The left hill" wii congested, also the light,, but not t the same extent as the left. The cans of ilea til was stoppage of the heart's at tiou due to injury to t.lie lungs. Inspector Kllisou: What duration o time would be required to stop lb: heart's action? Dr. i'yfl'e; Pressure oil the lungs, i applied with foree, would tauso suddei death.

Iu answer to the coroner, witness said it waa probable that tlic man had hem seized by the throat. The deceased had nothing in the state ot his organs to i cause death. Inspector Ellison; The injurv would have caused death* Dr. l''yil'e: Yes, undoubtedly, Tile pressure 011 the larynx would' account for death. 11l answer to another question, wit.ness said that a sudden blow across I tile larnyx might kill a man instantly. Death was Hot due to suH'walion; ill was due to sudden shock. Dr. Jl. A. Cilinei- said lie was called by the police shortly after :i a.m. yesterday morning to see a man lying 7iear His Majesty s lheatre. The man had been dead for from two to four hours. His iclotliiag nvas disarranged. The. right pocket of the trousers was ripped out. There were marks 011 the neel; (sueli as those described bv tiro last witness), which he attributed to violence, but 110 blood was noticeable. Witness was present at the post mortem examination, and concurred in Dr. Kyll'e's evidence.

Constable .Moore, who was 011 duly in ( oiiiiejay Place on Suiidav morning, stilled lhat at about 2..10 lie discovered the body of a man lying in the urinal near bis Majesty's Theatre. Tie ,i O . scribed tile condition of the man's clothing. and said lhat the body was colli. M iluess made the usual rounds of Courteiiav Place on Saturday evening, and bad not observed the man previous to linding him dead. Neither had he l noticed any one about llis Majesty'* Theatre after the regular omiilovocsi loft about 11 p.m. ' I

Oil tlio Application of tli« police nn adjournment of the inquest was granted till Monday in order that evidence as to identification might be obtained.