THE GORGE MYSTERY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3608, 8 September 1890, Page 2

THE GORGE MYSTERY.

Finding the' Body* ■ On Thursday foronoon, the men working on the railway" line observed what appeared to be the boots of a man sticking up above the water at about three quarters of a mile below the bridge. Mr Whitnker, junr, the permanent way contractor, sent one of his hands round to see what it was, and he could see that it was the body of a maa. He called Mr McGonagle, who got over the snag to which the body appeared to be fixcd,and fastened it by the legs to the river back. Mr Gallaclian then went to Woodvillo for Constable Treanor,' who, with the f\p3istanco of Messrs Mcaonagle, Taggart, Cole, and others, got the body to tho bank, The coat was buttoned up tightly and round the neck and port of the right shoulder was a leather satchel containing a large stone weighing about 191bs, It was too large to allow the bag to- be closed on it. The body was searched by Constable Treanor, Only 2s Id in cash was found on it, The watch had stopped at i o'clock. There were no letters or papers on the body. It rather looks as if Walton had gone into the water near where ho was fuund. v The weight of tho stone would'prerent the body rising at the usual time. It seems as if the letters previously found had; been taken out of the bag and thrown into the water at the time the stone was put in. The body does not appear to have gone far from where Walton went into the river and was probably floating down with the parent when caught by the snag. The body was in a good state of preservation and. bore no bruises of any kind. Constable; Treanor and those who had assisted him had a terrible, piece of worl? to : get the body up the bank, jhey had ;a stretcher made and carried it to a carpenter's shed on the railway lino at this side of the bridge, In the evening Dr Davenport made a detailed examination. ;*•

Curiously enough the body was found just a little below the where Messrs Potera are reported to hare- seen the ghost or apparition. Messrs Peters 'are, however, positive it was Walton himself they saw, the idea being that he had bean seized with' delirjum when ridings through the Cforge an<| had rushed, jnto the bush and wandered aoouVand on tjjat night he had come out and- Mesp ; Peterg saw him at the telegraph post in. the attitude of a surveyor working his' hands asif he imagined the-post a theodo)iteand was signalling directjpns tochainmeri, Tj}en t)# he got into the river at'that'Tery place, «nd so has been; found where he; went In, We give;thiß idea jor: what ifcis worth; bjit confess we cannot offer any explanation of the ghost-(tory/Messrsjeters : 88 w some one, but that ic was Walton himself is most improbable, and that it waß some one acting thb tjhost is