A WELLINGTON TRAGEDY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2385, 29 December 1908, Page 4

A WELLINGTON TRAGEDY.

AN APPARENT MURDER.

AIAN PRESUMABLY GARROTTED

[Special to *‘Times.”]

. WELLINGTON, Dec. 28. The circumstances regarding the death of a man name unknown whose body was found in an alley-way near the Theatre Royal, so far as they a?-u a known, seem to indicate that tfor w man had been garrotted and robbed, and that he died as a result of the severe* handling he had received. The man is apparently a sailor or a fisherman, ~ between 45 and 50 years of .age. Dr Fyffe, who made a post mortem, examination of the body, stated that there were some small abrasions on -the face. He further stated that blood had been effused under the skin where these marks occurred. The Jaeger marks were such as might be produced by a man taking hold of the deceased by the throat, and the smaller might easily be the marks of -finger nails. The marks looked like a right-handed grip, which had. been shifted ’from the front of the throat. There was a recent abrasion on the back of the left shoukler. Witness found -no marks of constriction on the neck'. The tongue was bitten on the left side close to the tip. The Coroner asked:-Do you infer that the man was seized from the front ? YY 7 itness: Yes. Continuing, he said that the gullet was normal, but the larynx was very congested and blue in. color. There were numerous eccbymoses -all over the interior of the lungs. The left lung was congested, also the right, but not to the same extent as the left. The cause of death was stoppage of the heart’s action due to injury to the lungs. ~ Inspector Ellison asked: AY'hat duration of time would be required to stop the heart’s action ? Dr Fyffe: Pressure on the lungs if .applied with force would cause sudden death. In answer to the co-jj. roner the witness said it was proba- ' ble that the man had been seized by "* the throat. The deceased had nothing in the state of his organs to cause death.

Inspector Ellison: The injury would have caused death. Dr Fyffe: Yes, undoubtedly. The pressure on the larynx would account, for death. In answer to* another question the doctor said that a sudden blow across the larynx might kill a man instantly. Death was not due to suffocation. It was due to sudden shock. ~ fe, A.constable has been despatched to’yi Alakara, a fishing station on Cook - 4. Strait, to see if any one answering the description of the man is missing from that locality.

THE INQUEST.

INQUIRY ADJOURNED

[Pbess Association.]

WELLINGTON, Dec. 28. An inquiry into the cause of the death of the unknown man found gt near His Majesty’s Theatre on Sa-lS turday night was opened at the inor--” gue, before Air George Lambert, acting-coroner, this afternoon. Dr Kin ton Fyffe, who performed the post-mortem, said the man was oft oin in height, the bady was well nourished, and was that of a man bably between 45 and 50 years of age. The* witness described the tattoo marks on the arms. The hands were marked as if by the use of a pick or handling a sail. (The witness described the injuries which the deceased had received.) - Dr H. A. Gilmer said he was called by the police shortly after 3 a.m. yes- - terday morning to see a man lying near 'His Majesty’s Theatre.,, The man had been dead for from two to four hours.' His clothing. was disarranged. The right pocket of. the trousers was ripped out. There were marks on the neck (such as those described by the last witness) which he attributed to violence, but no blood was noticeable. Witness was present at the post- mortem exaiinination and concurred 1 in Dr Fyffe s evidence. j||. Constable Aloore, who duty in Courtenay Plaee on Sunday morning, stated that about 2.30 a.m. he discovered the body of a man. lying in the urinal near His Alajestv s Theatre. He described the condition of the man’s clothing and’ said that the body was cold. YY itness made liis usual rounds of Courtenay Place on Saturday evening and. had not observed the man previous to finding him dead. Neither had he noticed anv one about His Majesty s Theatre after the regular employees left-about 11 p.m. Oil the application of the police an adjournment of the inquest was granted till Monday next -in order that evidence' as to identification - might be found.