BURIED IN HIS OWN GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 191, 12 August 1911, Page 17

BURIED IN HIS OWN GARDEN.

MISSING BELGIAN'S BODX FOUND AFTEB A TEAB. TILDA MYSTERY. In March last year M. Vermersch, a wealthy Belgian landowner, who had a handsome villa at Vesinet, a pleasant suburb of Paris, disappeared. Every effort to discover his whereabouts failed. The affair had been almost forgotten, when a few weeks ago certain information reached the police. Investigations were resumed, and on Monday, June 23, M. Vermersch's body was found burled In the garden of his Villa. M. Vermersch, who was a man of about sixty, was of somewhat eccentric habits. The only other occupant of the villa was his manservant, a Belgian named Adile Vercruysse, but M. Vermersch often Invited guests, and even chance acquaintances, to etay with him. Sometimes, when he had guests staying at the house, he would suddenly disappear, and nothing would be heard of him for weeks. Then he would reappear as mysteriously as he had vanished. In March of last year M. Jooris and Mile. Debloccke were M. Vermersch's guests. One night Vercruysse received a telegram telling him that his mother, who lived in Belgium, was very 111, and enjoining him, If he wished to see her alive, to return home at once.

Vercruysse received his master's permission to make the journey, and started the same night. On arriving at hto native place he found his mother perfectly well She denied all knowledge of the message her son had received. Returning to Vesinet, Vercruysee discovered his master had disappeared. M. Jooris and Mile. Debloecke told him M. Vermersch had gone away without saying where he was going. Relatives and friends were Informed, and the most exhaustive inquiries were made, but without result. M. Jooris and Mile. Debloecke left the villa when the police had satisfied themselves that there was nothing against them. Vercruysse stayed on for some time, hoping that his master would return; then he, too, left, and the villa was shut up. IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN. When he disappeared M. Vermersch. It was thought, had about £2OOO with him, and it was Imagined he had gone off on another of his mysterious journeys. This theory received justification from reports that he had been seen la various countries, and gradually the affair faded almost entirely from memory. Then a few days ago the police received several anonymous letters suggesting that If they were to examine the garden of M. Vermersch's villa the mystery might be explained. So insistent did these letters become, that the authorities determined to take action.

Digging operations were therefore begun, but it was not for some days that tho workers' efforts were rewarded. Two men were digging In the kitchen garden when thev discovered at a depth of about three feet the body of M. Vermersch. it was doubled up, a rope was fastened tightly round the neck, and the legs were .bound to 2 ether by *t strip of woollen material, evidently cut from a jersey. Only a little underclothing was on the body. The opinion was at once expressed that M. Vermersch had been murdered for the sake of the £2OOO, and afterwards buried, and that the false message had been sent to Vercruysse, In order to get him out of the was'- j, »«. Yet directly the body was discovered, the poUce sent to the Belgian authorities asking them to arrest the servant as well as M. Jooris and Mile. Debloecke. All three arc now under lock and key.