OLD MAN FOUND DEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 264, 7 November 1931, Page 12

OLD MAN FOUND DEAD.

BRUTAL MURDER SUSPECTED.

j BACK OF SKULL FRACTURED. MONEY BELIEVED MISSING. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, Friday. Investigations into the death of James Flood, aged 76, who was found dead in his two-roomed house in Canterbury Street, Picton, lead to the belief that he was brutally murdered, the objective of the murderer being a large sum of money which now seems to be missing.

Flood, who was a bachelor, lived alone. He was last seen alive at 8.30 o'clock on Tuesday night. Not having seen the old man about, neighbours communicated with the police, who made entry by a window and found his body lying on the floor of the living room with the throat cut.

All evidences at this stage pointed to suicide, but investigations are believed to have put a different complexion on the matter. In the first place, it was discovered that the back of the dead man's skull had been fractured and that the wounds in the throat were so savagely made that bones were severed.

In addition, the police found the one door of the house locked and the key missing. Subsequently they recovered the key from the Picton Croquet Club lawns, where a member found it on Wednesday afternoon. It had evidently been thrown on to the lawn from the road.

The Croquet Club's promises' are over a quarter of a mile from Flood's house.

The old man has three nephews resident in Picton and one of them says that he had helped his uncle to fill in his return for unemployment tax a week ago. In that paper Flood showed his year's income as over £100. He was known to possess ample means, deriving his income from a farm property at Port Underwood. He had no bank account and is said to have kept his money about him. All that was recovered from his pockets was a little silver. Detective Sinclair is in charge of the inquiries, assisted by Constables Condon and Roberts, of Picton. It is understood that they are being reinforced from Wellington. From the ashes of the fireplace a small pocket knife with one blade open was recovered, but it seems incredible that the deceased's injuries could have been inflicted with so small an instrument.

A small hole was cut in the door of the house to permit a cat to enter and leave at its will. On the verandah outside was a trail of bloodstains, but possibly they were caused by the cat. An inquest was opened this afternoon, and a post-morten examination will be conducted to-morrow. .