NEW THEORY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

NEW THEORY.

LIFT-WELL RIDDLE. " YARD » EXPERTS PUZZLED. DECOMPOSED BODY FOUND. Inquiries by detectives threw important light 011 one of the strangest death puzzles Scotland Yard has been called upon to investigate. It is now believed that a London printer's (reveller, whose decomposed body was discovered in the well of a lift at a motor service station, met his tragic end accidentally. 'I he possibility of foul play has, however, not been lost sight of, and one of the theories engaging the attention of the authorities is that the victim was knocked down and killed by a car late at night, taken to the garage, and bundled down tho shaft by the driver to evade the consequences of the fatality.

Practically four months had elapsed from the time of his disappearance before the body of the victim, William Leslie Malin, aged 42, of Lower Road, Chorley Wood, Herts, was found in the circumstances described at the service station in Park Road, St. John's Wood, London. The body was taken to a. mortuary and later a post-mortem examination was conducted by Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the Home Office pathologist. It is understood that the-remains had reached such an advanced stage of decomposition that it was beyond even tho skill of Sir Bernard to determine accurately the cause of death. Sir Bernard will submit his report to the coroner at the inquest. Reviewing certain facts that have been gleaned, detectives, who have worked assiduously under Division DetectiveInspector Drewe, have built up a possible solution of the extraordinary tragedy. In the first place, Malm habitually used a station, not far from the garage, for his train journey home, and it is surmised that 011 the night he met his death ho entered the garage by mistake and fell down the lift shaft. Dropped Spanner. Malin, who was married with two sons, aged 11 and 9 years, had been missing since January 9, and 011 the night the body was found a mechanic accidentally dropped a spanner over the edge of tho lift. Manoeuvring the lift so that there was just room for him to climb down, the workman went into the well to retrieve the spanner, firoping in the semi-darkness ho touched something which he thought was a bundle ofrags. It proved to be Malin's body. Ever since the garage was established it has remained open night and day. Workmen have never left it; yet, when questioned, not one of them could recall having seen Malin before. It has been ascertained that Malin visited a West End club, of which he was a member, on the night of January 9, and apparently' at one time he seemed dazed and incoherent in his remarks. He left the club suddenly without liis case and gloves, and that was the last seen of him. Friends of Malin arc completely mystified, and are inclined to agree with his wife that Malin came by his death 1))'

foul means. "I am certain that my husband was lured away by someone," declared Mrs. Malin, "for he was a man of the most regular habits. I last saw him oil the morning of January !). We had arranged to go to a theatre in the. evening, and when lie did not come home f felt immediately that there was something wrong. Ho was the best of husbands, and a Wonderful father, and I am sure that this could not have happened to him if something very unusual had not occurred " Malin was in a sound financial position, and was stated to have earned more than £1000 a year. "He was enormously strong," one of his acquaintances stated, "and I find it diflicult to imagine him being worsted in a struggle unless lie had been doped beforehand." The night before he disappeared Malin attended a dinner at the Chorley Wood Working Men's Club and Artisan Golfers' Club, whero lie made a speech 011 the progress of golf in the district. Ho was a keen golfer, and held a commission during the war.