MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7748, 31 December 1890, Page 6

MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY.

SYSNETP :: BETEOTiviSS FOEBSTALLED. |7BOM OUB CORRESPONDENT.] [BT THLEGKAPH FROM THE Bl,Xn?F]. SYDNEY, December 22. i A. most mysterious case has just been made public. On Thursday last a plumber in the employ of Keating and Co* was working in a boarding-house, when stowed away in the ceiling he catae across a large number of epurious coins, and a quantity of gold dust and copper filings. In the space between the ceiling and the roof be j al6o discovered a human skull wrapped up i in a calico bag. The flesh still adhered to the bone.bnt it wa3 in a mummified condition. It was Friday afternoon be fore the detectives began to look into the matter, and when they visited the house they discovered that the skull was gone. It appears that soon-after the plumber had reported the matter to the police a man called at Messrs Keating and Co.V establishment, representing himself as a detective, and ob tamed full particulars of the discovery. He then visited the boarding-house, where ; he repeated the statement that he was a < member of the detective force, and after , cross-examining the inmates took posses* sion of the skull and left. The real detect!vee were evidently so much aur> prised ac the impudence of the man that! they took no further steps to solve the ; mystery at that time, but on Monday they ] returned' to the house, and made an exami- - nation of the place where the plumber had found the skull. They were only rewarded by finding an old coat and vest also in the ceiling. The detectives. now make the extraordinary, statement that for some ' time past they have been shadowing a man who lived m one of these houses, and whom they suspected of having some years ago being connected with a buahranging gang which, was never caught Their supervision of this maniias been co stringent of late that, they supposed he knew they were watchiog : him, and hid the skull, which was probably a trophy of the old outlaw days, in the place where : the plumber found it. They are now endeavoring to ascertain this man's where* abonts. It ia stated that one officer of the department is to be suspended, in consequence of the way in which the case has been conducted. ■