HUMAN SKELETONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 293, 4 September 1908, Page 7

HUMAN SKELETONS.

FOUND AT MAKARUA. At the foot of a half-burned'stump on Dr. Chappie's Makerua property a skull and one or two human bones were disc.ovored a few days ago by an employee. Tho remains had evidently been only a little whilo exposed. Tho man made fu'rthor investigation, removed tho soil, and soon three wholo skeletons were exposed to view, one that of a man, tho other of a woman, and tho third of a child. Dr. Chopple, who has seen tho skeletons, states that the stump at tho foot of which thoy wero fouud stands on a small dry eminence a hundred yards or so from tho main road. Tho bodies had lain thero apparently for many years. The grass had sprung over them and concealed them from sight, but recent fires had eaten into tho roots of tho stump, burned tho sward, and exposed the relics once again to human sight. Speculation is at once opened up as to how tho romains camo thero, and what is their history, v Dr. Chappie has taken' tho preliminary steps towards solving the mystery by submitting tho bones to experts, to ascertain their age. His opinion is that they ftad occupied their shallow resting-pliice for nearly lialf,a century. Whether they aro tho skeletons of Maoris or Europeans is almost impossible to toll. Ono interesting and important tiling is that on the left upper armbone of the male, near tho biceps, is a largo dent, evidently an injury inflicted boi'oro death. This, however, only adds to the mystery—a mystery no doubt, at this lato date, almost hopless of solution.