WIVES MISTAKEN

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 80, 28 December 1929, Page 27

WIVES MISTAKEN

MAN WRONGLY IDENTIFIED

An amazing ease of a body being twice wrongly identified by wives separated from their husbands was disclosed at a West Bromwich inquest, says a London newspaper. The body was discovered mutilated on the railway line at West Bromwich, and was identified by Mrs. Chadwick, of Oldbury, as that of her husband, Joseph Chadwick, a boatman. At the hour fixed for the inquest, however, Chadwick turned up.

Subsequently a Mrs. Smith, of Handsworth, saw the body in the mortuary and not only identified it as that •of her missing husband, Sidney Smith, but produced a letter from him saying that he was fed up and broken hearted. The letter continued: “This week-end will about see me off. I shall try not to make myself known, but if they should know me, put me with my sister, Jessie.”

The Birmingham police disillusioned the woman, for late that night they arrested Smith for being drunk and disorderly, and later he was charged before the Birmingham Justices with the offence.

The police officer, Sergeant James, giving evidence at the inquest, stated that it was the worst case of a mutilated body that he had ever known. Descriptions of the body and the clothing had been circulated over a radius of 50 miles, but without success. He personally was satisfied that there had been no foul play and that the mancommitted suicide.

The Coroner recorded an open verdict on an unknown man who was killed on the line. Without any history concerning the man he could not express an opinion as to how he got there. The Coroner added that it \\as clear from inquiries which had been made in this case that there were many unfortunate women with missing husbands.

“Had I held the inquiry a day earlier, as I intended,” the Coroner continued, “I might well have been satisfied that I was holding it on Mrs. Smith’s husband.”