BODY IN CULVERT

Evening Star, Issue 21721, 16 May 1934, Page 9

BODY IN CULVERT

A VICTORIAN MYSTERY DIFFICULT TASK FOR POLICE Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, May 15. Detectives are confronted with the .difficult task of elucidating the circumstances of the death of an unknown young man whose charred, unrecognisable body was discovered hidden in a wooden culvert at Balwyn, au outer suburb, by some schoolboys yesterday. The boys’ attention was attracted to the scene by the culvert smouldering, when they noticed a human leg and remnants of burnt clothing. A medical examination revealed a severe fracture of the victim’s head, but the features were unrecognisable. The) police' are of opinion that - the body was placed in tho culvert some hours before and tho clothing set alight. It was decided to amputate tho undamaged right hand and obtain finger prints to ascertain whether the victim was ever convicted, and thereby establish identification, as was done in the Wagga Wagga case, resulting in a solution of Percy Smith’s identity and the passing of tho death sentence cn Morey last week, which is regarded as' one of the outstanding feats in crime detection.

HISTORY OF-THE WAGGA WAGGA CASE

Two men went fishing on the Murrumbidgee River at Wagga on Christmas morning, and as they were mooring their punt they caught sight of a large chaff bag, from which two human legs projected. When the bag was opened it disclosed the body of a man, whose skull had been fractured. An autopsy disclosed obvious proof of violence—a fractured nose and broken jaw, as well as a wound on the side of the head. One hand was missing. After' much dragging detectives discovered portions of a wool sack and an old mattress; but their most important find was the deceased’s missing right hand. The skin of the hand was sent to Sydney for investigation. It was chemically treated and transformed into a glove capable of giving definite impressions. Detective Walker, superintendent of the finger print bureau, fitted on his own hand this u glove,” pressed down on an inked tablet, and secured a perfect impression. In a few days it was announced that the finger print was that, of a man named Percy Smith. On Monday, January 7, Edward Morey was charged with the murder of Smith and condemned to death. .