KEY CLUE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11539, 16 January 1932, Page 9

KEY CLUE

CHARRED BONES MYSTERY. ' A FANTASTIC SUICIDE SYDNEY, Dec, 21. The public were amazed that with the aid of a slender clue—a blacken - od key—the police acre' able' to, establish the identity ol the mau whoso remains wore found some weeks ago in the ashes of a fire ip a lonely gullv at Bungendore, near the Federal capital, Canberra. The subsequent theory ■ that the man chose funeral pyre lit by himself was even more startling, especially as it was generally supposed That he had been murdered. The discovery of the, charred bones .was followed with intense interest, and for a while it appeared as' though' the police were completely baffled. Their success is a tribute to tlie wonderful work of the detectives and to modem science. Only a handful o.f human bones was recovered from the ashes, yet it was from these that science was able to describe the victim. The first thing sought was the thigh bone, which is usually a little more than a fourth the size of the body. Because the us sification around the' cartilage had fused it followed that the victim was not younger than 21. The size of the thigh bone' gave a safe indication that the bones belonged to a person at least, six feet high, and perhaps taller. The next question to be decided was tlie sex of the victim. Generally the architecture of the bones is lighter in the ease of a. female, but tlie Bungendore bones—or the few that were recovered—were charred and seared to such an extent iLiut the sex was problematical. ! t :*.< ame necessary then to examine the bones more minutely for any marks that indicated muscular development, ami on' finding definite impressions . it could be safely conjectured, that the victim, was-a well built man. IVorsiug then on ordinary standards if anatomy the scientists bad no hc> lotion in saying that be was a tall powerfully built man of about ”i years of age

Subsequently discoveries by the police have 'almost completely Confirmed these deductions, .reached by tlie exiuniu'atibn of.' a 'few charred bonus. The only thing that the detectives had. to work upon -was a key numbered 761MY1277J,. made by ai English firm.’ The assistance of Scotland Yard was invoked, and the makers of the key wore traced. The local agents were then discovered, and it was found that the particular key might have been issued to- a lotah sporting cop corn which provided its members with lockers-. After further inquiries it turned out- that the particular key was issued some tiine ago to, Sidney James ,Morrison, 21, captain, of the Y.M.C.A- basketball team. .As Morrison had been absent from bis homo at Bondi the police were at once ■ convinced that ho was the victim ol the Bungendore trag--edy.

Nobody seems to' be able to explain why Morrison should have gone to liungendore. According to his brother-in-law" his behaviour before lie disappeared had been the subject ol' discussion in his home circle. One night lie telephoned to his sister and curtly told her he was going away. When' she'asked him to .tonic out and say good-bye lie said. “Jt's no use you talking' to me. I’m going.” Then he rang off. Influenced by certain facts that have come into their possession to give a most carol'ill examination of. the suiedo theory, tlie police have been guuled by parallels both in Non b'.iulii Wales and in. Victoria, in each . instance'a man having shot himself on the edge of a fire, wJiicn paitly (onsuiucd the body- All the cvalence points to - Morrison’s body having been reduced to a few calcined bones in a -fierce fire, that must have raged for some hours-. The question has. puzzled the police how the lire could have been maintained, assuming that Morrison lit it, and shot himself on the edge of it. The very intensity of the lire suggests at first sight that the victim had been either shot or bludgeoned, ana liis body. burned to obliterate all traces of the crime. The question arises whether Morrison had petrol or kerosene in bis possession which would have given the blaze a longer life. A lire-blaekened tin was found near the edge of the lire, but the flames -had destroyed" all traces of what it contained.

.Morrison's family knows of 'no reason' why 'Morrison ' should have taken' liis own'life: Just before 'be went away’lie seemed lonely-and dissatisfied with bis job. Ho ivas ;o£ an amiable' and ! rather rotifing disposition. ’