A GRUESOME FIND.

Grey River Argus, 26 June 1906, Page 4

A GRUESOME FIND.

SEVERED HAND AT TEMUKA.

On the afternoon of Sunday, June ioth, an employee of the Leader office at Temuka was out cycling in the vicinity of the Opihi, at what,is known, as O'Meara's crossing. >In coming down^ to the ford he dismounted and strolled along the bank in a southerly direction on the north -side vowing the ryer. After.' proceedng^ a short distance die came across a -peculiar looking object protruding, from the light soil- on the river-bed, and on a closer examination found "it to be a •human hnd. He at once took up the hand and' alter ne had brushed the clay and dust, it was apparent that the withered hand was a woman's, and the left one The hand, which is of a refined shape, had been severed or broken three inches above the wrist bone, the skin at the point of severance^ being soft, While that on the palms and fingers, was quite hard and dry. All the nails but one were missing, the one remaining on tffe middle finger fall-ing-eff when being examined. The hand is of dark brown color-, with small reddish patches, caused perhaps by exposure to atmosphere- and sun. The bones J "bf the short portion of -the arm, which was attached, seem to have been splintered or eaten off, but the skin on the palmar side of the wrist decidedly indicates that it was severed by a sharp instrument. The find 'was handed to the police, and they were of "opinion that it was that of a woman, but how long it had been severed from the body was a mat ter of conjecture. It is surmised that it has come down the river, and was cast on the shingle about seven feet form the edge of the water where it was found. A day or two after the discovery Sergeant Gillespie and a number of persons went to the locality and made a thorough search up and down the river bank, but no further developments were discovered. \ MEDICAL OPINIONS. The hand has been submitted to the local medical men, and" with one exception they are unanimous that it is the hand of a woman. One doctor is of opnion that it is a female hand of a white personjis the metacarpal bones were longer and phalanges different from' those usually found «■ in a Maori He' could not state how long it was since it belonged to. a living state. In his opinion the hand had been severed after death, as no shrinkage of the muscles from the bones could be observed, as would be the case if it had been cut from a living body. Probably the hand may have been lying in dry drift and sand and" become mummified, in -which case it would be of considerable' antiquity. Another doctor was of opinion that it was the hand" of a poorly-developed asthenic male, and bore 'traces of having been severed from the body by a sharp' instrument, such as a tomahawk It had been probably severed from a dead body, as the fingers were in a semi-fixed position, which usually occurs after "rigor moftais" has passed off. The time that had elapsed since the hand was in its living state he wbud estimate from two to three years. Probably the rest of the ' body from which the hand was parted would be lying in the Opihi river A. third medical doctor thought~that it was the hand of- a female of middle age.- It appeared to belong to a refined person, judging from the appearance. 'He would say that it was probably twelve : months or more since it was a portion of a living being. There was no doubt it had been severed after death. Another doctor stated that in his opinion the hand was three months severed from a living body, and must have been covered hermetically in soil of an impervious character to the atmosphere. He thought it was the hand" of a white female. The find has- caused considerale ex citement, but as nothing but conjecture is offered the matter must remain a mystery. *-