PICTON MURDER

Grey River Argus, 7 November 1931, Page 5

PICTON MURDER

MAN’S THROAT CUT MONEY THE OBJECT Attempt to Suggest Suicide (Per Press Association). BLENHEIM, November G. Investigations into the death of an old man named Mr James blood, who was found dead in his two-roomed house in Caniterbury Street, Picton, have led to- the belief that he was brutally the object of the crime being a large, sum of money, which now seems to be missing. Air Flood, who was a bachelor, and 7G- years of age, lived alone. lie was last seen alive at 8.30 o’clock on Tuesday night -last. Not having seen the old man about al i'r that, his neighbours communicated with the police, who made an entry Io his house by a window, and they found hi s body lying on the floor of the living room, with the throat cn'. AU of the. evidence, at this sitage, pointed to suicide, but investigations since are believed to have put. a different complexion on the matter. In the firs- place, i jt - has bee n discovered that the back of deceased’s skull had been smashed in. and that the wounds in the throat were so savagely made that actual bones, were severed. In addition, the police found the on? door of the place to be locked, and -the key o be missing. Subsequently the police recovered the key from the Picton Croquet Club’s lawns, where a member found if on Wednesday afternoon. The key had evidently been flung on to the lawn from the road. The Croquet Club’s premises are over a quarter of a mile from Flood’s house. The old man had three nephews resident in Pie on, and one of them stated that ho had helped hi s uncle to fill in his unemployment return a week ago. In this paper Flood showed his year’s income at over £l6O. The deceased was known to possess ample means, deriving an income from a farm property at Port Underwood, but he had no bank account, and be is stated to have kept his money about him.

All that was recovered from his pockets wa s a little silver. Detective F t Sinclair i s in charge of .he inquiries, being assisted by Constables Condon a ud Roberts, of Picton. It is understood that they are being reinforced from Welling on, From the ashes of the fireplace alongside which the body was found, a small pocket-knife, with one blade open, was recovered, but it seems incredible that deceased’s injuries could have been inflic* ed with so small an instrument. A small hole was cut in the door of the house to permit the cajt to enter and leave at its will. On th? verandah outside there is a trail of bloodstains, bu«. these possibly were caused by the cat. An inquest was opened by the Coroner. Mr E. J. Hill, ithis afternoon, and it was adjourned sine die, after evidence of identification had been heard. A post-mortem on the body will be conducted to-morrow.