DISCOVERY OF A SKELETON.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1656, 22 June 1887, Page 3

DISCOVERY OF A SKELETON.

— ♦ SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. On Snnday laßt (says the Wanganui Chronicle), as Mr. Andrew Murray, the surveyor, was travelling through the bush about a mile and a half from Hales' Track, and some thirteen miles up the Mangamahu stream, he came upon the remains of an old camp, in the midst of which lay the skeleton of a man. Nothing was left of the tent, but a few of the ropes, which were still hanging to the pegs. The heap of rubbish and old rags, upon which the skeleton was lying, was so decayed that it was impossible to tell, from general observation, whether the ♦ body bad been dressed in day clothes at the time of death, or whether it was lying in blankets. The tent had been pitched among some rimu trees, two chains from the Mangamahu stream, and on its left bank. Mr. Murray did not feel justified in disturbing the remains of the body itself, but be has sent information in to the police, who, of course, will take the neceßßary steps to endeavor to identify it. A haversack lay beside it, which apparently had been hung up, but the strap bad rotted, and it had fallen down. Thiß contained two sovereigns (one coined in England and the other at Sydney), a lib tin of powder not yet opened, a box of caps, also not yet opened, and two pencils. A single-barrel muzzle-loading gun 6tood against the trunk of one of the ritnus, near which on tbe ground lay a heap of shot, the remains of a shot pouch, and the remains of an uld powder flask. Near this were found a match box, and a piece of glass (possibly of a compass), and a dish. There was a billy, of which the crushed lid lay near. Tbe knives were very rusty, but their handles were still sound. Of tbe skeleton tbe only parts lying upon the bed were tbe leg-bones, and some of tbe abort ribs. Other bones were scattered around, the body no doubt having been torn to pieces by pigs. Cattle also were evidently in tbe babit of camping about the places, which would account for the crushed condition of tbe billy lid. A pair of j boots lay near tbe feet of the skeleton, as if taken off before death ensued. Only the crown of the skull was iound ; and it is the opinion of Mr. Murray, who is an old busbman, that tbe separation of this from the rest of the skull could not have been the work of pigs. It is evident that, if foul play has taken place, the object of the murderer was not plunder, otherwise the money would not have been left. On the other hand, the unhappy man could not have perished from starvation while he had Buch a plentiful supply of ammunition. Mr. Murray's opinion, judging from the decayed condition of the materials, is that the death took place several years ago, perhaps four or five ; bat of its cause he is not able to form any closer opinion than that derived from the appearance of the remains of the skull.