WAS HENRY THOMPSON MURDERED ?

NZ Truth, Issue 216, 14 August 1909, Page 4

WAS HENRY THOMPSON MURDERED ?

Is it Another Peter Griffiths Case?

THE SUICIDE THEORY SCOUTED.

This paper has repeatedly advised tie police of the necessity of exercising an extra supervision over that unwholesome locality known as Lower Taranaki-street and the vicinity of the reclaimed land, especially by night, but judging by the number of tragedies which have occurred there and to which this paper nas had to draw attention and to oiler rewards for the detection of murderers, the police have been singularly lax m the supervision of this death-trap. ' "Truth" knows that Wellington is undermanned with police, especially round the "Rec." and it is up to Dinnie or those to whom Dinnic is responsible to see that the present . grossly-neglected state af affairs is remedied. To the list of tragedies which have happened m this unsavory locality is to be added that of Henry Thompson, of Petone, an elderly man of 62 years oE age, who seems to H-A.V-E BEEN FOULLY DONE TO DEATH on tho night of July 17 last. Thompson was- found m the harbor on the 10th inst. by a hulk-keeper, and after a post mortem and external examination all the signs clearly point to the " fact that dfceeased had been rendered unconscious by a blow on the neck, and afterwards thrown into the water. At this present' time, beyond all others, on account of the depression so generally felt, there j are numbers of wasters and discharged criminals, who, failing any other line for the exercise of their misguided talents, lie m wait for unsuspecting citizens m such localities as Lower Tara-naki-street and the reclaimed land. The most dangerous members of the crowd are those known as "bludgers," or '"souteneurs" for the unfortunate women who haunt these places, and these skunks will stick at nothing— not even murder— to ; gain a few shillings for a shikker. There are also those unfortunates who, according to our\ present system, are destitute and hungry and to whom life is a comparatively unimportant circumstance m comparison with a full stomach for a few days. To one of these two classes is attributable the death of Henry Thompson t an 1 elderly and well-respected man, who resided m Gear-street, Petone, and who has been missing since July 17, and it is up to .the police to get a move on and try and sheet home this particular murder to some one of the various wasters that come within their cognisance every day. As stated, ' the deceased Henry Thompson was a man of about 62 years of age and was well-known' and highly-respected m Petone and had been employed for a number of years hy the Gear Company m their cooling chambers. He was a member of the Working Men's Club at Petone and other local institutions and was ■A SINGULARLY SOBER MAN. He spent most of his spare time reading, and for a man m his station m life was exceedingly well-informed. He was of a reticent nature and, although mixing freely with his fellow workmen, yet never betrayed ' his feelings to them. He was a Yorkshireman and had some of tho stern old English pride m him. A5 little recent domestic trouble seems to have affected him to a slight degree, but there is no grouna whatever for assuming that it preyed so much on his mind to have caused him to have taken his own life. Henry Thompson left his home at Petone on July 17 and journeyed by the 3 p.m. train to Wellington, and on his arrival there proceeded to the premises of Messrs Caterer and Carey, m Cubastreet, to make a small purchase for his daughter. Before leaving he also expressed intention of buying a new coat m town. Deceased visited Caterer and Carey's between 4 and 5 o'clock m the afternoon, and was seen by some persons m the Wellington Working Men's Club at about 5 p.m. He was sober at the time. His movements' after he left the Club have not been ascertained, but when found his watch had stopped at 6.26, whether a.m. or p.m. it is impossible to say, but the probability is that the watch was stopped at 6.26 p.m., the, hour when he fell or was pushed into the water. It is only reasonable to presume that deceased had some money when he went to town, m view of the fact that he had made a small purchase for his daughter and intended to buy a coat for himself, and yet when the body was recovered there was no money m the pockets. Deceased purchased the goods for his daughter, the value of which would be about Is Gd r and did not purchase the coat. On Thursday, July 15, Thompson received his pay from the Gear Company, and although a lot of reticence was exhibited by the officials of that Company to the reporter of, this paper on his making enquiries, yet he was able to ascertain that deceased, although it

Was a bad week financially, Deing the slack season, DREW BETWEEN £2 5s and £2 IDs. His daughter, m her evidence, states that he only left her 3s or 4s before he Went away, and an enquiry amongst deceased's tradesmen reveals the fact that he did not pay them any. money that week, so it is only reasonable and logical to conclude that deceased had about £2 on him when he went to town for the last time. Now, m view of the fact that no money was found on the deceased, "Truth" wants to know what became of the £2. Theories oLsuicide have been put forward to. explain deceased's sad. end, but these may be discounted. "Truth's" reporter interviewed deceased's fellow workmen, and they were unanimous m saying that deceased, although somewhat reticent, was of a cheerful temperament, and m spite of domestic trouble was jocular right up to the day on which he disappeared. One man interviewed had worked with deceased for 15 years and noticed nothing different m him.. An inquest was held Dy Dr. licArthur at the morgue on Tuesday week, the date on which deceased's body was found. Dr. Fyffe said he had made an external examination of the body. It was that of a well-nourished man of about GO. There was no rigor mortis m the body. The body was not decomposed except at the neck. There was a LARGE BRUISE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NECK, and the skin was excoriated. The bruise was an ante mortem one and was probably caused by deceased falling off the wharf and hitting his head on a stringer. Lillian Thompson, daughter of deceased, said her father would be ba on the sth of this month. She resided with him up to July 17. Her father was employed by the Gear Company and was of sobor habits and seldom took a glass "of liquor. She had never seen him tue worse for liquor. On July 17 he came home a little after 12 noon, had dinner, and was m good health and spirits. He said he would go to town "^and do a little shopping and changed his clothes. Witness asked him to go to Messrs Cat^ erer and Carey's to make a small purchase for her. The purchase would only cost about Is fid. When he Lett home he had a new pair of trousers on, and ho was going to buy a new coat. He had a comparatively new pair of shoes on. Sha did not think he would want to buy -a new pair of shoes. He left home at a few minutes to 3 p.m. Witness did no* know what money he had on him when he left. He had been paid on the Thursday previously. He left her about 3s or 4s. He usually paid the accounts. She did not know what wages he received. Deceased said he would return between 7 and 8 p.m. and said he thought he would go to Vivian-street to buy the coaS there. Witness never knew him to be subject to iits or giddiness. Never heard him express an intention to do away with himself." Had made enquiries at the Working Men's Club, Wellington, but they said they could not remember him there. She identified his watch and his pin (produced) . William John Smith, salesman at Caterer and Carey's, m Cuba-street, knew deceased by sight and saw him on .July 17 between 4 and 5 p.m. He came "into the shop then to. purchase some material for his daughter. Witness did not serve deceased, but passed him on to the dress department, and spoke to him as he came out. Mr Carey recalled the incident to witness, so he surmised it was deceased. Deceased was quite sober at the • time. The constable who was on duty bebetween 5 and 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning on the wharf, said that ahout 8 : o'clock he proceeded to Jervois-quay and saw two men m a boat with the body m tow. They brought it to the Star Boating Shed slip by his instructions. With Constable Tait he removed it m an express to the morgue. He searched the body and found no money, but a watch, chain, tie-pin and a half return ticket to Petone dated July 17. The watch had stopped at 6.26. At t?ie request of Dr. McArthur, the watch was tried to see if it had run down, and found to be fairly fight. Continuing, witness said dcceaFed had an old mackintosh coat on and all the pockets were the right way m. He Iliad a new coat on underneath and a pair of canvas shoes. There were no signs of ill-usage on the clothes. John Frederick Kersiate, ice-cream vendor, of Petone, knew deceased since 1593. He was at the boating sheds when tho body was brought m and identified it as that of Henry Thompson. DECEASED WAS NOT ADDICTED TO , DRINK, and witness had never seen him the worsa for it. Dr. Fyffe held a post mortem examination oti August 4th. He found that the trachae, lungs and bronchis were very red and infected. They contained some water and a little mud and sand m the smaller bronchi. There was a pleural effusion of a small amount on the right side. The lungs were collapsed and airless, except for decomposition gases. Thero Were no fractured ribs ; the stomach was quite empty, and contained neither water nor food, only gas. The right side ot the heart was greatly distended with blood and gas, and the left side was empty. There were no sijms of cirrlosis of the liver, the other viscera were normal. The cause of death was drowning, but from the fact that there was no water m the stomach it is practically certain that deceased went into the water unconscious. His unconsciousness would prevent swallowing, hence the absence ot water or mud m the stomach. There was not the slightest sign of old achoholic poisoning or recent. An open verdict of "Found drowned, and nothing to show how deceased came into the water," was returned.