ELEMENT OF MYSTERY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16807, 21 November 1928, Page 6

ELEMENT OF MYSTERY

YOUNG MAN’S DEATH

Mystery surrounds the death of William James Mowbray, of 147 Somerfield street, Sprevdon, who was killed by a fall over a 'cliff .at Sumner, on Saturday night. The body was found on the flat top of a concrete garage by Mr. C. G. Walsh, at 9.30 on Sunday morning. Nothing very enlightening came out at the opening of the inquest in Christchurch on Monday morning, and the proceedings were adjourned sine die to enable the police to continue their / inquiries. Mowbray left home at about 2 p.m. on Saturday to spend the week-end, as was his custom, with some companions fishing at Taylor’s Mistake. The body was found by Mr. C. Walsh, who was walking into Sumner from Tavior’s Mistake. He immediately communicated with Constable Hampton, .who, on reaching the spot, found that the man had been dead for some hours. He • had apparently fallen over the cliff, a distance of about 50ft sheer, and while his head was badly smashed, no other bones appeared to be broken. From appearance, the accident had evidently taken place during the ;iight. It is surmised that he missed his footing at the junction of two dangerous paths on the top of the cliff right above the garage. -Amongst the grass there were signs of footmarks slipping to the brink. No bushes or growth of any kind provide anv grip, and as a huge cavern recedes from the cliffJtone into the hill, the drop would have an entirely unbroken one." Although there are several houses in the vicinity, no one remembers hearing anything unusual during the night, and although the body could he seen from the road no one had noticed it until Mr. Welsh came over the hill. Many people passed over the same ground, ore party of four finding considerable difficulty in passing safely over the verv spot, where the accident occurred. In fact, they were assisted by a resident over the bad spot,