SUITCASE MURDER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19625, 9 May 1938, Page 5

SUITCASE MURDER

.PICTON MYSTERY TORSO FOUND IN HARBOUR 4.V A ■ V i .V . , yj . . . - ' .STABBED IN HEART LEGS AND HEAD MISSING ;•! ' J . . - (IDENTIFICATION AWAITED (Per Pres* Association.) ( ' ' BLENHEIM, this day. ■ Bearing three stab-marks in the vicinity of the heart, the headless and legless body of an elderly, slimly-built man was found packed in a fibre suitcase, floating underneath the Picton wharf at about noon on Saturday. An .unemployment levy book found in a pocket of the coat when the body was examined by detectives late in the afternoon, disclosed it was the property of Edwin Armstrong, of 20 Hinau road, Hataitai, Wellington, who, accotding to information given to the police from Wellington, was last seen at i8;30 o’clock .on Friday morning, when his wife and two sons, the latter aged 19 and,2o years respectively, left lot thfeir work in the city.

! Nothing has yet been established in the police inquiries to fix the identity of the person responsible for what appears to be one of the most brutal and unusual murders in New Zealand crime history, but the early discovery p'f the body, together with apparent proofs of identification of the corpse contained in the pockets of the clothes, speedily opened up a well-defined field for-investigation, from which the police have every hope of obtaining early and important information. The body itself could not have been in the water for any lengthy period, probably not more than 12 hours. The opinion is also held that death took place within a fairly short period from the time of the discovery of the remains.

Theory as to Fate

Various factors go to suggest that the dead man met his fate in Wellington hot long after he was last seen alive at his home, that his head and legs were removed in order that the trunk would fit the suitcase, and that the person disposing of the corpse caught the Tamahine which sailed at 2.45 o’clock on Friday afternoon for Picton, i. '•

The necessity for catching the boat presumably left no time to remove the clothing or clear the pockets, or else this precaution. to hide the identity of the body was considered unnecessary or was overlooked. Cast into the harbour during the night, the case apparently floated about unseen under the wharf until the rising tide about midday on Saturday carried it to where it was seen bumping against a stringer of the heavy wooden buffer structure surrounding the concrete wharf. The discovery was made by two seamen of the Shaw, Savill and Albion cargo liner Pakeha on the opposite side of the wharf to the Tamahine’s berth. They were engaged in painting the side the Pakeha and saw the fibre suitcase, half submerged between the ship and the wharf. x

Human Hand Seen

They immediately investigated, but in recovering the case some, of tHe sodden fabric tore away, and the men were horror-stricken to observe a human hand inside.

The bosun, Mr. J. Robertson, had the Picton police called and in the presence of Constables Harper and Roberts the case was hauled to the wharf. Evidence of its grisly contents were not lacking and it was removed to the morgue to await a full examination by experts. In the meantime, the crew of the Pakeha were mustered by the master, Captain S. Oswald, and it was found that all were accounted for.

Captain Sharpe, of the Picton-Wel-lington ferry steamer, Tamahine, who was also asked by the police, stated that all his crew were aboard. When the vessel was later examined by the police in Wellington, it is understood that everything was found to be correct.

Police Travel By Air

Particular importance will probably attach to the inquiry on the Tamahine which returned to Wellington shortly aJter the body was found. SeniorSergeant Smyth, of Blenheim, immediately informed Inspector F. Lewin, oi Nelson; of the discovery and arrangements were made for a party of Wellington detectives to proceed to Picton Detective-Sergeants W. McLennan and W. R. Murray and Senior-Sergeant W. Dinnie, police photographer, arrived in Blenheim in a specially chartered plane and went on by car to Picton, arriving shortly before 5 p.m. Inspector Lewin and Detective Hayhurst, Nelson, arrived by car.

The detectives’ examination of the suitcase revealed that it was of fibre manufacture, reinforced by 'light underbands and a steel frame. In size ;t was approximately 30in. by 18in. Around it was tied a length of quarterinch thick white rope, having some similarity to sash cord and several lengths.of thinner rope traversed the case twice from top to bottom and once around its length. Clothed in Dark Suit

», The clothing on the body comprised a dark suit, the actual colour being indeterminable as a result of immersion and staining, two shirts, a fairly heavy long-sleeved singlet and a scarf worn as a body belt, and pinned with a safety pin. The coat, waistcoat, shirt and singlet all showed small cuts over the left side on the chest consistent with stab marks, and when the body itself was examined it was seen that the region near the heart had been stabbed three times with great strength.* At least one of the thrusts must have pierced the heart. The instrument must have had a narrow blade like a dagger or Stilletto. In the inside right pbcket of the coat was an unemployment levy book bearing the name, E. Armstrong, <2O Hinau road, Hataitai. The l ast levy had been paid at Wellington on May 3. The contents of the other pockets included a medical prescription by a Hataitai doctor made out to Mr. Armstrong, Hinau road, Hataitai, a small sum in silver and copper, a small green and orange coloured handkerchief, and in the hip pocket of the trousers a £1 note was pinned to the lining.

The actual amputation of the head and legs appeared to have been executed cleanly, necessitating the use probably of both a sharp knife or razor and a saw. The head was removed just above the collar and the legs at the top of the thigh. It seemed almost certain that the dismemberment had taken place fairly recently. A severe cut was found on the right wrist and an abrasion on the right little finger. Police information from Wellington is that Mr. Armstrong, who was 55 years of age, was an accountant by profession, but had been unemployed during the past seven years of residence in Wellington. He was a native of Scotland and resided in Dunedin before going to Wellington in 1951. A detailed personal description follows: About sft. Sin. in height, slight build, bald-headed, wearing dark clothes.

The police request anyone knowing anything of the missing man’s movements from the time he was last seen by his wife and family when they left home to go work on Friday morning, to communicate with them. Peculiar Feature At this juncture, the whole affair is a complete mystery as to motive and other aspects. A peculiar feature of the case is that there is no definite proof of the cause of death owing to the absence of the head. A search for the missing members of the body will be, no doubt, an important phase of early police activity.

They also hope to trace the associates and contacts of the deceased, who is said to have been of a quiet disposition and few friends.

More definite light as to the cause of death may be available following the post-mortem examination, which will be conducted by the Government pathologist, Dr. W. P. Lynch, who arrives from Dunedin to-day at midday by air.

The inquest will open this evening at Picton after the arrival by the Tamahine of one of Mr. Armstrong’s sons, who is expected to be able to identify the clothing which was on the body. Opportunity will also be taken to secure the evidence of members of the crew of the Pakeha, which sails for Wellington to-day. Police Following Clue

It is undertsood that the police are following up a likely clue and that the scene of the man hunt has been transferred from Picton to Wellington, where, perhaps, the crime was committed on Friday, some time between Mr. Armstrong’s last being seen alive and the sailing of the Tamahine for Picton. The short interval between the time when he was last seen and the finding of the body made it certain that Mr. Armstrong travelled from Wellington to Picton, dead or alive, in the Tamahine on Friday afternoon. It was ascertained, although no connection was established with the crime that a man named A. Armstrong was booked to travel in the ship.

Other' inquiries were made by the police in Wellington during the weekend, and when interviewed last night the Commissioner of Police. Mr. D. J. Cummings, said they had a clue and should know by this evening if they were on the right track. The weekend had delayed investigations which ■would be carried out to-day.

Last night even the identification of the body as that of Mr. Armstrong,