A Mystery.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4241, 16 November 1886, Page 2

A Mystery.

[By Telkobaph.]

Wellington, Nov. 15.

Under the heading of *• Another Insurance Mystery,” the “ Post ” to-night says Another case of mysterious disappearance of an insured person some* what similar to the 11 severed band ” case has recently become known to us. Fortunately no violation of the grave has occurred in this instance. The facts are these. A young man named Henry Batty, son of a respectable farmer at Coal Creek, near Qreymontb, bud his life insured in the Government Office for £4OO. He was 23 years of age, and engaged to be married. Oa the 23rd January last he had had a tumor removed from hie eye, and about 10 o’clock that night he called at a grocer’s and purchased a package of rice, saying that it was for his mother. He left in the direction of the Grey. mouth-Oobden bridge, which was then in course of construction, the flooring, however, not being laid, and the only footway being by an eight-inch plank. To reach home be had to cross this. He never did get home, bat next morning some rice was found on that bridge and his hat was picked up in the river. Every search was made for him alive or dead, and advertisements were inserted in the papers, but no farther trace oonld be found of him. An unsigned will was found, and his father as heir-at-law applied for letters of administration and payment of the insurance money. The department did not consider the proof of death sufficient, bat after some difficulty the father obtained letters of admioistration from the court and a substantial bond being given as security, the Insurance Department ultimately consented to pay and sent a cheque to their Greymonth agent to hand over to Mr Batty, senior.

For some reason or other Mr Batty did not get the cheque for some time, end when jaafc on the eve of applying for it be received a letter from a friend in Melbourne informing him that his eon Henry was alive and in that city. He at once made the fact known, and be has since received a letter from bis son, but so far as we can ascertain no explanation is offered of the mysterious departure of the writer. This, however, is now generally attributed to certain circumstances which rendered young Batty anxious to avoid fulfilling bis marriage engagement.