TATTOOED ARM.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20614, 15 May 1935, Page 8

TATTOOED ARM.

Gruesome Mystery in Sydney.

WAS THERE FOUL PLAY? Tiger Shark Provides Clue. (Special to the “ Star.’’) SYDNEY, May 10. One day about three weeks ago Mr Bert Hobson, the well-known proprietor of the Coogee Aquarium Baths, set out with his boy Ron in a small boat to do a little fishing. They anchored about a mile and a half from Coogee beach, and set their lines for shark. Hobson soon had a bite and struck his fish; but, after playing him 'for a time, he realised that there was something not quite right about it. The fish became violently active, and it was only after a long fight that his line was hauled in. Then Hobson made a strange discovery. The shark that he had hooked had beeq attacked by another and almost completely devoured. But tangled in the line, and thus prevented from escaping, was the aggressor, a 15ft tiger shark, one of the boldest and most ferocious of the species. In spite of its desperate struggles, Hobson succeeded in landing it, and, being naturally elated at bringing off this “ million to one shot,” as he phrased it, he did not kill the Shark, but put it in a tank in the Aquarium for exhibition. Shark Seemed in Pain. For a week the shark wandered lazily about the tank, and then, on April 25, its movements attracted Hobson’s attention. It seemed suffering from some physical discomfort, struggled spasmodically and finally ejected from its throat a human arm with a short piece of rope attached to the wrist. It was eight days since the shark had been captured, and, according to the Museum experts, who were at once consulted, any food that it had swallowed before it was caught ought to have been digested in two or three days at most. Yet the arm showed no sign of the effects that might have been expected if it had been subjected to the shark’s gastric processes. The presence of the rope, however, supplied a clue; and it was suggested with much plausibility that the bit of rope had got entangled in the shark’s teeth and that the arm, being thus prevented from passing into the shark’s stomach, had remained almost intact. As a provisional hypothesis this might very well be accepted, but obviously there were other questions to be answered. A human body drifting about in the sea would naturally be attacked by sharks, so that “ accidental drowning ” was the first popular verdict. The bit of trailing "rope may not prove any serious objection to this theory, and, even if it were a case of suicide, the man might conceivably have tied his hands together before taking his fatal plunge, so as to prevent himself from “ prolonging the agony.” But clearly there was another alternative; and the police* as in duty bound, proceeded at once to investigate the possibilities of murder. Question of Identity. The rope round the wrist, of course, suggested that the victim had been attacked and bound; but, as in all such cases, the first step was necessarily to identify him. The skin of the hand di{l not seem seriously affected by immersion or partial digestion; but an attempt to secure finger-priht impressions—as in the famous “ human glove ” case at Wagga—failed completely. However, the ghastly relic provided another and far more important clue. For on it was a tattoo mark—a rough sketch of two boxers sparring together —and this was at once seized upon as likely to lead the searchers in the right direction. The published description promptly produced results, for a man named Smith soon called at headquarters to inform the police that the arm with the tattoo mark resembled that of his brother James, who lived near Five Dock, and had been missing for some days. Working on this fresh evidence, the police found that the supposed victim, James Smith, was 45 years of age, born in Lancashire, but a resident of Sydney since he was 17 years old. In his youth he had taken to boxing, and some 20 years ago appeared several times with success at the Sydney Stadium. But his mother disliked fighting, and at her request he gave up the ring, though he still took an interest in it; and the tattooed fighters on his arm were a memento of his early days. Smith then kept a billiards saloon, and was later for nine years a marker at City Tattersall’s Club, where he was well liked for his good behaviour and efficiency. Theq he started another saloon of his own at Rozelle, but Later he went into the building trade, and seems to have become quite prosperous. He had a comfortable home near Gladesville, where he lived with his wife, his mother-in-law and his 18-year-old son. He seems to have been a particularly cheerful and pleasant fellow, with hosts of friends, and the impression conveyed by the sorrowing brother to the police was that “ Jim was the last man in the world to kill j himself.” A Mysterious Message. What, then, has happened to James Smith? The police learned that on April 8 he got up, cheerful as ever, and informed the family that he was taking some friends out fishing for a few days. He did not mention any names or the place to which he was going, but as he often took such trips, staying away for a few days at a time, his relations did not attach any importance to his silence. He got together a few belongings, told them not to worry about him, and went off. This was on Monday (April 8), and though he was not back by Friday (April 12) the family saw no reason for anxiety. However, on that day—the fifth day of his absence—his wife received a mysterious message. Someone, whose voice she could not recognise, rang her up, telling her not to worry about Jimmy, and assuring her that “ he will be home in three days’ time.” Now for the first time alarmed, the family waited anxiously for Jimmy to reappear. But the appointed Monday came and went without a sign, and the ' first suspicion of the ghastly truth arose when they saw the description of the tattoo mark in the newspapers, and the brother went down to Coogee to identify the arm disgorged by the captive shark at the Aquarium 17 days after James Smith left his home.

No Absolute Proof. I have possibly given the impression that the identification is complete and that the investigation is all plain sailing for the police. But this is not so. The tattoo marks are not distinct and the figures depicted on the arm have been at different times selected by a great many people who take pleasure in such personal decorations. In fact, there is no absolute proof yet that the arm is James Smith’s, and the “ Sydney Morning Herald,” which always prefers to err on the side of caution in such matters, has said bluntly, that the grisly relic has not been identified. On the other hand, the police seem to believe that the arm is James Smith’s and' that it is most likely a case of murder. But so far they can prove nothing and they are finding it difficult to make headway. The shark died two or three days after disgorging the arm, and a postmortem revealed no further evidence. But there is a legal difficulty about setting up a judicial inquiry, for a coroner’s inquest centres round the examination of a “ body,” and the magistrate consulted on the matter gave the opinion that it was not in accordance with legal precedent or procedure to hold an inquest on a solitary limb. So there for the moment the case rests, and the tragic question, “ Where is James Smith?” still remains unanswered.