THE HAND MYSTERY

Waipawa Mail, Volume IX, Issue 883, 21 January 1886, Page 4

THE HAND MYSTERY

i, '®-' S!e> Airtfcor of *b« Sovciod Uu»l in &OME interesting particulars have been S furnished us concerning the doings of I tlie man Howard of drowning and severed 0 hand notoriety in Masterton and the North \\ airarapa. When he disappeared from Christchurch his name was Howard, and h; had light brown hair, beard, whiskers. lt a»‘l moustache. On reaching Masterton in October he had undergone a transforrn- -- ation, for he was clean shaved, his hair was black, and he wore a black moustache. a About the middle of the month lie called I I at Duncan and Son’s store and purchased h some tools, stating that he was going up 11 to Cameron’s station. lie paid'there for d what he got, but was very careful that the amount should not exceed £l, stating l * that lie had to he very economical as lie had an aged mother and invalid wife to maintain. Some weeks later John Watt —for that was the name he assumed s re-appeared in Masterton, and obtained 0 employment from Mr Alexander on .the additions to the Presbyterian Church. He hoarded with Mr Richard Match, but sub:l sequently went to a boarding-house in i Chapel street. During this time ho became very communicative, and the f following dialogue occurred between him . and his mates : How did you lose your thumb ? \\ ell, you see, I can do a great many ’ things besides working as a carpenter. I was cleaning a donkey engine, and the steam being put on suddenly, my thumb was caught between the pinions* f X on ( * on,t fcuow much about the country? t . No I’m rather a stranger ; but this is e confidence. I’ve run away from one of s Pat Henderson’s ships. I was second .> officer, hut the captain and 1 quarreled, 3 and l bolted when we got to Wellington, s Then you’ve travelled a good deal ? s I should think T have. I can speak ) Danish like a native, and I learned Spanish 3 when I was in America. I used to buy i and sell cattle there, and I made money hand over fist, till I got £-100 together, and then what do you think, and I lost every cent speculating on the oil mines. Frederickson here can speak in your tongue then ! Ah ! but I don’t know German. Oh, not German but Danish ! 1 Frederickson tried to get up a cover- ' sation in Danish but failed, as Yes ! and 1 No ! about constituted Watt’s aquaiutauce ; with the dialect. During the fortnight he was working 1 011 the Presbytcrrian Church Howard olio* Watt attended the services, patronised 5 the Salvation Army, and professing to be a single man made love to nil the 1 daughters of the congregation. By December the 7 tii he had run up a score of 17s with Duncan and Son’s. On that day lie called at John Graham’s empoiium, and asked for a serge coot, staling that having an “ aged mother and an invalid sister ” to mantain ho could not run a suit unless ho got tick.” and lie did not like going into debt. His suave and candid manner recommended itself so much to the unsupeeting storekeeper that he volunteered to give him credit, and “ Watt ” bought a suit and other goods amounting to £3 19s, remarking that if he did not pay the lot by the end of the month ho was not to press him as he had to send £3 to his “ aged mother and invalid sister ”in the old country. On the same day he borrowed 10s from Mr Allan Abderson, a workmate on the understanding that he would go out to Opnki on the following day to erect some gates. He did not turn up at the Opnki. however and about this time he disappear'd from’ Masterton. On or about December lotli Mr Graham received a letter from Wellington, from Watt stating that lie and a mate had taken a small contract to build a three roomed cottage, and that lie would not get his money till the job was finished when lie would remit what he owed. A similar note was sent to Messrs Duncan & t'un. It will be remcimubered that just about this time—on Decembei lGth, the human baud was found on the Sumner beach, and it is just possible that Watt may have placed it there. Howard on Tuesday was brought before Mr Wardell, K.M., at Wellington, and remanded to Christchurch."— lVatmrajm