£50 Reward—Supposed Murder.

New Zealand Police Gazette, Volume X, Issue 9, 28 April 1886, Page 77

£SO Reward—Supposed Murder.

Constabulary Office, Wellington, 4th March, 1886. WHEREAS on the 21st December last the dead body of a man of the under-mentioned description was found floating in the Waikato River: And whereas on the 23rd of the same month an inquest was held on the said body, and the following verdict returned: “That the deceased was found dead in the Waikato River, 21st December, 1885, near Churchill, with mortal wounds appearing on his head, but how the deceased got into the water, or how or when he received the wounds, there is no evidence to show, but the jury do say that in their opinion the deceased came to his death by foul-play Notice is hereby given that a reward of £SO will be paid by the Government to any person who will give such information as shall lead to the arrest of the offender or offenders in case deceased came by his death through foul-play. Description: From forty-five to fifty years of age, sft. Bin. high, stout build, eyes appeared to be blue or light grey, hair on head black, slightly turning grey; cheeks shaven, sandycoloured Yankee beard and moustache; two joints of third finger of the left hand missing, the finger having been amputated a long time ago. In the upper jaw the right-central and left-lateral incisor teeth had been extracted, and the first and second molars have their crowns broken. In the lower jaw the first and second molars on both sides had been extracted. The clothing found on deceased consisted of white-flannel undershirt, dark-coloured Crimean shirt, and dark-grey or brown tweed vest, with one row of small horn buttons. Pieces of each article in possession of Waikato Police. J. BALLANCE, Defence Minister.