Gordon Cramer was recently looking at Paul Lawson’s 8th June 1949 work diary entry relating to the plaster cast that he was making of the Somerton Man, and noted this interesting-looking page:
Police Job
Interview with Detectives (Brown + 1)
Ring from Constable Dinham re disposal of original body
Gordon quickly builds his own theories on top of why the word “disposal” was used, but it turns out that if we follow the timeline of what happened, it all makes sense.
According to a 30th May 1949 Adelaide News story, “The SA Grandstand Bookmakers’ Association secretary (Mr. Alan Saunders) said today his association would pay burial costs, to prevent the victim being buried as a pauper.“. This is the first mention I’ve found of an actual burial.
Then, according to the 14th June 1949 Adelaide News, the burial itself took place at 9.30am of that morning. The service was carried out by Captain E. J. Webb of the Salvation Army, who said at the end (according to Gerry Feltus’ book, p.85) “Yes, this man has someone to love him. He is known only to God.”
Originally, only a simple wooden stake saying “UNKNOWN SOMERTON BODY” was placed there, but the headstone we see today was added a few days after the funeral by Mr. A. Collins, a Keswick monumental mason.
So it all makes sense. As far as Paul Lawson knew on the 8th June 1949, the original body (i.e. not the plaster cast he was making!) was to have been disposed of in a pauper’s burial: but a last-minute donation by the SA Grandstand Bookmakers’ Association at around the same time secured a proper burial, while an after-the-event donation by a local monumental mason turned the grave into something that would last.
According to the (1978) “Somerton Beach Mystery” documentary by Stuart Littlemore, flowers were left on the grave in the spring (though not every year) by an unidentified person. So perhaps Captain Webb might just have been wrong.
Nick: Nice historical piece, Not sure whether you are alluding to the bust being buried in SM’s place? If so then what you say would make some sense but I can’t find anywhere that suggests that was going to be the case. It would also be correct to say that I can find no document that points specifically to the reason for the bust being made in the first instance. There is a document somewhere that speaks of the Police stopping Lawson doing any further work as the man was going to be buried immediately.
Another reason behind my view relates to the two profile images of SM, one at the time of the autopsy and the other just before his burial. If you view them you’ll see they are quite different and look to be images of two different people. They’re on the blog and I will be putting them up again in the next post so people can see for themselves.
Professor Abbott would say that people look different after death and that’s true to an extent but not so different for people to be unable to recognise them and hence the whole process of people viewing a body to get an identification confirmed. It seems to have worked for a good many years unless the professor has some new scientifically based information to the contrary.
The professor would also say that the process of embalming alters a persons face. There is,again, some truth in that but what it won’t do is to change the underlying shape and dimensions of the bone structure. In the case of the two images mentioned earlier you will find that when compared side by side there are a number of differences including the length of the nose which is perhaps the most obvious.
What needs to be done is to have less rhetoric and more fact, in whatever I post I base it on facts and bring something forward to substantiate them whenever I can, indeed as you have done here. That does not make me or anyone else infallible, and I am more than happy to participate in a good, healthy discussion.
Hi Nick, I can see your point but, why did PC Dinham say “original”, why not just “the body?” if there was only one to bury? Clive
I reckon Lawson put ‘original’ in the wrong slot … ” from Constable Dinham re disposal of original body” … read as,
“from Constable Dinham re “original” disposal of body” …
The inquest papers wouldn’t pass an intermediate English exam, Lawson might have been just as careless.
It’s when you view that diary entry in conjunction with the two sets of images on the blog post showing in one case apparent alteration and in the other a completely different profile that you see how and why Lawson used those words.
It seems to me that the body in the grave may not be the body from the beach.
Nick, looking at the timeline,
May 30th.
The Adelaide News ran a story about the SA Grandstand Bookmakers Association paying for SM’s burial.
June 8th
A full 9 days after the News article, is when Lawson makes his statement. It is therefore reasonable to deduce that Lawson would have known of the burial arrangements prior to June 8th which does not support the view that he only learnt on that date.
Clive. I agree that the use of the words ‘re disposal of original body’ is unlikely to mean anything other than as it is presented.
Pete, Semantic transposition? 🙂 Can really alter the meaning of a short sentence, frowned upon by the Judicial fraternity methinks..
That is patently ridiculous.
Gordon: the 30th May newspaper story announced that the SA Grandstand Bookmakers planned to pay for the burial, not that they had already paid for it. The rest of it was kept under close wraps until after the funeral itself, so I think it’s not at all unreasonable to suppose that Lawson probably didn’t know what was going on.
Isn’t ‘the original body’ referring to the original plaster cast of the body? The entry is talking about piecing together the moulds, I assume that the head and body were done separately and then pieced together.
Dan: could well be. After all, making a positive plaster mould is a two-stage process, as I understand it – you first make a negative (imprint) mould, and then a positive (duplicate) mould from that negative mould.
Nick, The statement you have made in this post is:
As far as Paul Lawson knew on the 8th June 1949, the original body (i.e. not the plaster cast he was making!) was to have been disposed of in a pauper’s burial: but a last-minute donation by the SA Grandstand Bookmakers’ Association at around the same time secured a proper burial, while an after-the-event donation by a local monumental mason turned the grave into something that would last.
The News article seems very clear on the issue:
According to a 30th May 1949 Adelaide News story, “The SA Grandstand Bookmakers’ Association secretary (Mr. Alan Saunders) said today his association would pay burial costs, to prevent the victim being buried as a pauper.“.
That was 9 days before Lawson’s diary entry.
Dan, I think that Lawson in his diary refers to his work as the ‘mold’ and not the body so I don’t see how he would be referring to anything other than the body when he wrote that phrase.
The phrase is the phrase and it stands for us all to read,
The issue is that he clearly states:
‘ring from Constable Dinham re disposal of original body’ and it is equally clear that the full information about the burial was made public 9 days ahead of his diary entry. When they paid for the burial is not at issue and I can’t honestly see the relevance of that.
What was it that was ‘kept under wraps’?, The burial date and time, who would conduct the sermon, who would be the pall bearers would be the only things I could think of and none of those would have made any difference to Lawson’s words at the time he wrote in his diary. The fact that a stonemason was good enough to donate the headstone at a later date is nothing terribly secret I wouldn’t have thought.
Using modern day parlance, on the balance of probability, given the prior publication of the information, Lawson would have known about the upcoming burial and the donation by the Grand Stand Bookmaker’s Association.
The unknown man was alive and well in the photos. I think that the body was placed on the beach that was similar to Sm. Then switched for the photo shoot of the real man. I believe he defected and it was all staged for the news papers so his handlers would get confirmation of his “death ” . Fake death
Potato gems for his last meal.
Immediate to death, the body’s composition begins to change rapidly. Cartilage breaks down. Prof. Maciej Henneberg explained to me a number of the processes… how the facial muscles become fixed etc.. There must be something ‘on line’ that explains the tissue breakdown, the chemical changes and time sequence for body decomposition. Refrigeration might slow the process, but not for long. The preservative was introduced later for SM.
When I visited the Police Museum to view SM’s cast years ago, one of the volunteers explained to me that it was he who’d helped Mr. Henneberg to remove SM’s cast from it’s glass surround to assist examination. He said Maciej took over 40 photos that day. That was in late June early July in 2010.
Initially I felt that SM’s remains should be left undisturbed, particularly if there were other lines of inquiry waiting to be ruled out.
Since then, SM’s coffin has morphed into a bit of a Pandora’s box and I think we all need to see what lies inside that coffin, just in case a clue’s been left behind and overlooked. They might even find Aleister Crowley’s ashes and Hitler’s missing jawbone tucked inside. I’m joking of course, but nothing would surprise me about this case.
Perhaps it’s time to do a reality check in what really happens at autopsy. There are plenty of examples available to show that not all organs are automatically returned to the body for burial. Some bits and pieces can end up pickled in jars big enough to swallow up a whole foetus. A brain once removed may be sliced up to assist learning for medical student . The Heads of Police Depts.. would be aware of what goes on, particularly when, as is the case for SM, there’s no family to answer to.
Police assuming the role of guardian instead, may have been insisting that all SM’s bits be returned to the cadaver, thus the ‘original’ body. Speak to an expert in Anatomy. Ask them the scientific terminologies.
See YouTube / B.B.C. Horizon -2008 “How Much is Your Dead Body Worth”.
This documentary gives insight into past and present practices and exploitation of cadavers/body trade.
We all die eventually so viewing this doco is time well spent as preparation I think.
The book “Medical Murder” by Robert Kaplan shows many examples of scientist / doctors exploitation and experimentation on prisoners of War, psychiatric patients etc. and no-one stopped them (Holocaust, one example).
In most countries Police rely on the Government of the day to be paid.. and they do as they’re told.
Also…How many unmarked graves, and other unknown persons ended up at West Terrace Cemetery apart from SM. Was SM’s grave site recycled. Are there bones of others laying beneath his coffin and have they names.
Gordon: the articles relating to the burial unequivocally state that it was kept secret to prevent people coming along to gawp.
Apologies for going off topic, but this is where the action is – Has ANYONE seen the three articles with labels?
The laundry bag, the singlet and of course the white tie, which we’ve all seen.
Why such clean shoes ?
Pete: not as far as I know. But the descriptions given of them are quite specific, so it seems likely to me that they were done in good faith.
IndeedIndeed: indeed. 🙂
Henley: only if had a time machine – potato gems were introduced in 1953. 😐
Nick, I agree on the date and time being kept as per my comment, the point I was making was that that fact would not have made any difference to the words written in the diary by Lawson or am I missing something?
Nick: I only asked as there is some question as to which of the articles may have had the label altered by washing. Leane thought the label on the underpants might have had the ‘e’ washed off, and the name on the tie almost looks like Reade, hence the visit from the Cycle lads. Wondering what the label on the laundry bag looked like, that’s all.
I say bring the man up. Finally put him to rest.
pete: would be good to know. Perhaps there might be a huge cache of police or press photographs somewhere, wouldn’t that be good? 🙂
I don’t think that the suitcase was tampered with between sm checking it in and the police finding it.
Gordon: it depends on what Lawson knew and when. The point of my post was simply that if you put Lawson’s notes within the timeline of that fortnight, I think everything can be taken at face value without having to invoke anything remotely conspiratorial.
If Lawson is still alive and you’re really bothered by this, I guess you could just ask him, it’s a pretty straightforward question. But I suspect it would get an equally straightforward answer. 😐
I do believe that the man who found the book in his car didn’t tell the truth about the location of his car because he was schtooping another lady besides his wife .
Now her name and telephone number were in the directory under / sister JE Thomson. It wasn’t silent/ private. So sm some how knew that she was using a new last name apart from her maiden one. Assuming he looked it up in a directory.
Alison Verco / Marie Mac Mahon are the same person
IndeedIndeed: 1940s telephone directories seem to be used more by modern researchers than by people in 1940s. 😉
IndeedIndeed: I also don’t believe that the suitcase was tampered with, particularly so when the specific suggestion is that it was tampered with by an Australian intelligence agency that had not yet been formed. 🙂
But that’s not really enough to go on either way. So what makes you think it was not tampered with during that period?
Commonwealth investigation service was active in 1948 for sure which was a mix of both English and Australian agents. But I say the bag wasn’t tampered with because if it was me trying to throw an investigation off the trail I would certainly do more than remove a few labels and change a few names. Most likely the first thing i would do would be to remove the suitcase in its entirety .
Nick…You’ve made the point that SM was buried in secret.
Re-page 85 and 86 ‘The Unknown Man’.
Police invite a newspaper reporter and the publican from the Bar across the road to act as pallbearers and the S.A. Grandstand Bookmakers Assoc. pay costs in order SM isn’t buried in a ‘paupers’ grave. I expect this would ensure that the burial is advertised and seen to be done and covered by the Media/Murdock. The cemetery’s local Hotelier can also spread the word as a witness; last drinks in honour of SM etc.. In any other country though, such a mix of professions, Police, Media, Publican and the Bookmakers Club might look a little fishy.
It was very generous of the State to go to all that trouble and taxpayers expense to embalm an unclaimed corpse they always intended for a paupers grave. They specially selected dry ground for SM (to prolong preservation in case he was exhumed later). Was this decided before or after SM was embalmed…before or after the Bookmakers Assoc. passed the hat around to ensure he was spared from a paupers grave. A wooden cross is placed on SM’s grave but within days a Keswick monumental mason Mr. A. Collins was given permission by Police to place an engraved stone and pour curbing and a concrete slab sprinkled with marble chips. This is done before the newly dug soil has had time to settle and seems more planed in advance than a random act of kindness.
From what I’ve read of that time frame, unclaimed cadavers / paupers etc. risked ending up on the dissecting table, put to good use. SM concrete slab may have been placed to ensure he stayed in the ground.
See Wikipedia “Body Snatching”. What if there’s nothing in the box?
Wasn’t the telephone number also used by Prosper for his business?
I believe there occasionally adverts in the ‘Tiser.
It was indeed Dan. Several adds p had placed in the news paper prior to dec1948. That’s why I come to the conclusion of sm either was( A) answering an add in the paper to p. ( B) was friends of p and already new the number. (C)was a friend of JEstyn already new she was using her new Thomson last name and looked her up in the directory . (D) was a friend of JEstyn and already knew her number (E) the glenelg house was a fake house for p and j and their real house was in the hills ,using the Mosley st address as a nest and j was the honey trap.
Page 86 “The Unknown Man” the local newspaper reports
“Few see burial of Somerton body”.
Exerts from that article state “Arrangements for the funeral were kept secret to prevent the attendance of curious sightseers.” But Police deem the local publican (Leo Kenny, licensee of the Elephant and Castle Hotel) as a ‘peoples representative’ of sorts to play pallbearer.
They include also the chap from the papers.
While they’re carrying the coffin, who’s taking the photos then?
That must have been arranged also…
“and don’t forget to bring your camera man/photographer.” Nothing random about the photo.
No T.V. back then, so if it’s not reported in the papers, the masses would never have known. Sounds like Police and Media were quite chummy back then, close enough to ensure the burial of SM is ‘seen to be done’ by those curious sightseer…. the same ones they preferred to avoid on the day. So the Public become the witnesses after the fact, because, just like us…they’ve seen it in the papers.
Pity it was a closed show though. If a funeral scenario for an unidentified cadaver was play out in a T.V. murder mystery , Police would be watching for any ‘family and friends’ to attend (authentic weepers), they’d be taking photos to see ‘who done it’ (who’s that hiding behind the tree in the background).
I think it’s very pompous of those ‘high up’ to exclude the general public, while at the same time wanting be admired for the care and attention given a stranger, and their diligence to ensure he’s laid to rest in a dignified manner (as seen in the papers).
SM now has the honour of symbolically representing every other ‘unknown man’ buried at West Terrace.
I’d like to know more about ‘the others’.
I think that the most logical explanation would be that the Sm arrived in Adelaide with the plans of visiting JEstyn . With the new information regarding the genetics of the ears running in the family , I’m more inclined to suggest he was a family member rather than a ” romance/affair of the heart ” like the nutty professor notions . I am at the understanding that he had a serious illness /ailments. I cannot discount the theory that he was in the intelligence circus.
No disrespect to the professor intended.
Byron, In the documents I think you’ll find reference to the same type of grey metal being used as the scabbard for the knife etc.
Gordon,
Yes, that was said, but was it ever checked thoroughly? In my experience, as a on-time cadet secondary metallurgist with BHP, the loose piece of metal does not look like any commonly available metal sheet. Coated steel, or any other commonly available material, would not wrinkle like the metal sheet/foil found in the suitcase. The identification of the metal as “tinned zinc” is incorrect for technical reasons that I will not go into, and this indicates that the examination of the metal (and the scabbard metal) was not done by someone with any basic technical knowledge. Maybe Cowan struck out again?
He was Prosper’s mother’s cousin.
Byron, I have no idea whether the metal was ever checked thoroughly and would certainly bow to your greater knowledge. It was just a matter of pointing out what was said about the scabbards. I think also it was suggested that the metal for the scabbards had been cut with the scissors? For a well experienced man Mr. Cowan did appear to make some ‘interesting’ mistakes.
A question for you, given that the use you see is on the money, what other metals/ores could have been searched for by SM using the techniques you described?
Another question, the analysis of the hair sample suggests that his exposure to high levels of lead was over approximately the last two weeks of his life, does that period of time have any significance in relation to, say, a standard duration field trip?
There is another vexing issue related to the man and his possible occupation which may tie in with what you say but I will need to leave that until the weekend, waiting for some information. Thanks for replying 🙂
Jessie: could you please provide any further information on that lead ? Thank you.
The truck driver Fortune – the mispa – was mummy’s first cousin so Prosper’s once removed. This is fact.
Jesse: A photo of Prospers’ Mother’s cousin will do for an identity match; even photos of relatives on Prospers Mothers’ side could help confirm the identify of the person you assert to be SM.
In fairness to Mr. Lawson, he was a taxidermist and these are his notes and adequate for serving his own purposes and made for his own use. There is nothing to say he’s translated a direct or exact quote taken from that phone call…and worded ‘original’. He may have just been separating the real person from the replica to his own mind. His usual work entailed making casts for museum pieces so perhaps “original” was a term he’d normally use if he often made copies.
He’s a taxidermist only, thus not qualified as an ‘expert witness’ when he gave his opinion on SM’s calves at the Inquest. He shared a general observation re- women in high heels to demonstrate the appearance of SM’s calf muscles, and the possible equivalent, as a man wearing riding boots. Too much has been made of what he said, and it was only his opinion after all.
xlamb: then why his emphasis on SM’s feet and legs at the inquest, and his forgetfulness of same, and memory of everything else when interviewed by Littlemore
? (ta)
Nick, I am not so sure about the straightforward answer from Mr. Lawson. In the interview with Stuart Littlemore, Lawson was not direct at all, in fact he was just the opposite, he was very evasive, he acted as man with something to hide. Whether that was just about the names of people who may have recognised SM or something else is not clear. For those interested, here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=605V1-o3r1Y
Gordon, as you pointed out, it was suggested that the metal used in the scabbards was the same as the loose piece in the suitcase, and that the metal had been cut with the scissors. But, I feel that this could have just been a guess. How could they have proved this, given that the investigation of other, far more important, things was not carried out? I suspect that it was added to pad out a deficient report; Included to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative. I agree that Mr Cowan’s apparent mistakes are interesting, and I would go further; I think they are decidedly suspicious for the reasons that I have previously stated.
Silver and gold ores were assayed by the fire assay method in the 1940s and I note that the silver content of SM’s hair was somewhat anomalous. Platinum foil was used in many different types of mineral identification tests (see Orsino C Smith for details) so almost any type of prospecting is possible; even oil, gas or coal.
Regarding the decrease in the lead content of SM’s hair during the last two weeks of his life (6 mm of hair being approximately 2 weeks growth). Unfortunately the elimination of lead from the blood is probably complicated by factors such as physiological stress, fasting, diet, exercise and health. But, if we make the assumption that these factors did not change significantly over the last couple of weeks of SM’s life, then it is reasonable to assume that the variations in the lead content of his hair reflect parallel variations in the lead content of his blood. Lead is stored in the body in blood (primarily in red blood cells), in soft tissue and in bone. One authority states that “The distribution of absorbed lead in the body can be modeled using three compartments: blood, soft tissue, and bone. Under steady-state conditions 99% of the lead in blood is attached to read blood cells. Under chronic exposure conditions, the bone serves as a storage organ and can release lead back into the blood and soft tissues. Absorbed lead is eliminated primarily in the urine and bile. In adults the elimination of lead is first order and triphasic with elimination half-lives of 1 week, 1 month, and 10 to 20 years.” (Pediatric Toxicology 2004 T. B. Erickson). However, other authorities claim longer elimination half lives for blood. In the range 28 days (Griffin et al. 1975 ATSDR 2005) to 36 days. (Rabinowitz et al. 1976 ATSDR 2005).
Judging from the decline in the lead concentration SM had an exposure to very high levels of lead prior to two weeks before his death. The near constant lead level from about 700 (on the MS time axis) indicates that this is lead that is being mobilized from the soft tissue stores, plus lead that was ingested in the last week of SM’s life. If the lead in the MS period 0 to 700 (about the last week of his life) came from soft tissue stores, then this implies that SM was ingesting large amounts lead regularly over at least the last year or so of his life, and this is consistent with very heavy occupational exposure to lead.
I note that there is a spike in the lead concentration at about 1,050 (MS time axis) and a broader and smaller spike at 400. There is no published work to help with the interpretation of these two spikes, but they appear to be real and they cast some doubt on the assumption that all the lead is contained within the hair (ie came from the blood) and these spikes are consistent with external contamination of the hair with dust containing lead. Note that lead in blood is eliminated with a half life of 28-35 days, so peaks like that seen at 400 and 1,050 are unlikely to be due to rapid variations in the blood lead levels. However, it is possible that physiological stress, such as short term fasting, could temporarily speed up the elimination of lead from soft tissue stores. Ie. maybe the spikes at 400 and 1,050 reflect fasting at these periods. However, the rapid return to the pre-spike level indicates that these spikes are caused by external contamination, probably lead containing dust. There is no publish data that deals with these issues, and it is supposition on my part, but backed with some experience in the area.
The simplest interpretation of the variation in the lead content of SM’s hair is:
– SM had very heavy exposure to lead in the year or two prior to his death. This heavy exposure might have occurred for many years, but it is impossible at present to know for how long the heavy exposure lasted. This is based on the high baseline lead concentrations apparently coming from soft tissue stores. Ie. the flat part of the curve from about the last week of his life.
– the very heavy exposure to lead (except for the exposure indicated by the two spikes) ceased at least two week prior to SM’s death. This is based on the approximately first order decay shape of the curve 14 to 7 days.
– SM was probably exposed to dust containing lead about 12 days, and then about 7 days prior to his death. This is based on the two short term spikes which are probably due to external contamination such as dust containing lead.
This interpretation assumes that the MS data are substantially correct, and that the high lead levels are not due to external contamination of the hair of some sort – dust containing lead, hair dye containing lead etc.
If the MS data do prove to be correct, and if the lead (apart from the two spikes) is not down to external contamination, then SM would probably have sufficient lead on board (in his soft tissues) to give him symptoms of lead poisoning. It is particularly relevant that lead poisoning can damage the kidneys, and this would reduce the elimination of drugs such as digitalis. As I have previously noted, the digitalis group of drugs have a very low therapeutic index (the ratio of a toxic dose to a therapeutic dose. As low as a factor of four for digitalis). If SM’s kidney function was partly impaired, then a “normal” dose of digitalis could have killed him.
I note that one of the symptoms of lead poisoning is an enlarged spleen.
Gordon, you previously asked if the ratios of lead isotopes might help pinpoint where SM was in the last couple of weeks prior to his death. Unfortunately the situation is complicated. The lead in the body of the hair comes from the blood, and the lead in the blood is a mixture of recently ingested lead, and lead that is being released from the stores in the soft tissue and bone. But, it might be possible to sort it out well enough to get some idea of where he was in the last couple of years of his life, and the last week. A further complication is that Broken Hill provided a significant proportion of the World’s lead in the 1940s, so, a Broken Hill isotopic signature could be obtained in many places, from Albuquerque to Timbuktu, and anywhere inbetween.
Pete; I don’t think I’m up for a rerun of Littlemore’s documentary just to see what’s up with Lawson just now, but if you’ve ever had first hand experience with Television film crews, interviewers etc. you’ll find that 3 or more hours of intense questioning while filming can be cut down to minutes depending on the slant the producers have in mind. In the end it can be cut to bits and T.V. is primarily about entertainment and ratings. What you see isn’t always the whole truth. It’s what fits the allotted budget and the 1/2 hour time slot. Mr. Littlemore acted out his role, and he was paid. I doubt he really gave a rats about SM personally, but the show did put his name on the map and became the springboard to further his career. If he stepped up now to finish the job for SM he’d gain everyone’s respect and the publicity might force the Attorney General to reconsider Abbotts exhumation request. If he ever wanted to serve the deceased, he’d have already done an encore.
I wrote to him when Maciej gave his positive findings on the I.D. photo comparison. He had one of his messenger underlings call to say ‘that was done a long time ago and he no longer has any interest”…he’s moved on.
That is, he makes good money as a celebrity Lawyer for high flyers these days.
It is nice that you can see all the players lined up in his doco, thus makes it ‘real’ and interesting, but 30 years had passed for Mr. Lawson. I doubt they gave him a script first in order he could have a think and prepare his responses.
If you had access to the entire footage with the boring parts that never went to air, it would be of more benefit now.
Anyway don’t we have all the pictures of SM’s calves, feet etc. now in order to form our own opinions. We also have a broader field of expertise and the science to back it up.
I always thought your explanation for the enhanced calf muscles was the most logical explanation anyway.
And when women remove there stilettos, their calf muscles relax. The feet might ache, but regain normality of sorts.
‘Foot binding’ would have a similar torturous effect, but that’s permanent. So was SM’s feet / toes condition. As a female I felt Lawson’s comparison (high heels) were presented as the ‘visual’ for a bunch of blokes…and not too scientific.
The end result left a perception of SM tottering around the streets of Glenelg. There’s been accusations of homosexuality and cross-dressing (so what!)…then there’s the ballet dancer etc., Ah! but he’s also said to have secretly fathered Jestyns’ child.
Lots of speculation, but no hard proof as back up yet.
Without a name he becomes ‘generic’ and everyone brands him as they please.
Byron, That’s an extraordinarily informative piece. It will take a day or two to digest. If I recall there was another part of the analysis document it dealt with discarded data, i.e. it set out to list all of the isotopes that were eventually removed from the report. Not sure if it’s still around but will look unless you already have it?
Byron: the whole heavy metal reasoning is hard to be sure about, particularly when there’s the possibility of hair dye in the air (or do I mean “in the hair”?), e.g. the two short term spikes could very well specifically correspond to application of hair dye. But overall I do like the style of your reasoning, I just wish we had a separate test (e.g. blood) to correlate these with rather then having to continually make educated guesses etc.
Overdeveloped Calves ?
« Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy »
One of systems of Duchenne MD is an enlargement or overdevelopment of the calves, also known as “pseudohypertrophy”.
Also…
Sufferers of Duchenne MD will have problems with their feet.
This occurs as muscle weakness spreads and the Achilles tendons (heel cords that anchor the muscles at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone) are often contracted, pulling feet into an abnormal position and interfering with the ability to walk.
Nick, I agree that there are a lot of ifs and buts involved, but (there is another one) IMHO at present the MS lead data are the most solid information relating to SM that we have. When Prof. Abbott gets the full MS data in order I am near certain that it will throw up futher information. There is a good chance that the MS data will enable us to eliminate a lot of sources for the lead, and maybe point to a specific industry. And, if the lead isotopic signatures vary then this will prove that in the last week of his life SM was away from home (or at least, away from the area(s) where he had spent the previous year or two).
I am certain that hair dye containing lead on/or silver would have affected the whole of the emerged hair (ie there would be a step in the MS lead trace). Lead chemically bonds very strongly in the outer layer of hair, and would not wash out under normal conditions. Silver probably does the same. So, the spikes can not be down to hair dye, and they can’t be down to blood levels. There is strong evidence in the MS data that SMs hair is carrying a lot of environmental dust.
Yes, there are a lot of educated guesses, but the tentaive conclusions suggest further avenues of inquiry, and suggest further tests.
Thanks Gordon. I have made a note of the discarded data, and I am certain that it will tell us a lot more about SM. I am eagerly awaiting the full MS data. I won’t elaborate at present, mainly because there are so many possible things that could come out of the MS data and it would take reams of cyber paper, and many hours of typing to even begin to explain.
The Somerton man’s grave…. Re-The Elephant and Castle.
Some things make perfect sense (re- page 85 ‘The Unknown Man’).
“Apart from the many local residents, workers and businessmen coming to the hotel, it was also the local ‘watering hole’ for workers and visitors to the West Tce. Cemetery opposite the hotel. These patrons included cemetery staff, funeral directors, police, pathologists and suppliers of headstones.”
Surely these are also the people most likely to know what can go wrong in a cemetery after dark; and why some things might seem ‘out of place’ the next day. They’ve insight to ‘after death’ matters not normally part of polite discussion, particularly in those times. The hotel offers them a place to gather and vent. For hotel licensee Leo Kenny, the cemetery was a source of income and within waking distance for the bereaved. So lots of talk & no T.V..
If he lived on the premises, (and normally required) the vantage position from the balcony would also allow him to observe any after hours activity at the cemetery across the road. The streets could not have been that busy with cars in the late 40’s, so one might get to know the regular late night visitors, and mention it to the local Policeman over a drink. The fact that Mr. Kenny is asked to stand in as a pallbearer has significance I think. The concrete slab poured soon after is also unusual and significant. The ‘press’ are also invited.
It may have been a case where everyone knows, but can not say, because their incomes were dependent on their co-operation and silence, and Police nor the papers had any authority over the academics (Freemasons & those with power and connections). Thus all are forced to pay a blind eye, though morally troubled by what they knew.
As an unidentified and unclaimed cadaver SM may have become the exception, because others stepped up to change his outcome. Usually who ever has ‘authority’ over the grave owns the body. For a pauper, the homeless and unclaimed, the orphan, prisoner etc. the State becomes the parent, the spouse, the family of the deceased, and they can do as they please.
I find it hard to accept that Australia was the only country in the World that settled for a copy of ‘Greys Anatomy’ , and relied on cadaver donations to train it’s medical students.
In South Australia, the ‘City of Churches’ it’s even less likely any would bequest their body to science, or hand over their child for dissection, even if it served a good course. Not back then anyway.
I’m not seeking to blame.
Doctors do have to learn some how…. and that hotel was very aptly named for such a mission.
Should Derek Abbott turned the tables and raised the issue of these past unsavoury practises and exploitation, the added publicity and pressure might serve his course better.
I think we all need to see what’s in the box, so we can lift the lid on a bit more.
Byron, There is a question in the interim and it may be a silly one but I really don’t have an understanding of your field. Could the scissors have cut through platinum foil?
Gordon, yes, scissors will cut platinum foil quite easily. I have previously cut platinum foil with scissors and I have just confirmed this again with a piece of foil from my prospecting kit.
BD: the way I see it now, is that Mr. Cowan may have had a real problem identifying the black powder that was shaken from the brush – sounds like it could have come from a dozen different tasks, all mixed together on an unclean brush.
Could the black powder be dried boot polish ?
Pete, I agree, but I think Mr Cowan could still have done a much better job. He could have got the University to run an X-ray diffraction scan on the powder. I checked previously and the Uni did have XRD equipment. XRD is quite good for identifying mixed mineral powders. And, XRD was invented by the Adelaidians Professor Sir William Bragg and his son.
Elban: Dechenne Muscular Dystrophy is an interesting thought. I hadn’t realised my ignorance until having a read. I didn’t know there were such variations. Looks like Dechenne victims have a reduced life span though and this would exclude SM; however the ‘Oculopharyngeal’ variation doesn’t present until one’s in their 40’s to 50’s.
It weakens eyelids, throat / swallowing mechanism and facial muscles. Such things might be difficult to detect once dead and via autopsy. Oculopharyngeal complications could have been an underlying undiagnosed condition that SM succumbed to either elsewhere, or as he lay on the beach. Smoking cigarettes wouldn’t have helped.
The calves and feet are a different matter, but may be part of a genetic off shoot that he adapted to. Some odd traits are inherited and just bad luck, like short legs, big bum or bad / ugly feet. The calves overdevelop to compensate his buckled toes.
It is possible to have 2 afflictions at the same time, but SM’s examination deemed him to be fit (though dead), muscular for age and there’s a presumption of strength, rather than muscular weakness.
Where SM was found was near to the Cripple Children’s Home and it might be where you’d have to go to see a ‘specialist’ for any muscle problems or weakness or even for a podiatrist for buckled toes and bad feet.
It might offer another reason for his travelling to Glenelg.
Elban; Now you’ve got me thinking that his upper strength and unusually broad shoulders and narrow waist might be attributed to wheelchair use. Could have they made an assumption about those enlarged calves. Do we know if they examined the calves for actual muscle, or did the mortuary attendants, Lawson or ‘whoever’, jump to conclusions re-occupation, due to what they ‘didn’t’ know about the deceased.
It’s what everyone else has been doing ever since, so it’s not a criticism, it just that nothing much about SM has been resolved.
Lots of maybes once again…Maybe the equipment is part of a prospector’s kit.
I suppose that the “stencil brush” could be a “bedrock brush”. The knife could be fashioned to be a pick, pry bar, digging knife. The screwdriver could be used as a “coin probe” or crevice tool. The loupe would suddenly have some meaning.
I’m not sure about the scissors. On Pete’s list, it says that they’re broken but you can’t really tell from the pictures we have. Where does it say that they were broken? Does it describe how? Perhaps, they were modified as well?
Regarding the “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy” and various other ailments to explain the calves. It could (maybe again) be simpler. Look up “Toe Walking” on wikipedia. (I can’t link it.) You will find this:
“Well known toe walker ‘Guy Martin’ has this to say on the woes of walking on ones toes; “Often I feel like it is a blessing in disguise to walk on ones toes; whilst I have vastly overdeveloped calf muscles aka “‘Dem Calfs”; I often feel the burning of eyes whilst I tip toe down the street like a T-Rex. Whilst I can perform the perfect ballerina pirouette; the soles of my shoes become prematurely worn out causing me to replace my shoes every two weeks.” “
Byron, Thanks for that just one of those little things that needed to be crossed off. On another question of left or right handed and as we have discussed elsewhere, when you look closely at SMs fingerprints you should see wear marks on the right thumb, forefinger and middle finger. This is not the case for his left prints. It suggests that he was right handed and quite possibly those marks were caused by his using a tool of some kind which he held between the thumb, forefinger and middle finger.
There are a few things that come to mind amongst which which is hand engraving/carving. Printers also used similar tools when setting up and preparing a letterpress and even improving fonts. Interestingly the fonts used to create the ‘TAMAM SHUD’ were made of lead. Another question, would working in a printing environment, in which a great deal of lead was present, have contributed to the spiking described in the Mass Spectrometry report?
Another question is, is there anyway that the knife, scissors and brush could have been used by a prospector as part of the process or tasks that they would undertake?
Misca, that is a most unusual and interesting explanation for SMs calves and wedge toes not to mention new shoes. Good thinking and digging went into that 🙂
Professional Ballet dancers have some of the ugliest toes and feet one could possibly lay their eyes on . Bunions , blisters and crooked toes.
The answer lies with Jessie Ellen Harkness. There are trails there. Her life must be dissected. That is where we will find the truth. Once her early life is exposed we will see pointers to Somerton Man. All these hypotheses are going nowhere as there is nothing to measure them against.
I have reviewed the list of items in the suitcase and it would seem that there were two pairs of scissors. The pair in the sheath and a second pair that was broken. Has anyone ever seen a picture of the second pair???
Gordon – I happen to know a habitual toe walker. His calves are very developed. He also has learned not to walk on his toes when out and about but reverts to the habit when relaxed and his own environment.
Also – Regarding Michaelson…Someone on another website found the records for a gentleman by the name of Ernest Frank Granskog. Look him up on the NAA and you will be amazed! It’s likely that Michaelson used both identities. Strange but true. I have been unable to track Michaelson but Granskog is traceable. He lived well beyond 1948. He was a shearer and a miner and wouldn’t you know it, he travelled quite a bit.
IndeedIndeed – Perhaps he was a ballet dancer who was also a toe walker with a shortened achilles tendon.
B Deveson – When I read his testimony, I couldn’t believe that Cowan was unable to determine what the substance on the brush was and…I still don’t believe it.
Gordon, a good observation about the fingerprint wear! Yes, it does look like SM was right handed and used some tool in his right hand as you describe. Off the top of my head the only metal containing lead that is commonly engraved is pewter, which was (in the 1940s) largely composed of tin with small and varying amounts of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead, and occasionally some silver (usually as plating). So, if the MS data show spikes in these metals at the same time as the lead spikes, then this would strongly suggest that SM engraved pewter. But, I doubt that there is enough lead in pewter to give the very high lead exposure that is indicated by the MS lead results. And engraving does not seem to produce much fine dust that could be inhaled.
Type metal consists of lead alloyed with smaller amounts of antimony and tin. The percentage of antimony and tin vary with the use of the type metal and the MS data could indicate which particular sort of printing press was involved.
Lead bullets contain some tin and some antimony, but I can’t see how anyone could ingest enough lead from bullets to give the high blood levels seen in SM.
I can find no reports of lead poisoning in engravers or type setters. It would pay to investigate the causes of lead poisoning as this will eliminate many occupations and hobbies where lead is used. Coupled with the MS data for the other elements, I think that we might well be lucky, and only a single occupation will be indicated. Off the top of my head, the only cases of occupational lead poisoning in Australia in the 1940s were associated with mining at Broken Hill, and refining at Port Pirie.
From my experience the brush would be part of a 1940s prospectors kit, and the knife and scissors are the sorts of tools that you would use in a bush prospecting camp. The cut down knife looks to me like it could have been a skinning knife, and in a bush camp in the 1940s, as you would be aware, it was common to shoot kangaroos for meat. And the kangaroo skins could provide a source of income as well.
I should mention that the MS results are very preliminary and Prof. Abbott has indicated that he is working on a finished report. In my experience the following observation concerning computers also applies to instrumental methods of analysis such as mass spectrometers. “A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other human invention in history…with the possible exception of handguns and tequila.”
I think I have found that SM type ears (high cymba to cavum ratio) and high insertion calves are genetically associated. If this is so, then the assumption that the statistical probabilities can be multiplied does not hold (ie. Because the probabilities are not statistically independent). Contrary to expectations, it seems that high insertion calves generally do not bulk up with exercise. Check out Google and see how body builders with high insertion calves complain that no exercises help in bulking up their calves. In fact, these body builders now resort to calf implants (check Google).
In my study of photos of ears on the internet I noticed that sprinters tend to have both SM type ears, and high insertion calves. The first twenty or so photos of sub 10 second sprinters that I was able to find that showed the cymba and cavum showed that all the sprinters did have a much higher cymba/cavum ratio than normal. It isn’t much, but it is something new, and we need new information from whatever source if we are going to identify SM.
I am not saying that SM was a sprinter, only that he had the genetic capacity to be one. I think there is a good chance that we will find that SM was a sprinter at school, and/or his parents, siblings or cousins might also have been good at sprinting. Of course there is still the possibility that SM never used his genetic inheritance, or the records may not have survived.
Putting it another way, if we have a possible candidate for SM and we discover that this candidate was the school champion sprinter, or if his relatives were good at games involving running, then this must increase the likelihood that the identification is correct. I still haven’t got around to checking if Jessie’s brother was indeed a champion Australian Rules footballer.
Misca: That’s a great ‘visual’ of T-Rex toe walking and very generous ‘sharing’ from Guy Martin.
So it’s out with visions of SM tottering around Glenelg in high heel and drag then, replaced by SM T-Rex-ing it up Glenelg boulevard. You’d hope that he’d have been noticed if that were the case. If, as suggested he’s come off a train, gone off for a bit (shower and shave), checked in his suitcase, jumped on a bus to Glenelg…his toe walking T-Rex style should have brought some attention and he’d have been remembered by someone you’d think.
Ina Harvey spoke up about a chap over 30 year after the event. She thought it might have been SM rooming at the Strathmore Hotel, but she noted nothing odd about his gait / walk. Instead she remembered him as having “an air of distinction about him”. We don’t know that it was SM of course, we only know that his lack of luggage raised her suspicions… so she had a male employee go through his stuff, and he looks inside the small the black bag.
That’s what I find most disturbing. That hotel staff take liberty to go through you stuff while you’re out.
But maybe it’s why she kept quiet for so long.
Other peoples judgements.
It doesn’t hurt to open up discussion into other possibilities.
Perhaps my not having a toggle or a sausage means I don’t need SM to be a ‘James Bond’…a ‘Spy who came in from the cold’ or a ‘Raider of lost arcs’ type. He can just be someone ordinary for me and I’d still like him, and if he were an invalid it wouldn’t make him any less worthy (in-valid). Sometimes parents and carers die, or their health and compassion just wears out. Or maybe the money left for his care ran out, or they reneged on a promise, took his inheritance and left him on the beach near to “Cripple Children’s Home” because they were very thoughtless and stupid…but as long as SM was no longer their problem, their conscience could cope. Someone like that might not step forward to claim him later, because they’ve something to hide. Again, it’s the judgements of others.
IndeedIndeed: If they’re so nimble on stage with those ragged toes, and feet all bunioned and blistered, how is their gait once off stage and in regular shoes. Ballet dancers, dancers in general hold themselves very well I thought, strait backs etc. I don’t think they toe walk in their “off stage” life or that such a condition would become a signal to seek out a ballet career. It’s not like having a deficit in height and becoming a jockey.
SM may have simply ‘worked out’. There was a push for physical fitness back in the 1940’s. In the same large biscuit tin that held the Reynolds I.D. was “The 1941 Keep Fit Book”. It’s still in near perfect condition and contains references to Y.M.C.A.. I’ve kept everything as evidence.
I don’t recall reading that SM had damaged feet (blisters and bunions).
Misca, Yes correct on Gransgog, I did a fair bit of work on him and have an image. Of interest was his time in hospital. I still have to put some more images on the blog and will include Gransgog’s. Michaelson does not have the same apperance as Gransgog in my view but I can put a comparison set on the blog over the weekend. Michaelson is a real candidate because of his physical appearance and apparent age. SM did have a mark/mole above his upper lip whereas on Michaelsons papers it refers to a scar in that position.
Agreed two pairs of scissors and one was broken, In the first instance I thought that the circular/ring object was part of the broken scissors but have been unable to trace any scissors with the twisted black cord attached nor what appears to be ‘grips’ inside the circular part. The only thing that got close was a loupe.
Byron, I found a blog with a good discussion on the issue of lead poisoning and the printing trade. Reading through it there was quite a case for it having occurred prior to the turn of the 20th Century but interestingly it went on to discuss the habit of some printers to remelt lead type and if that type had been stored in damp conditions then lead oxides would result on heating, here’s the link and I would be interested ion your thoughts on this:
http://www.briarpress.org/14115
I have a friend from school days who sill runs a printing business, he informed me that the type that formed TAMAM SHUD’ was lead and very probably from a letterpress machine. He had the same view on the damp storage issue.
It seems to me that there were many clandestine letterpress machines in operation all round Australia at the relevant time with hurriedly prepared and often moved equipment and type/tools etc. An environment where the best care would not have been applied, it would be reasonable to assume that when someone so engaged became ill from lead poisoning their occupation may not have been stated. Can’t help but think of Wally Clayton and his CPA Clandestine Printing operations.
It is also quite possible that many cases of poisoning of different types went unreported especially where the symptoms were complained of over a period of time. A very useful programme on ABC last night on just that subject dealing with the case of Yvonne Gladys Fletcher and the Thaliul poisoning of two husbands. Oscar W once wrote about something similar ‘ …one is conceivable two is nothing short of carelesness’ Have a feeling that was Lady Windermere’s Fan? I digress!
On the engraving or etching aspect, zinc or copper was sometimes used in the printing process, two major options were Intaglio (sunken or grooved) and Relief which was the exact opposite. The gelatin silver aspect was part of that process I believe?
Agree on Broken Hill and Port Pirie. In fact the latter was my first thought as a likely place where SM may have spent some time. My reason being it’s relatively close proximity to Woomera, the processing of uranium ore even before the large plant was introduced around 1951, I think that tin was also processed there but not certain on that. Adelaide Steamship Company ran a regular sea service from Port Pirie to Adelaide, I have not done any research on timetables during the relevant period. I do know that on the 30th November 1948 the Broken Hill train arrived at Adelaide Station just after 8 a.m.
A good discussion Byron, happy to share anything I find that relates to this, one of us might just be right 🙂
xlamb: there is always the Tamam Shud, that’s what makes it a mystery
I had a 3rd year forensic student run a test on sm finger prints and granskogs/ . And he found some similarities . Worth a professional checking it out.
Aubrey Cecil Moulder still worth further investigation also.
It may be fun for you Pete, but my experience has been quite different to yours. I get menacing phone calls and text messages with much the same language as I cop here. I’ve had James Carl Thomson come right into our family for 6 months claiming to be our 1/2 brother and producing D.N.A. tests to confirm it. I have a photo from 1963 where I’m with my family and standing next to a chap that looks just like Robin Thomson (now with Police). These are some of the mysteries I’m having to deal with right now and I’d like a ‘Tamam Shud’ end / finish to this whole saga.
James Carl Thomson is real person. He is a professional ice skating trainer and an accomplished I .T consultant. This is assuming we are taking about the same guy? Chizzled , striking jaw bones . Strapping calf muscles ? We both grew up together in Adelaide early on in the piece. And then later we moved to Act for our studies.
Robin was over seas dancing at around that time Xlamb. How do u know what date that pic was taken in that you suggest robin was in ?
Sorry about me premunxiatuon xlamb. I’m on the vino tonight 🙂
xlamb – WHAT the hell? What are you going on about now? Thomson is your half brother? You are now related to Jestyn? Was Somerton Man killed by your daddy before he killed the Beaumonts? Why haven’t you been arrested for criminal defamation yet? None of this is true.
Nothing very strapping about this James Carl Thomson. He first came to me as Carl McMahon (29/10/12) stating “You know my father”, and he began rolling out a story about his childhood, then once he gained my trust, he made an admittion to being Quentin’s Thomsons’ Grandson (Prosper’s brothers grandson). He said Caroline Thomson b. 3/12/48, d. 1988 was his Mother (she’s Quentin’s daughter) and that Jestyn was his great Aunt and Prosper his Great Uncle. He knew all about the Thomson family and Jestyns’. He told me a whole lot obviously and sent me information. Said he taken out of Australia and was raise in England from age 6. He returned as an adult.
I can tell you this guy knows his way round computers, so a possible match. He did love to show off his calf muscles. Could have been implants for all I know.
When I look at what some people say I can tell whether it matches what I have or it’s b/s. Well… let’s just say someone’s not being entirely honest or they like to play games with other folks lives. Some like to cause confusion by way of these sites. Others enjoy being cruel.
The photo was originally a slide and has the processors date stamped on it Jan. or Feb. 1963. I’ll have to check the month again. I know my own age obviously and my older brother’s pictured with me. We both remember the photo being taken by my father. My Mother and older sister are also in the photo. We’re standing on a Jetty.
My Mother was dead by 30/12/66 said to be natural causes age 34, and my sister was found hanging in her backyard Aug. / 09, so I’m unable ask them for help in identifying the young man standing next to me. There’s another chap we can name in the photo but we haven’t seen him since the late 60’s/early 70’s, but he attended Adelaide Poultney Grammar back then. Police have been sent the photo.
Jessie…You’re the one that keeps going off topic and on and on about other matters, so wouldn’t it be you that’s doing the defamation here.
Whether James has been truthful or not, he wouldn’t have a drop of Jestyn’s blood in him if he were a Thomson. Neither would I.
Perhaps you need to have a little think about that Jessie.
Police did a check on James and couldn’t find him or a link.
They have the D.N.A. test that James supplied for himself and our father as proof of the father/son match.
Police don’t like being messed around though.
James also helped us with a few things which we appreciate, but if he used our brothers D.N.A. to fake a match to our father, it was a terrible thing to do. It’s a crime.
Nick has been sent the Jetty photo along with comparison photos of Robin, but we don’t have a photo of Robin at that same age (at 16/17). We’d like confirmation of who the unidentified chap is either way, in order to bring some sense and closure to this saga for ourselves.
We need to find the lad in the photo whoever he is.
If our father knew the Thomson family, it might explain how he came to have the I.D. photo that matches the deceased.
It should be pretty obvious to everyone why myself and siblings haven’t been arrested or charged with defamation.
Maybe you need to have a ‘big’ think on that Jessie. But if you’re still confused, why not ask Police at Adelaide Major Crime yourself.
IndeedIndeed, the penny drops.. 🙂
Your own sister has written in a blog that Major Crime won’t talk to you any more. Did you ever think the reason people harass you is because of the rubbish you spout, not the fact that you are unearthing a conspiracy? Why don’t you just tell us who all these chaps and lads are instead of being all secretive with your half-comments and trying to make us beg you for info. I know – because you don’t have any!
I’m interested about your photograph Xlamb. Your father denied knowing p and j personally when I asked him on the telephone a year ago. Robin would have been roughly 15 years of age in the photo that your describing . So it’s possible. I’m not discounting it. I would love to see it.
Robin did indeed attend Pultney grammar school if that helps.
Xlamb. : James also lied to our family. Doing a Similar scam to us. This is going back a year or two. I spoke with you once on the telephone when I was at a sushi bar with James. At that time he was saying he was robins son.
But on the upside apart from him hurting and annoying my mothers feelings. Appart from all the lies. He actually like u mentioned ” helped” in a few other ways. Great researcher . Found out info for me that has helped immensely with my quest for family research. Not a bad person. Not in contact with him
Anymore but I’m
Sure like you he left a big impression on me. So stuff you and thank you at the same time if your reading this James. Miss u in a funny way. 🙂
At the end of the day. James helped me more than anything else .And im sure it’s the same with you Xtreme lamb. So let’s be thankful and raise a glass to him.
James : make contact with me. I think it’s a golden Sunset.
In amongst all of this disinformation, fed to us by people who are intent on creating havoc, did anyone think to ask how ‘James Thomson’, who is obviously young, could be the child of someone from one or two generations earlier than the current one? What a load of crud! Brother, grandson, nephew, professional skater, married with child, gay man with lover, student colleague? What next, that is all I can say. Indeed, indeed, James Thomson often forgets his own name, and has gender issues as well, coming across as a young married woman, a sexy Russian girl on offer, and a youngish man with well-developed but possibly implanted calves. Ho Hum.
I think I read some place online that James Thomson was hired by Kerry Greenwood to gather information for her book she wrote.
I don’t think there are any of Jestyns family on here. I believe they are all trolls.
Is all of this a smoke screen ? Why are you troll cronies so bent on messing with our minds and time. This is not a game.
Nick, I can’t remember now if I ever mentioned to you, on your blog, that one of the scientists who were visiting Australia, with the purpose of purchasing some uranium from Australian sources, disappeared. The scientists were developing the bomb which was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. I’m thinking that the only extant source of info would be the folks at University of Chicago. Those people are still tracking the health status of several hundred people, here in the US, who were exposed to Co60 as part of the development of radiological therapy.
The other lad in the photo was known to us as Trevor Gooch and my brother says that his father, Bob Gooch, was the caretaker at the Freemasons Hall at (or near0 Belair.
I agree with you end of days. It’s hog wash.
Any chance we can see the picture xlamb ? Thank you.
Jessie: Why don’t you just stick a sock in it and go and massage your ego on someone else.
Please leave me alone!
My youngest sister is 18 + years younger than myself and my brother. She has a different Mother and was born into my fathers’ 2nd. family. Myself and siblings no longer lived in the family home during the time that she grew up there. Her experience and what she witnessed is quite independent to ours due to our separate time frames. You keep harping the same tune. Why would anyone want to respond to someone so ill mannered.
Earlier this year Major Crime engaged an extra 14 investigating officers to examine past unsolved cases, many involving missing children / presumed dead. Perhaps there’s been a change in attitude. Think about it.
Read the papers and watch T.V. if you want information.
You can think what you like of me. I don’t value your opinion and I won’t be discussing those particular matters currently under investigation.
These sites relate to the Somerton Man and that’s quite enough to sort through. Stop trying to ruin it for everyone.
Ruth, I’m not talking about the sister who hates you. I’m talking about the sister who likes you. She complains that Major Crime ignores both she and yourself.
Nothing which you say happened. Your poor, innocent father is actually a lovely man and I know him personally. He cannot understand where he went wrong with you. Must be from your lunatic mother who killed herself in the Christmas of 66.
Endofdayz…IndeedIndeed did say something that only he, James and I would know. He admitted speaking to me on the telephone once. On that day James handed the phone to his cousin Joel. It’s what I was told but I have no way of knowing whether that was true. When someone is found out to be a liar, you tend to disbelieve everything about them, and only see the deceit.
‘What the’…To clarify a few things, James was aged early 30’s / b. 1982.
He told me that, to begin, he genuinely thought that he was SM’s Grandson, but again it’s hard for me to know what to believe now. He did have large calf muscles that I wouldn’t have noticed had he not kept pointing them out to me. There were many things that didn’t make sense.
I forgot about the Russian lady. Maybe I need to go over the H.C. Reynolds site again but I find it very distressing. I have seen these guys bragging about how they tricked me though. Screwing with other peoples lives and emotions is just one big laugh to them.
From the outset, I made it clear to James that I had absolutely no interest in Jestyn or the Thomson family.
I didn’t know any of them to begin with, and I don’t really care who bonked who back in the 1940’s. It’s non of my business. I merely came forward due to the strange stories and puzzles my father told me as a child and that lead to my rediscovering an I.D. card with a photo that matched the deceased. There were more important matters I had to deal with than SM.
I can only think now, that the I.D. business must have bothered the Thomson family.
As I said earlier, I emailed the photo to Nick maybe a week ago.
If I can explain. Years before I rediscovered the I.D. card my brother and I were always aware of the Jetty photo and this lad we didn’t know, but the photo was put aside and forgotten about. It was only early this year that I was putting some other photos back into an album and it caught my attention once again.
I remembered a few things my father had said to the lad on the Jetty before and during his taking the photograph, and that made me query a connection to Robin and SM.
On closer examination I saw that the lads ear was similar to SM’s plaster cast. I tried to find a picture of Robin on the Internet, but I could only find one of him in stage make up. Then I came across a site that said it had a photo, but I couldn’t check it without first joining the site . Once I told others why I’d joined they asked for me to put the photo up. One of the other contributors helped with comparative photos from the 60 minutes program. Most seem to be very kind and helpful people. If you want to see the photo you’ll have to join that site as well though. If you Google Robin Thomson Jetty Photo I guess the site will come up. Pete’s probably already found it.
I’d hope people are respectful on this other site.
They don’t tolerate trolls.
I emailed the photo to Derek Abbott months ago and received an “it’s not him” response.
Police now have it on file.
The lad in the jetty photo is not Robin and the HC Reynolds chap is not the Somerton Man. Once we establish this, any further ridiculous contributions by xlamb to this website can safely be ignored. False memory syndrome is one thing but this is fantasy, pure and simple.
Also, how great is the Scotland result? Alex Salmond is vile, boggle eyed creep.
Jestyns family isn’t bothered by the HC Reynolds ID xlamb.
And I would say that Derek has become quite the robin expert , so if he says the photo isn’t him. I would tend to believe him.
Thirdly I think robin was In UK at the time of your pic being taken.
I do believe your Reynolds ID is michaelson/ granskogs photo though.
Xlamb : the Reynolds ID looks like it is faked because of the signature on the back of the photo appears to have been signed after it had been glued on to the card. Also the glue doesn’t match 1940s
I’m not saying you produced this ID either. I think Reynolds was sheep dipped.
xlamb. I don’t think James and Joel are related to JEstyn. A friend told me that Rachel who is robins daughter conspired with Derek and had these guys running around Australia pretending to be members of the family. Befriending targets to acquire vital information.
Jessie: Well that’s very quick for your Websleuths membership to be organised considering it’s the weekend. They’ll pick up a fake address and block you and they’re strict on abuse towards other contributors.
False memory syndrome!! How’s that possible?
I wasn’t even alive in 1948.
Jessica had a close relative who married a jewish fellow (an engineer) from Baden, Germany.
You’re right, Ruth, it isn’t false memory syndrome, it’s fantasy land.
By the way, putting a copy of something in the post to Major Crime doesn’t make it a major crime. It just gets filed in the I-don’t-give-a-sh!t bin, in case you were wondering. So since I have it in very good authority that you are regarded as a complete crank whose only purpose in life seems to be to upset the Beaumonts and Thomsons, and you are regarded on this and all other sites as a fool, why not clear off? Kthxbye.
Misca : you have a last name for this German fella? Cheers
Debs: Why would Prof. Derek Abbott risk his professional standing and his job at the University. If he was, as you say, stalking innocent members of the Public and instructing others to lie and commit fraud, he’d be sacked. You say he conspired to do this with Rachel Egan, but she wouldn’t need to stalk her own family members.
If she wanted to know some thing, she could ask them herself. What vital information! We’re still waiting!
You are making very serious accusation about these two people. If done in an effort to distract attention away from your own bad actions, you only make matters worse for yourselves. I will put what you accuse to D.A..
You continually spell Jestyn differently to everyone else (JEStyn) and it’s so transparent. It makes no difference how many ‘on-line’ names you invent.
Derek Abbott previously appeared on Television telling the reporter and viewers that he’d been menaced and he had received threats.
A number of times since then, you chaps have blurted …. “Stay away from Jestyn”. If it turns out to be the same threat as the call received by Prof. Abbott… then you’ve been busted. To terrorise someone, then brag on line. What sort of person does that?
Stay away from JEStyn!!!!!
I’m not the threatening type Xlamb.And I also fail to see how “stay away from JEstyn ” sounds like a threat from whoever said it. I spell JEstyn like that with the big J and big E because. That’s the way it was written in alfs book.
I can’t take u seriously though xlamb. U failed to keep my attention with your stories soon after I read your crappy satanic murder code theories. Get a grip home girl.
Your a troll x lamb. I think your a member of Jessie’s family yes ?
This is all very counterproductive
Daddy said not to talk about things like that.
So your the one who is standing between the exhumation xlamb???? Why. We want answers. As do the unknown mans family I’m
Sure. And you possibly might be related to him , why do this ? Give the man a name and let his family put him to rest.
Chaps
Apparently she is Prosper’s great niece! Her daddy killed the Somerton Man and the Beaumonts whom he dismembered in the bath after painting them up like carnival dolls. Also he molested the whole family and killed the mummy. Amazingly, the cops won’t move in and arrest him………..
Xlamb’s daddy also allegedly took the sister to Kuitpo Forest where, in the company with the Chief Justice, Premier, Governor, Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth he butchered and BBQ-d the succulent corpses of 666 children and fed them to the United Grand Lodge of Freemasons whilst wearing a pink tutu and playing a game of Igo on the back of a pack of Kensitas.
We at the Grand Lodge are furious to hear some of the accusations that are being thrown around in here. If you continue defame the Freemasons Ruth M, we will be forced to act accordingly.
Just dig him up
It was Professor Plum in the kitchen with the candle stick.
Not freemasons…more like the freemason wanna bee’s. These were the overlooked and uninvited. Those excluded because they had the wrong pedigree or just didn’t have a Father, Uncle etc. to lead them in. Half the population are women and they were excluded. Some people really like the idea of belonging to a respected group, and freemasons back then offered opportunities to network with other men, opened up further education, promoted mentoring and a chance at being referred on to a good job (the master and the apprentice set up).
Strong male leadership had been decimated by end WW2. There were many sons (and daughters) without Fathers, and others that did survive and return, were a bit messed up. It’s a view my father often expressed as justification.
SM may have offered something for the opportunist and a ‘copy cat’ recreation with a bit of hocus pocus thrown in.
Every ‘group’ has it’s beginning somewhere, and the groups founder has the toughest job of all…and that is ‘to sell it’ and build loyalty and membership.
Young people, those disenchanted with life or their ‘last group’ make great new members.
There’s often a secret that binds them together. The groups my father belonged to in the latter 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were called Golden Dawn and the other was the Rosicross (Rosicrucian).
My paternal Grandfather Joseph Wright b. 1857 d. 1940 was a prominent Freemason, as was his father.
After his move to Adelaide he became Grand President of this Lodge.
It upset my father that the natural succession into freemasonry was denied to him as his Mother being female, broke the usual father / son right of inclusion.
I think that my father was ‘used’ by others to begin and for this he has my sympathy. He’d always wanted to be a famous surgeon he said, but due to the War and the depression, childhood illness and his disrupted and limited education and his fathers long absence at war, he felt he’d been denied the right to follow his chosen occupation and his destiny…and now he had a family to support.
I heard him lament his life grievances often as a child.
He’d managed to secure an arrangement where he helped the assistant to the teaching surgeon at the hospital in exchange for ‘mentoring’. Thus he had his own canvas roll of surgical instruments and thread, and was taught and acquired various surgical skills and medical knowledge. One of my earliest memories was my father putting together sections of human skeleton for medical students. They needed them in order to learn he said, and they’d given him the instructions on paper. He used fishing line to tie the parts together and he did a good job. He explained that using fishing line allowed him to gage the weight e.g. 10 lb. line etc.. The nylon line was more durable and not prone to attack from insects and wouldn’t break down like other fibres. He was proud to tell me about what he did and how he helped others… that what he did for the students was ‘a good thing’ and that doctors had to learn someway.
My father also handled cadavers. He always had help from others. The cadavers that I saw back then were mostly men in black suits. I’d hear the men talk during and afterward. Sometimes the suit would go to someone if it was good quality, rather than be wasted.
My father was never given the necessary papers in order he could practice as a doctor / surgeon though, and I don’t think anyone ever intended to help him achieve his dream.
In the end I think he was simply used and he came to realise this himself. I remember he cried sometimes over his disappointment, and his ‘being used’. This happened a decade after SM though. I wasn’t born till 1955. Things just evolved after that and these are some of the things I was witness to. Some of my siblings are also witnesses.
Some commenters here want to make mockery of the dead and the abuse of children.
It’s hardly worth my trouble trying to explain anything really.
Correction…Joseph Wright, was my Great-grandfather on my fathers’ Mothers’ side.
use me Xlamb, tell your whole story there, your words, you have them.
I can manage the comments.
Thanks Pete…I’m already there!
we kick arse …
Xlamb & Pete:
Thank you for trying to tone down the flurry of crazy comments. The dead man could have been anyone’s relative. Because he was dead — is no good reason for various contributors to this discussion to become ‘snotty’ in their commentary. The dead may be dead, but most do have surviving relatives and/or friends.
PS: I won’t be discussing my own experiences with missing and dead relatives.
bd
Well said bdid1dr..
So, what happened to the plaster cast? Were any castings made from the cast? If so, where would the castings be stored?
Thank you Gordon!
bdid1dr, when you look through the notes they include reference to materials used only for reusable molds, Lawson makes no comment at all about the mold being destroyed, far from it he mentions a meeting with the Director to discuss duplicate molds.
It is Professor Abbott who states that Lawson told him the mold had to be chipped away. The fact is that chipping away a mold into two pieces is what had to happen in order to free it up from the body of the man before being put back together and filled with the plaster mix. Finally the mold would have been split into 2 pieces to release the plaster bust.
To your point, I have no proof that duplicate molds were produced but they were mentioned and there was no mention of the original mold being destroyed. Ipso facto the original existed after the burial of SM as per the meeting with the Director and that mold could still exist somewhere within the Adelaide Museum. That being the case, one would wonder why no search has ever been made for it if to achieve nothing more than discounting this theory. A reasonable question would be why hasn’t that happened? Is it really because a very old gentleman says that the mold was chipped away ‘into pieces’ or did he say it was chipped away ‘in two pieces’?
Discussion at another place twixt Gordon and Sqotty of Office Works as to composition of a toe-tag found in the hole during the exhumation. Club Legend Sqotty opting for leather or pliable metal and the Senior Member Gordon preferring paper or cardboard like they used in the 60’s when he was in the job. Now they’re onto the tooth count card, with mediator and club Legend ZedX (Gordon Cramer in drag) on about hoping for an ID soon before we go nuts and, detractor Squawk who interjects speking of a metal name plate on the coffin lid…I’m wondering what the heck would be written or inscribed on the toe tag, surely not Jerry Somerton, the name he was given by Dr. Dwyer and mortuary staff; or possibly John Doe which is of American origin just like SM’s feather stitched jacket.
Capt. E.J. Webb SAO in his eulogy was quoted by Feltus p85 as saying “Yes, this man has someone to love him. He is known only to God”. Can we confirm that those were his precise words, I doubt it. I’ve seen where ‘only’ is omitted which, in light of present state of affairs, doesn’t rule out that whilst ‘he’ SM may have been unloved it doesn’t necessarily hold true that he was unknown. I’d say Captain namesake Em Webb chose his words very carefully.
Clive: and guess what? Peteb’s drop dead georgeous forensic anthropologist Xanthe Mallet was born in Bute…but not desolate bloody Bute Sth. Australia, she was a wee bairn from The Isle of bonnie Bute which be way over the arse end of Scotland somewheres..
JS: Strange but Xanthe was on the news tonight about the Mushroom Murders!
The mystery of the flowers was interesting. I wonder how long it went on
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/248979467?searchTerm=%22unknown%20man%22%2C%20somerton
Mr ernest Jessup’s solution to the code is worth discussing.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130268422?searchTerm=%22unknown%20man%22%2C%20somerton
He saw MLIABOAI as Mail boat. Anagram (Mail) and then not (Boai)?
Clive: Xanthe also shares a birthay with one of the Webb family in the photo by my own estimation but that’s neither here nor there because only Sharon seems to be in agreement on that score.
David Morgan: If you care to do some light pre Webb research, the flower layer has already been identified and on his own admission too. I’m happy to identify the villain should you need help, It’s just that I can’t recall his blessed name off hand but I do know his backround and it can’t be denied. So forget Jestyn and the grave digger chap both of whom have been offered up as suspects since release of the Gerry Feltus novel.
Mr Harvey carried on with the Jessup solution
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/246032173?searchTerm=%22mail%20boat%22
I don’t believe Harvey and Jessop were on the right track but you have to follow it through as they were ‘in the mindset’ of the time. They were thinking like crossword puzzle solvers.
The nearest match I found was 1930 Prof Goddard having radio broadcasts on 4QG with a mention of sterling. There was also a Sam Sterling boxer.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/21507619?searchTerm=%22goddard%22%2C%20%22sterling%22
I was hoping to find a further step from a newspaper reader.
@JS
It is not the name of the flower layer, it’s the purpose. They weren’t relatives presumably. Why did they keep doing it anonymously for the unknown man? If they wanted publicity they would have been caught laying the flowers. Also, a lot of time had elapsed since he was found on the beach – it wasn’t like it was a recent event.
David Morgan: find the flowerperson’s name and background then, “the purpose” of placement upon SM’s grave will become clear. I’m not going to spoil the fun by revealing more, knowing how much you enjoy the challenge of a good mystery.
@Js
For 5 and 1/2 months. Incredible
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74659309?searchTerm=%22flower%22%2C%20somerton%2C%20%22unknown%20man%22
@JS
Mrs C. Kent said she topped up the fresh flowers, So only 1/2 a solution.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212201060?searchTerm=%22flower%22%2C%20somerton%2C%20%22unknown%20man%22
@JS
“we’re not the only ones”
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130267747?searchTerm=%22c.%20kent%22%2C%20thebarton
DM…must have missed it last time but, seems that from 1949 to 1957 our regular SM flower person lived at western end of South Terrace opposite West Terrace cemetery; not too far from the co shared residence of SAO Capt. E. J. Webb (Em) and metal fitter Francis Keane. Small world what?
David Morgan: your links and more including one on the grave digger have been submitted for inclusion going back to the early days of CM and beyond. My candidate was one for the high brows to discuss at the club he being a politician, union leader and city newspaper editor in his day no less. I can imagine that the flowers he placed were selected with care from his own garden across the way.
For want of better knowledge I’ve now come to the conclusion that the vertical horizontal 90 degree lines encompassing the word ‘Jerbose’ &c. depicted quite clearly on Cleland’s notes, represent a name on the suitcase label beneath which are scrawled ‘Inits for port (suitcase)’. Anyone care to disagree?
@ John Sanders,
Unfortunately, what is below Jerdoze is not legible, E. Eltican is what I had read. Technically it could also be a name (initial and last name), but Eltican can also mean hand sewn in Turkish. But the first E. (initial gives the impression of name initial)
Google image search actually can read image of text for OCR (Optical Character Recognition). I ran that page, and it led to this, which I cleaned up a bit. Perhaps you can further clear it up or correct.
Vacancy mah.
Teeth.
Exact height.
Face Mask
Bory for abbie. (that’s what google read, Buy for office ????)
size of shoes and slippers.
Stain and blood on back of neck of
shirt (no stain on coat)
? from slab. (???)
Who undressed him?
Sandy hair brushed backwards,
no parting.
? Bral Care to dispfeaut i (????)
Ward Case (or cape?)
Was the suitcase locked? (I had read it as “label” but google read it as locked)
Jerdoze
(google could not read the rest) Can’t be sure of your “inits for port”
I doubt it was something that was suspected of being its owner’s name, otherwise Cleland or others would have flagged it big time. I still don’t know where on the suitcase he saw it (can you guess?) so suspected it must have been behind the leather handle.
@ Behrooz,
Where can I find these images? Thanks.
@ Pat, sorry, yes, this is where I had found them (you can just download them for future use) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yFWG-kelPmm4mzHIoE8Xn8vqGD0Uj5Vj/view?fbclid=IwAR2War_bw-JeK3Gp5QkUFehmd7juvcltiLHC_xO-On2M8jtvRnrsa3hB_0U
@ Poppins, yes, darker better, but still the only word I am sure is “for” on that line (as JS has it too). Yes, the other one I also now think it is locked, not label.
I recently learned that if you feed even a handwritten text to google image search, it will scan it as OCR to the extent it can read it. Helpful tool actually. So in google search box, click on image (for searching it), and upload the image, and it will you option to “translate” it, and actually may even translate from other languages (I recently tried from hindi for something else, and could actually translate some right off the image of it).
Behrooz: I see a reference to ‘? Back Check to dissappeared in Ward Case’. Also the PORT (lower case cursive) reads quite clearly in Cleland’s explanintary after note ‘inits for port’, (from portmanteau) a word for suitcase used in his day. I Advise respectfully that you put your flaming rose tinted glasses away and check again.
Behroot: my corrections include: vaccination mark = vacancy mah, ‘face mark’ = face mask, ?Back check to disappeared in Ward Case = ? Bral Care to dispfeaut i, inits for port = whatever might fit better (????) and Wait out on Google’s Bori for abbie etc., (????)
I’m pretty happy with my own translation on “Borry for abbie” it being ‘Bags for office’. Bags was common slang for attire in Australia even before Peteb’s time. My take being Cleland suggests that SM was more likely to be a refined fellow and an office worker than a commoner of the Steve Hurwart class…case closed for mine though I’m happy for others to disagree.
https://quickshare.samsungcloud.com/vzUYaDY3e4wz
Hope this helps @Pat.
@ Behrooz and Sharon
Thanks!
Below ‘Jerdoze’, I don’t think it’s an A after E. If you compare it to
his other As in the notes, they are different from this one. It could be Fl. Something like E. Florian.
His I in Identity also looks like the J in Jerdoze…
https://i.imgur.com/5L4SS8m.png
What most of you think it’s an A after E. below Jerdoze looks like his F.
https://i.imgur.com/YAoLZ9F.png
Could it be E. Fitzgerald abbreviated or written in a hurry? Coud he be looking into an Arabic word linked to the Rubaiyat or Omar Khayyam?
Maybe Ward Case is referring to the case belonging to a person who had been in a hospital/hospice/asylum instead of a police ‘case’; it could be a ‘ward case’ as in ‘suit case’, unless he’s reffering to the case JS has mentioned, but it happened in 1907 and bears no resemblance to the SM ‘case’ (double meaning).
Yep, and below is ‘Word for finish’…
‘Bank Clerk that disappeared in Ward Case’
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/171109381?searchTerm=bank%20clerk%20ward%20case
I think the word reads ” body” it looks the same as what’s written on top of the first page, ” report of body found at Somerton”
I’m curious at the amount of grass seeds in his clothing.
One in his singlet, pullover and on trousers from suitcase?
@Sharon Cochrane
Definitely ‘body’. But what is the other word? ‘Body for coffin’, ‘Body for attic’, ‘Body for Alfie’? LOL, did morgues had attics back then? Some in Arizona, US, still have! Any Alfred around?
Where have they put his body after the ‘face mask’ (if it’s not mark) had been done, i.e., the plaster cast? Fridge or coffin?
@Pat, brilliant …. Aubyn Kingsford, bank clerk disappeared January 28 1948. Good on ya, you’ve solved that piece of the puzzle. Bravo.
More on Ainsly St. Aubyn Kingsford, but I can’t find anything about missing teeth or Ward Case other than the safe deposit box ?
https://quickshare.samsungcloud.com/trv9fXJHvCaV
Pat: Yes I agree with Poppins, excellent find indeed. Latter day FB folks mightn’t be aware but Prof.Cleland had intended heading off to New Guinea himself, about the time of Aubyn Kingsford’s disappearance; I’m thinking half seriously that maybe he got eaten by Cleland’s Ubangi canibal mates?
@ Pat, @Poppins
I’m not sure if it’s the right Ward Case?
J.S. Garden forged a letter to Mr Ward who was the minister of external territories.
Mr Ainslie St. Aubyn Kinsford was the bank clerk who tendered the bank documents in court. He then went missing.
I wonder if the police focused too much on Jessica and not enough on Prosper?
I’ve found him using the same phone number advertising his car fir hire all through 1948, specialising in long distance trips, weddings, race meetings etc. I wonder if Carl had the phone number writing down to contact Prosper? I’m still leaning to a horse connection. The bus went right past the race track, horses were being raced there that day. The train didnt go close to the track. Could explain the grass seeds in his clothing? Reading ” The Unknown Man” last night apparently he had to pay to drop his suitcase into the luggage storage, new shoes, new suitcase and recent haircut, doesn’t seem he was too short on cash or planning to end his life?
I spend my day deciphering 5 year olds handwriting heres my attempt at the notes:
Completion of request on body found at Somerton.
Cause of death- remains suicide. All the circumstances point to suicide. D.Dwyers letter of May 31 with quotations from Bradford’s on ” poisons” state that in some cases certain barbiturates or alkaloids may not be detected in the body though it is known that they have been taken.
The failure to detect would be most likely to occur in cases where approximately the minimum lethal dose had been taken. As this man seems to have taken unusual precautions to hide his identity it seems not unlikely that he may have taken something unusual as to unlikely to be detected.Sir Stanton Hicks has suggested strophanthus/ strophanthin or digitalis should show evidence of death for asphyxia.
A hypodermic ……. especially in an unusual situation could be easily overlooked.
A just fatal dose of …… the …….having been thrown away would meet the case, but then we would expect death within almost 4 hours.
The quality of paper and the font type of the words ” Tamam Shud ” appearing at the end of certain …….. of Omar Khayyam suggest that this slip of paper was torn from a copy, if the mutilated copy can be traced the identity of the man, or at least where he has recently been, may be revealed. A widows appeal might lead …….. discovery. The finding of this paper , torn from such a …….. cupped with the care bestowed on his ……nails and the cleanliness……. of his belongings all suggest he was a man of some education. As such his suit was not completely tailor made ( I believe this is the case) he ……. did not belong to the criminal class.
……….
Pull over- grass seed attached. Tag cut off
Sock 1- heel well darned
Singlet- head of grass
Jockey pants………..
Shirt- large blood tinted stain on back of ……. rip in the side…….of a ………
Handkerchief- not quiet clean
Trousers- well worn 3 barley seeds in lower…. of…..and on the side.
Piece of paper with Tamam Shud in ……..rt trouser pocket- by fly
Tabacco rements in rt hip pocket
Nil in side ………
Button sewn on with yellowed thread
Coat ………lined……..flannel
Tabacco – pocket of coat.
Court
What was the exhibition 5 found on the body?
Could he eat without dental plate
Pupils
Blood marked……..
Stomach
Could…….be detected on f………of…….
Stomach contents sunbathing
That’s all I can get :
Prior to Pat’s own most intuitive deduction in re the Kingsford disappearance and connection to the Ward bank deposit box case, I intended to mention the case of Fred Wordsworth Ward who ‘bolted’ from a prison work gang and disappeared into thin air in 1863. ‘Thunderbolt’ the name bestowed upon the ex ‘currency lad’ Fred by newspapers of the day, remained at large until ambushed, shot and killed (?) by the Traps seven years later in 1870 at Kentucky Creek NSW. For many years thereafter scandal rags offered their readers riveting yarns about how Frank Ward folk hero did not die but survived, married his sweetheart and lived an otherwise uneventful life, offering no real proof thereof. Confusion lay in the known fact that a Fred Wordsworth Ward, a son by some accounts, was himself a well lone ranger who, like his namesake roamed far and wide throughout the same countryside in after years. Even as recently as 2010 there was a parliamentary Inquiry into Fred Ward’s demise that failed to substantiate anything put up for debate. Of course Professor John B. Cleland, a well schooled bushy, both in his brogue and at heart, would have been familiar with folk law surrounding t’other so called Ward Case.
For those unfamiliar with the term ‘currency lad’, refers to boys and lasses born of forced immigrant (freed convict) settlers in New South Wales and of which Captain Fred (not Frank) Ward was one. Just so’s youse all know and can appreciate, this be in no way intended to overide Pat’s more contemporary (1949) contribution to the Ward Case that earns her yet another coveted ‘Guild League’ achievement badge.
@ Johnno – it’s Gould League Lover of Birds badge & yes, Pat has definitely won one here! As for Captain Thunderbolt aka Fred Ward, one of my dearest friends is one of his descendants!
Beginning to think Cleveland’s notes are a cipher mystery in themself!
Berooz: glad to see that you’ve beat us all to the punch with your ‘Dwyer colour of eyes’ end game deduction, thus hopefully bringing a degree of finalisation to Cleland’s notes conundrum. Well done and more power to you Sir!
@ Behrooz,
Coud ‘Jerdoze’ be actually an attempt to write ‘Ferdoze’ referring to Ferdowsi’s Šāh-nāma, a Persian poet, or the word Ferdoze in ‘Bagh Ferdôze’, meaning Paradise Garden or Garden of Eden?
I can’t help thinking that the way the word was carefully written, completely different from the rest of the note, means he was not writing an English word.
And I still think that below it, he wrote a contracted ‘E. Fitzgerald Kayyam’ sort of thing and ‘word for finished’.
@JS
“John Sanders on November 7, 2023 at 10:32 pm said:
Pat: Yes I agree with Poppins, excellent find indeed. Latter day FB folks mightn’t be aware but Prof.Cleland had intended heading off to New Guinea himself, about the time of Aubyn Kingsford’s disappearance; I’m thinking half seriously that maybe he got eaten by Cleland’s Ubangi canibal mates?”
Would you kindly stop posting the ‘Latter day FB folks’ sort of thing for the umpteenth time? I (and many others) haven’t posted anything on bloody FB, except for a couple of comments. The first time I’ve heard of Carl Webb, I googled it and posted on here, not on FB. I appreciate you taking your precious time to enlighten those who haven’t spent over a decade debating this case, but honestly, stick to the facts. Your interesting comments get lost in this sort of cr@p you insist on posting.
Not sure on any of it and wouldn’t entirely make sense still
Bory for abbie – Body for office
? Bral Care to dispfeaut i (????) – Both Check to disappeared in Ward Case
And below Jerdoze maybe something like
E African word for pasty
– Jerdose (in some laguages Jerdoze) seems to refer to some sort of Indian threadwork
– And if you take Jerdoze to be Serdoze (the first letter is very vaguely similar to the s in suitcase) google translate gives “Super Dose” in Kurdish
@Sharon some additions/alterations:
……….
Jockey pants – Slightly Soiled
Shirt- large blood tinted stain on back of *shirt arm* rip(looks more like ‘tip’) in *one* side…….of a tear
Trousers- well worn 3 barley seeds – lower optional(?) end on one side.
Piece of paper with Tamam Shud in small rt. trouser pocket- by fly
Tabacco rements in rt. hip pocket
Nil in side pockets
Button sewn on with yellowed thread (I don’t think it’s yellowed, there’s a mark on the page that suggests there might be an i in that word)
Coat … side of after lined & flannel (not sure on after or lined)
Tabacco – pocket of coat.
Court
pt hand-tfers but twenty portion (?)
Cigarettes, Sevens
Barry Wild, ticket
What was the exhibis found on body?
Dwyer.
Could he eat without dental plate
Pupils
Sun Bathing
Blood mixed & food in Stomach
? teeth from ……. (best I can come up with is “portion fortune”, but doubt it
(….or … .. detected on front of shirt.)
Stomach contents
But the LHS is more interesting to me – Are the reference numbers related to evidence keeping, or some way of referencing the book?
AG/N
O5 n F(19)
Oma (sic) Khayyam
821.89
F55
Fitzgerald
End
TAMAN SHUD
in MacMillans 19/1 (the ll looks more like tt)
Pat: if the cap fits sweetheart..know what I mean? If you can’t hack the “cr@p” I post, try your luck elswhere. I’ve heard Gordon Cramer is on the lookout for a new Dorothy Dix type to do his beckonning.
Thanks @ Julian.
I find the sunbathing interesting.
Apparently he was tanned up to the crotch area but not so much on his torso and from the previous season according to the first hand reports, wonder if he had worked outdoors, lifeguard? Cane cutters in FNQ wore very short shorts but I’d expect his hands to show evidence of using a cane knife. I can’t think of where you get tanned legs but covered up torso? If he spent time in Queensland it may explain why he was overdressed the night he died, 22 degrees, I’m from FNQ and at 22 degrees I’m in jeans, jumpers and a jacket.
@ Julian – 821 is the Dewey Decimal reference for (English) poetry. F55 would be for Fitzgerald & Macmillan is a publisher… He’s simply taken down notes for a library copy of the ROK… No mystery here!
Julian: MacMillans were London publishers and arguably most prolific of all those puting out their versions of the five Edward Fitzgerald editions of ROK from the very begining. What you’re looking at may well be notes relating to a library 1911 pressing copied down, presumably by Cleland just prior to the Freeman Witcombe & Tombs pocket edition hand in at Angas St. CIB on 23/7/49.
Sharon Cochrane: your mixed theories on what could be behind Doctor Dwyer’s description of the ankle to groin sun tan from the previous summer have been discussed by the score on CM and elswhere. My best effort from memory was that SM was a migrant labourer employed by a German tannery in the Adelaide Hills where he’d be up to his scrotum treading down alum soaked hides all day long. Thought it would take the prize, posted it on three blogs for evaluation and never got a single reply, not even a ragging which I thought a fair score truth be known. Come up with summit
a little more realistic like a ray lamp tan and I’ll back to the hilt mate.
This be of no interest to current trending, yet may prove relevant to the case nonetheless. It concerns an anomally detected when trolling through Cleland’s notes for anything passed over in the mad scramble for first finder’s rights. A preamble to the Inside Story doco of 1978 makes mention of SAO Captain J. C. Webb officiating at SM’s funeral, not E. J.. or Em Webb as stipulated in most newspaper coverage thereof. I happen to have a WW2 pic of SAO E. J. Webb in uniform which is a fair likeness to the ‘graven image’ familiar to punters. I had earlier come across E. J. Webb graduating from SAO school and being posted for wartime service in 1940 then again in 1949 co-habitating with Frank Keane in Adelaide. To counter this yet another J. C. Webb crops up at a Salvo wedding in Perth around 1940. NB: exhaustive enquiries failed to find any trace of or even to make a positive ID on Em Webb since he officiated? at SM’s funeral. It being Indeed, indeed; a sad reflection on our much overated sleuthing initiatives..self included!!