HUMAN SKELETON FOUND.
A man walking along the beach at Tomahawk at 5 o’clock on Saturday evening came across the remains of a dead body partially covered with sand lying near high water mark. There were no signs of any clothing. The remains were examined by Dr Gordon MacDonald who is of the opinion the skeleton is that of a female about 30 years of age and about 5ft 5in or 5ft 6in in height. The police are of opinion that the body is that of Theresa Meade who disappeared from her home in South Dunedin on the 13th July last. The missing woman was 34 years of age, of stoutish build and 5ft 6in or 5ft 7in in height. Her clothing was found at Tomahawk not far from where the skeleton was discovered. Before her disappearance the missing woman was known to be in ill-health. -Dunstan Times, 21/6/1909.
THE TOMAHAWK SKELETON.
THE INQUEST.
The inquest on the skeleton found at Tomahawk Beach on Saturday night by Mr E. F. Roberts was held yesterday afternoon in the Magistrate's Court, before Mr C. C. Graham, coroner.
Constable Kings, stationed at Anderson's Bay, stated that in July last Theresa Meade was reported as missing from her home, and some clothes wore subsequently found on the beach. The clothes were identified as having belonged to the missing woman.
Dr Gordon Macdonald testified as to having examined the remains, which consisted of the trunk and upper limbs. The body was in such a state of putrefaction as would occur in a body being dead for eight or 12 months, the degree of putrefaction being governed by external circumstances. He believed the body was that of an adult female of about 30 yeans of age. There were no bones broken, and this, with the circumstances under which the remains were found, pointed to drowning as being the cause of death. The little finger of the right hand was bent. Two of the central incisor teeth were absent, but the root of the third was present. These must have been present just recently and appeared to have dropped out. Dr Fulton said that Miss Meade had two unusually large incisor teeth, and Dr Macdonald stated that the sockets of the teeth were such as to indicate very large teeth.
Dr Fulton said that in May, June, and July, 1908, he attended Miss Meade, who was suffering many nervous symptoms, but there was no organic disease of any kind. Shortly before she disappeared she became very despondent and melancholic, and told him on a number of occasions that she was frightened to be by herself either night or day, because she was afraid she would put an end to herself. He considered she was on the borderland of insanity, and he told her relatives, Sergeant Conn, of South Dunedin, and one of her spiritual advisers, that she should be taken care of. He advised that she should be sent to a mental hospital, but that was not done. He was not the least surprised when he heard she had disappeared.
Witness, in response to a question by Dr Macdonald, said he thought Miss Meade's hands were shut, but he could not say for certain. She was very stoutly built for her age. and full chested.
Dr Macdonald said the skeleton was full chested and that the hands were long and thin, while the nails were very long and tapering — a characteristic of a woman's hand.
Chas. S. Meade, contractor, residing at Musselburgh, said that by the circumstance of the case he would consider that the body found was that of his sister. He had seen the body at the Morgue and noticed that the two big teeth were missing. The hands were long-shaped, and as far as he could remember were similar to sisters.' The contortion of the little finger was not such as he remembered. She was a single woman, and would be about 34 at the time of her disappearance. She had been ailing for some time, as described by Dr Fulton. She had not been living in the same house as himself. He was talking to her on the Monday before her disappearance, and she seemed perfectly sane then. He was not told directly of Dr Fulton's advice, but heard of it indirectly. When he saw her she was reading a book, and said in response to his inquiry that she was not so bad, but had a bit of a pain in the head. He then advised her to put away the book. He heard she was missing that evening, after he came home from work. He saw the clothes found on the beach the next evening, and identified them as the property of his sister.
The Coronor said that, taking all things into consideration, there could be but little doubt in anybody's mind as to the body found being that of Theresa Meade. The finding of the clothes indicated that the act had been meditated. As to her condition, they had the evidence of Dr Fulton. It was a pity that no steps had been taken to send her to a mental hospital, but probably the relatives had acted in the way they deemed best, and no blame attached to them. He would record the verdict, "That the cause of death was drowning when in a temporary state of insanity." -Otago Daily Times, 22/6/1909.
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