Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2392747

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33 corrections, most recently by anonymous - Show corrections

Yakkanovek n Sahrk y'y

OPENING EVIDENCE  

Ambiguous Letter Opened By

Widow    

Lol  

The inquest on James Smith, 45,   "the human arm victim," opened dra-  

matically at the Coroner's Court with a demand by Mr. Clive Evatt, for Pat- rick Brady, who has been charged with the murder, that the body, or part of it should be produced for post mor- tem examination on the ground that the coroner had no power to hold an

inquest without it.  

He also asked for a jury to be im- panelled.

The coroner declined to agree to both requests.      

Mr. Evatt complained to the coroner  

that requests had been made to the

Commissioner for Police on two occa-        

sions for certain documents, but they had been refused. Similar requests   had been made also to the Attorney General, but no answer had been re- ceived.      

Mr. Evatt then asked the coroner for

certain reports he had received, and

the coroner handed counsel a copy of statements made by Brady to the     Gay police             Mrs. Gladys Lilian Smith, of Glades- ville, widow of the dead man, was the

first witness. She said about 1929 her husband had a contract with Reginald William Lloyd Holmes, a boat builder,

and after that was unemployed for some time. In 1933, her husband secu-  

red a position on top of her breasts   tits, and he held the job until February, 1934. Her husband's work required him to live on the boat, and she also lived there for about two months. She had met Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, also Mr. and Mrs. Stannard, and a man named Anderson.      

When she pointed to a man in the court, Mr. Evatt objected.  

Replying to the coroner, Mrs. Smith said that she first knew Anderson by the name of Evans, and he had visited their home a good deal. She had com- mented on the change of name, but was told to mind her own business.

Mr. Evatt again protested against this line of questioning. "I protest, your Worship, the man's name is not Anderson, nor Evans, it is Brady," said Mr. Evatt.

The coroner overruled the objection. Mr. Smith, continuing, said that Anderson or Evans, and a man named Watt visited her husband, and accord- ing to what she was later told by her

husband, he had been asked for money.

He had told the men that he was out

of work, and they had suggested that he mortgage his furniture.

Sergeant Toole: Did you ask your husband anything about Anderson?

Witness: Yes, he said he was nam- ed Brady, and was a clever man with a pen. On Sunday, April 7, her hus- band went away for a few days, and she did not see him again. He had never told her he was afraid of any- thing happening to hirn, arid had never suggested that he was tired of life, or that he would take his own life. He had lived happily with his family.

Mrs. Smith said that when she saw the newspaper report that an arm had been found, on which was tattooed the

figure of a boxer she was worried even though she knew her husband   had two boxers on his arm. On May 9 she saw Reginald Holmes; and spoke to him about money. She went again to his home on the following Saturday. Holrnes told her he was terribly sorry to hear of her trouble. He said he did not have any money at the mo- ment, but asked her to call back on Saturday. When she did so, he gave her an envelope containing five £1 notes.        

Witness said she would not have asked Holmes for money only she understood that Holmes owed her hus- band something.            

Replying to the coroner, the witness said her husband told her he intro-

duced Brady to Holmes. The witness   told the coroner that she had wanted to come back to Sydney from Broken     Bay on the Pathfinder on April 3, 1934, but her husband said she would be seasick, and she returned by train. On April 20 her husband told her that the Pathfinder had been wrecked. She had never noticed any ill-feeling between

her husband and Brady.    

Mrs. Smith then referred to a letter   she had opened, which was addressed to her husband after his disappear-

ance. The letter came from Queens-  

land, and was signed Noel Smith. The

letter referred to betting, and some-  

thing about "rich oil," but witness     thought the remarks had a double   meaning.        

Johanna Molloy, mother of Mrs. Smith, said she remembered a man   named Anderson who was introduced   to her by Smith, but she could not re- member him very well. Looking around

the court room she could not see

Anderson.        

Albert Edward Hobson, of Coogee, said he was fishing off Coogee beach on April 17, when he caught a small shark, and as he was hauling it in found a bigger shark entangled in the  

line after having eaten part of the smaller shark. The shark was trans- ferred to his brother's aquarium at Coogee. On April 25, while the shark was on view, it seemed to go mad, and disgorged the arm. He did not actually see the shark disgorge the   arm, but saw the discoloured water.

Constable Ewing of the Fingerprints branch, said that prints taken of the arm were identical with those of Smith in the file.

The hearing was adjourned to to- morrow.            

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