inquest Adiourned)
Shanghai, Apr. 20, Evidence as to the manner in which the body of Mr. Harold Porter was found in, the Whangpoo River "on April 7, together with the evidence Of his foam-boy" and the cloak-room: boy'at the Shanghai Club, was taken by Mr. C, H. Haines, Hin. Coroner, at the inquest "yesterday. The Coroner then adjourned the' hearing fo 2 pam, on April 22, No medical evidence hag yet been given, Present in court' yesterday, addition to potice and other witnesses, were Mr. J. E, Badeley, appearing on Dehait of the' next. of" kin, and. Mr, Lowe, appearing on' behalf of the insurance company, the Ocean 'Necident. & Guarantee Corp, Ltd, 'The. test witness yesterday, Mr. James Finfater, assistant. Inslaiiation engineer of the AP.C. said he was down at the company's Pootung me stallation when' the" body of Mr-Porter was found at 145 pin. on April 7." He said that he was' told ihat there. was a "bad smell" near the No.3 pontoon. "He went to the pontoon, and Yooking down between the side of the pontoon and the inv. Huikuan, "which was "moored. along side it, saw the lethed body' of a foreigner, "The body was jammed between the ship's side und the pon= toon, and the ship had to be moved slightly before the body could be dragged around to the inner side of {hig pontoon with ' boat-hook.
"Tio. installation manager took a cigarette case, containing two eigaret: (es; a self-propelling type pencil; and a watch, showing' "twenty-two min= tes to nine," out of the Pocket, and then reported the matter to the eom= pany's head Mice. "At 3.18 pin. JR. G. Barter and two police oticers arrived and, with the help of A: P.C. foolles, the' body was lifted ashore and ater "placed on a lighter. and taken up-river to Shanghai. Although he didn't know Mr. Porter person= ally, Mr. Findlater" said" that Fecognized him from a photograph of members of the Council he had seen not tong before, "The No. 1 coolie employed at the {installation said that he was at work on some pipes near the pontoon that day "and shortly "before. noon" was fold that a foreigner's body. was. the river, "He went and looked at it, and at the same time saw the body a Chinese come floating down on the ebb tide. "Witness helped get the! ady out of the river and handed ug' of the police officers a wallet he had found in one of the pockets. He had seen many bodies in. the river shortly. after" the hostilities broke out, but the two bodies he saw on Apiil 7 were the fret he had seen for a long period.
Mr. Porter's room-boy atthe shanghai Club: was the next witness. Ho last saw Mr. Porter at 820 am. on March 24, He said, when he Loti the room dressed in 'a. brown coat, frey flanner trousers, brown hat. and brown shoes. "Mr. Porter did not say anything to him. 'The room-boy went to the room at noon and at pu. but there were no signs of Mr. Porter having been in the room at all AL Tam the next day, he took in' the morning tea but. found. the room empty. The bed had not been slept in, He toft the tea there, thinking that possibly "Mr. Porler had spent the hight at a friend's. place, "Me. pre sumed this was the ease, although it iliad never happened before. At 82:0. Mr. Porter had not returned. On the! morning of March 26, he went to the oom again and, finding' that Mfr. Porter ud still' not. returned, "ro ported the matter to the office. He continued to take the morning. paper until March "28, when the room was locked by the manager, reply {0 a question from the Coroner, witness said. that he. was quite certain Me. Porter did not ree turn to his room during the afternoon March 24 to lie. down, 'The final witness, the cloak-room boy, said that he last saw Mr. Porter at about 10.15 am. on March 24, wher, hho came in. from' the cervider and took out his brown that. His over~ coat was hanging in the, clea's-room At the time, but Mr, Porter Tote this boning. Witness didn't notice Alifteence. tu' Mr. Porter's manner The inquest was adjourned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.