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GRUESOME FIND MADE BY BOYS
Body of W.H. Minor Found Gnawed By Rats
He Had Lived Alone and Evidently Had Been Dead for Some Days
[The Welland Tribune and Telegraph, 10 March 1921]
Chief Reavely, of Port Colborne, made a rather gruesome discovery at about 4 p.m., on Monday, when the badly decomposed body of William Henry Minor, of Lowbanks, was found in a shack on the Barrick farm, which is about one mile north of Humberstone on the N.S. & T. Railway.
Two small boys, George Unis and Andrew Tuge, brought the information to the chief of the finding of the body. They had lived near and had not seen the old man for two weeks. They later found the body, reporting immediately to Chief Reavely.
When found the body had been lying in that position for eight or ten days, and was in an awful state of decomposition. The eyes, nose and cheeks had been eaten by rats and mice. The pockets in the clothes on the body had been turned inside out, and the pants had been stripped off to the knees, suggestive of the fact that some party or parties had been searching for a money belt. There was no money on the body or in the shack at the time the tragic discovery was made. The bed clothes that were in the shack were found on the floor, probably pulled off as falling to the floor.
There was however no signs whatever of violence. The skull was not broken, nor were there any signs of a struggle. There was on the leg a scar, but this may have been caused by a fall or some other trivial thing. Doctor McKenzie, of Port Colborne who was physician to the deceased, states that the man has been suffering for a long time past with heart disease.
There is no evidence that the deceased was murdered, although there are indications he had been robbed.
William Minor had an account in the Imperial Bank at Humberstone for four hundred dollars, and the last withdrawal had been for sixty dollars, and had been made on January 8th.
The deceased had been living alone for some time in the shack, where he was found dead. He was seventy years of age.
Coroner McKenzie, of Port Colborne, has decided that an inquest will not be necessary. However Provincial Officer Gurnett is investigating the case.
Inquest To Be Held
An inquest and post-mortem examination has been ordered by the coroner. The inquest will take place on Thursday, March 17th at Port Colborne.
*Death was attributed to a Cerebral Hemorrhage.
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