Report in the Worthing Gazette 9^th Oct 1884

Mysterious Occurrence on the Railway

Early on Thursday morning the body of a naval pensioner named Harry Austin, living at Heene, was found on the line about a mile and a quarter west of Worthing Station. The body was lying near the upline about forty yards west of Tarring Crossing, and presented a ghastly spectacle, the head being completely severed from the body. PC Wilton who was returning to Goring, was apprised of the discovery, and obtaining assistance, he placed the remains on a trolley and conveyed them to the Norfolk Hotel to await an inquest. The inquiry was held by Mr A W Rawlinson, Deputy Coroner for the Western Division of the County, at the Norfolk Hotel on Saturday afternoon. The jury having proceeded to view the body which lay in a stable at the rear of the hotel, the following evidence was taken:

Matilda Austin, widow of the deceased, said she lived a 3 Heene Cottages, Heene Road. Her husband was forty two years of age, and was a gardener. She last saw him between nine and ten o’clock on Wednesday morning, when he left home for the purpose of proceeding to the Post Office to receive his pension. When he left the house he was in his usual health and spirits, but he had never been what she termed “just himself” since a serious illness about twelve months ago. There was nothing whatever to lead her to suppose that he would make away with himself; he was too fond of his family for that.

PC Frank Wilton stated that about twenty past six on Thursday morning he received information which led him to go to the railway line about forty yards west of Tarring Crossing, where he found the body of a man. It was lying on the left-hand side of the upline, face downwards. He searched his clothes and found five half-crowns, a shilling and threepence in coppers, two knives, a pipe and pension papers bearing the name of the deceased. The head was entirely severed from the body, and the brains were lying about twenty-six yards further west. There were blood stains along the line. Some yards east of the body, witness found a boot. One of the feet was severed near the ankle, the opposite leg was cut off near the knee and one arm was broken. With the assistance of some platelayers, witness placed the body on a trolley and took it to Worthing Station, whence it was afterwards conveyed to the spot where it currently lay. Witness had made enquiries but could not find that the deceased was seen by anyone in the locality previous to the occurrence.

In reply to questions, witness said the deceased was fully a mile from his home. The pension paper found on his body showed that he should have received £6 15s.

Mr H Paull next volunteered a statement, informing the jury that the deceased had been in his employ for some time past as an outdoor servant. He discharged his duties most creditably and with the utmost cheerfulness, but occasionally complained of his head, and never seemed to be the same man as he was before his serious illness twelve months ago. He was very temperate, never having been the worse for liquor. On Wednesday morning last, he was entrusted by one of the maids with a £5 note to get changed, and in the afternoon, he told her that he had lost it. He believed the deceased was depressed in consequence of the loss. On Thursday morning, a £5 note was found near the urinal of the King and Queen public house, where the deceased had changed another note in the morning, receiving four sovereigns and a pound in silver. The note that was found was not the one that was given him by the maid, but that which he had received in his pension. Deceased was seen in the course of the day by the wife of a coachman living in the neighbourhood who questioned him as to the state of his health. He replied “it is twelve months ago this day that I was taken queer, and it is all coming on again.”

In reply to the jury, Mr Paull said he could not tell what became of the coin the deceased received in exchange for the first note. Mr Paull said he understood deceased was last seen at the Clifton Arms.

Harry Finlay, in the employ of the Railway Company said he cleaned the engines. On Wednesday night about twelve o’clock, he cleaned the engine which brought the 8.59 train from Portsmouth. It would pass through Worthing at 9.56. He noticed nothing, but on Thursday evening having heard what had occurred, he examined it closely and found human hair under the trailing end of the engine. He saw no blood.

Mr Linfield said that he had made every enquiry and he did not think it would be possible to obtain evidence that would throw further light on the occurrence.

PC Wilton was asked if there was any appearance of a struggle and he replied in the negative.

Several jurors commented on the absence of the money deceased was known to possess. The question was asked as to whether Austin was known to have paid any accounts. The brother of the deceased stated that they could not find that he spent more than a shilling a day. After a lengthy consideration of the evidence, the jury returned an open verdict.