Now we have Carl Webb, we have to start all over again.
“I suspected right from the beginning of this case – because a lot of the spy theories came around in the ’40s. I thought, ‘That’s all very well, but it’s more likely to be something banal, really.’ And that’s what it turned out to be, all quite pedestrian,”
Derek Abbott
Banal: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
Oh, really?
~~
Carl Webb, electrical fitter / instrument maker, checked his suitcase into Adelaide Station’s luggage office on the 30th of November 1948, paying for a 24 hour lodgement. Then he bought two tickets to two beaches. The following morning he was found dead on one of them.
Coroner Cleland – “Although he died during the night of the 30th November – 1st December, I cannot say where he died.”
Professor John Cleland – “The lividity around the ears and neck was perhaps surprising in view of his position, but it was explainable. It would depend on how much the head was supported, it may have been slight, perhaps no more than one’s head supported on a pillow.”
Professor Sir Stanton Hicks – ” …. If it (the poison) had not been self-administered, and the body brought there (Somerton Beach), that would remove any doubts as to the time at which death took place, as well as any other difficulties.”
~~
Perhaps Webb was in Adelaide to see Prosper Thomson knowing he had a connection to Clinic Distributors and was using their Hindley Street address for his classifieds. That may have accounted for his purchase of the Henley Beach ticket.
He may have made a call from the station to determine if Prosper was there after finding the Clinic Distributors number in the phonebook. Or perhaps he was told the number by someone before arriving in Adelaide.
Perhaps he wrote it down before setting out.
~~
Littlemore: “Chief Inspector, you said there were two ‘phone numbers in – in the book.”
Brown: “Yes.”
Littlemore: “What about the other one.”
Brown: “The other one – er was of er – business premises and we were not able to trace or find any person that had -er spoken to the deceased person. Um – we were satisfied that er- this was just probably noted down in a – in a general way that any -er ordinary person would note the ‘phone number down.”
Littlemore: ” But not necessarily so satisfied about the first one.”
Brown: “No.”
~~
Perhaps Webb was in Adelaide to see Prosper Thomson knowing he had a connection to the Moseley Street address and was using the it for his classifieds. That may have accounted for his purchase of a Glenelg ticket.
Perhaps he was told the number by someone before arriving in Adelaide as finding a telephone number in a phonebook is almost impossible without knowing the name of the subscriber. Perhaps that’s when he wrote it down.
He may have made a call from the station to determine if Prosper was there.
And it’s beginning to look like he was.
The Somerton Man 
So the bloke came to town with two phone numbers and he’s found dead within 200 m of one of those phone numbers Street address. And the cops don’t think that’s relevant !and they don’t think the other phone number is relevant ! . It’s a wonder Scotland Yard didn’t snap these guys right up. Fn maxwells could’ve wrapped this one up Anyway I digress. I agree he has spoken to prosper at either one of those numbers. Shame we don’t have the other one.
If he’s come to town with the 90A phone number then he had been in touch with Harkness after she moved into Moseley street, which means he knew her before she arrived in Adelaide in ‘47, the year he split from Mrs Webb.
Maybe he thought he was moving in.
The latest photo just landed of Carls sister. A couple of punters over at domes particularly the colonel we were still very sceptical about Carl being our man but I think it’s case close now the sisters got a definite resemblance. Looks like Carl in a wig hair looks ginger although it’s black-and-white photo.
peterbowes: Would there be a call look up service back then? Or rather than being a “bank” could the other business number have been something else that helped himm try to look up a number? Or what if the “business” number is Clinic Distributors – if that’s what you mean, that would be a massive connection for the plods to have missed.
Going by the breaking news today it’s beginning to look like he ended his own life, given that I don’t reckon he was looking for Prosper in Adelaide.