Horse doping, shady chemists, threatening behaviour and jewellers with Somerton connections
Sharon Cochran aka The Shabster took a little time out to put this together ..
“John Spavin Myles was found guilty of hiring someone to act as lookout or administer a drug to Amritsar.
During police interviews he admitted to doping horses in 3 states Victoria, NSW and QLD.
He said he met chemist Tom Gleeson who supplied him with the hypodermic needle and some dope, ( Strychnine) for Amritsar. Later Myles was also accused with Gleeson in the doping of Smooth Action in early 1948 but did not appear in court, police said his whereabouts were unknown.
Amritsar’s trainer was R Sinclair and his owner was E.A Underwood. ( V.R.C committee man and owner of Wallaby Stud)
Amritsar was got at before he got to Flemington on Saturday 27th November 1948. Sinclair’s son noted odd behaviour at 11.30 am, reported to his father, who then reported to Mr Underwood and the stewards.
News of Amritsar’s doping and Underwood’s request of a detective investigation made Saturdays evening papers.
Myles after being banned was later accused of being involved with Mr S Lyons in the doping of Dick Turpin.
Mr Lyons was the son of Manny Lyons a bookmaker of the Victorian ring.
During the Dick Tupin appeal Raymond Higgins, witness, was threatened he’d be, ” done over”. Police acting commissioner J O’Keeffe said he wasn’t sure what type of protection may be offered.
During the Amritsar inquiry police were trying to locate a male witness who had gone to Brisbane.
Was the missing witness and the man involved in the doping of Amritsar the same man?
News of the doping by an amateur and police involvement made the evening papers, did the amateur panic and leave Victoria? Head to Adelaide?
Was he punished for his amateur job or did he plan to blackmail someone with what he knew? Did he end up dead 4 days later on the beach?
The Argus 4th October 1948 mentions Mr Jack Lyons a jeweller as being the owner of SunBlast and that he is the brother of Mr S Lyons, bookmaker and owner of Dick Turpin.
Mr John Lyons jeweller reported the body of S.M.
Same Mr J Lyons, jeweller or yet another strange coincidence?”
The Somerton Man .. 
It will probably make DA happy
He says the code is for horse racing
I can’t see that a train line and level crossing sketch in the code looks anything like a starting barrier myself
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John’s just debunked the John/ Jack Lyons as being the same jeweller so yet another double up of names in this mind bending endeavour.
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Dump the post? Your call.
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no all good, there’s alot of other interesting connections there that may prompt others into posting bits they’ve read about, I thought it was too good to be true. Still think there’s a horse connection there so I’ll keep searching 🙂
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Dump it. Blind alleys don’t lead anywhere
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You don’t get a vote mate …
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the beauty of these chat forums is we can all put our ideas out there to see if others have supporting or conflicting information, working as a team we can explore ideas and theories, so possibly it’s a blind alley or maybe just around the corner is a piece of information that helps solve the puzzle. So long as no one is only interested in grandstanding or pooping on other people’s lines of enquiry we may be part of solving the mystery.
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Shabby #
Gotta make every post a winner so here’s a tip for you that just might beat the odds. In the past I had also been very keen on a racing connection and I put forward several thoughts along those lines that didn’t run a place. Neville Bickford had lived at Alvington CCH pre war and was a head honcho of the S.A Turf Club when he died at his Somerton home November 20 1948 (mark the date). His funeral, held at St. Judes up from the beach opposite Const. Moss’ place was a big drawcard for punters as far afield as Darwin Broken Hill and even NZ. I had posted on the possibilities that Somerton Man (not Carl Webb) may have been amongst them. You’ll find my related posts and more of the same within several threads at CM (a total waste of space) but perhaps perusal of same may in some way compensate for my last offering. Stay in play but well away from loser Webb.
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Sorry stuffed up. Dr. Nevil Reginald Bickford was big in racing circles of course and also raised in Alvington on the beach. However in my last post I was actually referring to his father Reginald the chemist of Tarlton St. Somerton (1880 – 1948).
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JohnS:- you’re close John, Reginald Bickford’s brother Harold was the head steward around Adelaide and paid for the interment. Shabby’s info is still close to the mark even though it’s a side story cause Harold was infamous for his dubious decisions at the finish line. Harold was M1171 and his former wife Teresa Murphy was collecting info while lying on her back (Gen Antill and others), but after divorce moved to Melbourne to own and run a large gambling den and enterprise. When that fell through she moved back to Tumby Bay/Stansbury but couldn’t escape the attention. Yes that Stansbury, where everyone sought to hide out even as late as 1966.
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Your close Alan in that Harold officiated as judge advocate for Adelaide metro racing clubs for years up until 1930 when he resigned the porfolio in good standing. As for the Tess Murphy celebrated divorce and all, that was back in ’22 and you’ll get an excellent Trove run down in one of the Ron Francis threads Antil included. I think young brother Reginald got to be equal or better in the racing officialdom stakes from memory but no need to press it further, let Shabby have the reins!
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So what you’re saying John is that Harold’s living existence ceased in 1930 and he didn’t carry on any activity from then on? And Tessa didn’t continue anything beyond 1922 and that Lyons wasn’t involved with Goldberg deploying the 2x double string pearl chokers from the Keane trunks? I agree the officials sent Harold off with accolades, but not the punters who saw their bets cross first but only got paid a place several times.
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