Carl Webb’s hair.
Carl Webb, as we all know, was a wife-beating, suicidal drug addict, the sort of bloke who is regularly interviewed by the police these days, and given the rigid social niceties of Adelaide post- war, being the city of churches, they too would have had little patience with his type.
Picture it.
Carl Webb being escorted to the police station under the influence of barbiturates, sloppy like a drunk, probably needing some support, helped into the drunk tank.. Who hasn’t been there?
An interview some hours later after sobering up, a stern talking to then back out on the street and he’s missing only one thing. One of his hairs had been caught up on a detective’s jacket, the one who interviewed him. The same detective who watched over Paul Lawson as he did his work. And there goes that missing hair, detaching itself from the copper’s coat sleeve just as Lawson separates the mould from the cast. Drifting down so slowly and attaching itself to the cast.
Then again, perhaps it happened in a different way. Depends on how often PC Sutherland had his coat dry cleaned.
The Somerton Man .. 
And Paul Lawson did his work in Winter. Winter, a time when overcoats etc were worn. Coats hung up on a rack, hairs etc brushed off? Hair(s) floating down and around, nobody noticing where it/they landed. Paul Lawson, only too well aware of the police presence, focused on his work.
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Another thing that has got me beat is why three detectives spent all those days in the morgue, maybe they had nothing better to do than put up with the stink of a very old body, day after day.
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One detective, ok, I suppose but, three? Did they take notes of Lawson’s progress? I was thinking maybe they had instructions to give to Lawson, on a daily basis but, how would they know how to do the kind of work Lawson knew so well? Even Lawson may have had doubts about the job he was given.
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So you’ve got one cop watching what? Lawson at work? Then you’ve got another cop watching what? The cop watching Lawson? The you have the third cop watching what? The cop watching Lawson?
We need help here, Clive.
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I wonder who requested/wanted three cops to be in the same room, at the same time watching Lawson do his work? I could kick myself when I remember talking to Lawson and never asking him that $64K question-why were the police looking over his shoulder?
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If the Marriage Certificate is found to be forged, can you still call Charlie a wife beater?
As you wind your way through this quagmire something keeps popping up and that is that some perpetrators/collaborators from SA, rather than pay their time behind bars, are made to repay their dues back through public service.
Many duds later rose to great heights getting MBEs or retrospective AOs. It’s still happening today in SA!
Rev. Montgomerie for one left Adelaide after many years service in the “boys camp” area of ministry then appears in Melbourne for a short time to marry Charlie and Doss (yes Doss). He then mysteriously appears when he is allocated the Omeo diocese for a few years. The same Robertson Omeo/Orbost!
After that he takes up a bachelor type position in an inner city Mission in Sydney’s inner west and this Mission becomes the major agency as the “gatherer” of the “Stolen Generation Children” from NT with Montgomerie a “big wig”.
Could Paul Lawson have had a “skeleton in his closet” just as our friendly photographer did?
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Well, Paul Lawson was a Lyons Club member, a Freemason, so who knows what whispers/stories circulated in his contacts with the police.
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The Woodworkers’ Club had several relevant divisions and meeting rooms locally.
The police group had an exclusive branch of their own and all the uniforms, aprons, robes and medals, when lined up for a picture, looked impressive.
A similar shot to when a picture was taken of the police brass band, and some of the same faces.
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“Society with secrets”, three words which determined many outcomes, I’m sure. Not that many will be revealed!
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May I say, I’m entirely appreciative of Mr Cramer’s indulgent comment praising the ‘improvement in tone’ of an un-named blog’s latest postings.
The man’s ego challenges that of Donald Trump.
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I guess, that you forgot your own birthday again Peter. I didn’t, and couldn’t help noting that Donald Trump turned 80 the day before; but who cares about the prick. Belated happy birthday anyhow mate.
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Didn’t forget it mate, just bloody ignored it. Thanks.
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Belated birthday greetings! I try and ignore miine too!
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Luckily I’m perfectly well-preserved after 60 years chasing waves, though a bit leathery and dimpled with senile warts. Thanks Clive.
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A taxidermists careful work in a brown paper bag? Still cannot believe the casualness on display in this photo, one false step and the bust would be plastered all over the pavement/road. When you take into account the overall police investigation into the SM case, it doesn’t surprise me.
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