Why didn’t Jimmy Durham fingerprint any of the items found in the suitcase?
The South Australian Police wanted to identify the owner of the suitcase so urgently that instead of asking Durham to fingerprint its contents, as he had done with the corpse, they then went to the trouble of co-opting a respected forensic pathologist and senior government analyst to do the identifying. So both men tried on the clothes and shoes. Some from the body, some from the suitcase.
How does that make sense?
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The Somerton Man .. 
….. and then we have this: according to Feltus, when DS Leane first examined the suitcase at the railway station he left it there after taking out a couple of items for further examination. Feltus didn’t nominate what they were but the general assumption is that they were the tools, tie and spool of Barbour thread that were all pinned up and photographed at the station (probably by Durham) for general distribution. (see pic)
However, if we turn to page 64 of the same book we read that Professor Cleland said that “In the suitcase was an orange coloured thread.”
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It would suggest that Cleland had already seen those items in the suitcase before Leane took them to the station. A suitcase and it’s contents already placed at the railway station, and ready to play their part in the ‘investigation’? Cleland’s mention of finding the Orange thread re-inforcing the ‘connection’ to the repaired trousers with a similar thread?
Trying on the clothes doesn’t seem to have any logic, unless there was another body in the morgue, useful as a alternative body, they had in mind. This seems to loop back to Lawson’s diary about the ‘original’ body, perhaps? A bit far fetched to believe, unless the SA Police were under orders.
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What is interesting about the display set up of the tools, tie and spool is what they are displayed upon. According to an email conversation I had with GF years ago, the leather folder belonged to one of the detectives working on the case, and my thoughts are that the mostly covered symbol engraved on the leather is Masonic.
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It’s my opinion that this is just a diamond embossed into the leather as the down angles go all the way to join the border and would be centred if the whole page was shown. I don’t think the compass screw in top angle is present.
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Fair enough, but there wasn’t anything unusual about a detective or three being Masons back in the day, plus a few politicians and Prime Ministers
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Some may support my take on the SA Railways ledger, Others will prefe4 the more intriguing Masonic lodge fabrication idea, let’s leave that in obeyance eh?. I’m wondering if anybody has heard from GF since Dude saw him at the SM movie opening night in Adelaide 2018. Last I recall was some timea aftewards when the Feltus’ family had opened a ‘lay Low’ easy chair outlet mext door to Sapol CiB HQ in Angas Street. Speaking of the original SM reference book, I seem to recall that in it, GF’s final words pointed out that he had a name in mind, but chose to keep it to himself. Any ideas anyone?
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Ok, but before we go how’s this for a list of PMs that were known to be Freemasons: Barton, Reid, Cook, Bruce, Page, Menzies, Fadden, McEwen, Gorton and McMahon.
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I’ve e-mailed GF a few times over the years but, never received any reply, not even an acknowledgment. Perhaps he’s been silenced by a ‘higher authority’?
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I have a photo of the exclusively SA Police Branch of the Freemasons of SA and there’s more blue than you could imagine, more silver than the eyes can stand and more brass than their band itself.
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Sir Geoffrey Sanford Reed, the foundation Director General of Security who headed up ASIO in 1949 was a notable Freemason and later served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of SA from 1953 to 1956. What’s the odds he had dinner with the visiting MI5 agents in the year our man was found unidentified and dead by unknown means?
As a matter of fact, a quick Google search confirms Reed and Hollis did meet and were both involved in setting up ASIO
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I dare say that in 1948 more than half the protestant non union well educated male population of Australia was likely to have held Lodge membership. in saying that, can’t recall any of my God fearing relatives being affiliated with the Masons, or any other free masonary mob; including me uncle ‘Yelverton’ who earned his keep as a plasterer & tiler by profession post WW2.
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Sir Geoffrey Reed 1892-1970 was only a little fellow, this as opposed to his pick for ASIO head of operations’Big Bob Wake’ who he trusted implicitely unlike some. He was the son of a Wesleyan minister no less so it’s no wonder he had strong ties to the secret hand signal brotherhood. Apart from being a part time soldier back home during WW1 hostilities, he got to spend a few month counting blankets in England post Armitise and retuned to the SA bar in early 1919. His army dental card shows a total absence of any natural teeth if that’s of consequence.
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Imagine you are senior policeman who wanted to have a wee chat with senior Aus. security bod in the presence of a visiting senior UK security chap .. and you didn’t want anyone to know about it, especially the Press. How could being a Freemason help?
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Unless there had existed interchapter discourse I fear that what you’re suggesting might not help much, depending what’s on tbe table and if it be beneficial to membership aims. As I recall, KK head of Commonwealth Security in SA. a legal eagle from Port Pirie like Reed himself was a Mason of some standing and also had no teeth. Could that be a clue to something better than JC’s sepia threads
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Dusty, with respect, any mob who has secret handshakes has plenty to hide. A man doesn’t have to be Einstein to figure that out.
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Secret handshakes and cosy arrangements?
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Seen how Trump shakes with both hanIt’s.It’s no secret and he’s no Epstein that’s for sure.
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