"Grosvenor Hotel, North Terrace, Adelaide"

The murder, the full circumstances of which are unknown, appears to have been linked to a robbery.  John Robert Hindmarsh, manager of A. B. Budgen's, Jewellers, Rundle Street, Adelaide was the victim, his dead body being found in a room at the Grosvenor Hotel, North Terrace, Adelaide.    A housemaid going about her work first entered Room 304 at 9.30 am.  She saw a man who appeared to be asleep and she withdrew.  At about 11 am, she returned to the room and saw the man was still lying in bed, apparently fully clothed beneath the bedclothes.   She became suspicious and sought assistance from the head housekeeper who examined the man and determined that he was dead.   Later the dead man was removed to the morgue where papers found upon his person identified him as John Robert Hindmarsh.   However, Room No 304 at the hotel had apparently been booked to a Mr. Dutton on the previous Thursday for occupation for two days beginning on Saturday, 5 Feb and initially there were doubts as to the identity of the dead man. Early on Monday 7 Feb, officers of the local CID, visited the offices of the Major Travel Agency, next to the Grosvenor Hotel.   They interviewed the manager, Mr. K.D. Scammell, regarding the movement of a service car that was scheduled to travel from Adelaide to Loxton during the day.   From the information they obtained the detectives arranged for the car to be intercepted by a police car at Morgan, a town nearby, at 1.20 pm.   Constables Crafter and Howell, detained a passenger in the service car - a young man of medium build, who was clad in a brown coat and grey

Mr. Budgen, the owner of the Jewellers Shop, appeared to be greatly distressed when he learned that his manager had been murdered.   Apparently, John Hindmarsh had gone to the Grosvenor Hotel, by appointment at 3 p.m. on Saturday, for the purpose of displaying samples of diamond rings to a prospective buyer.

"All I know of what happened after that," said Mr. Budgen, "Is that I was informed that John Hindmarsh had been found dead in one of the rooms there."   "The set of keys to the shop, which he usually carried were still in his possession, but the rings totalling £180 in value and some money in his possession when he visited the hotel, were missing."

Mr. Budgen recalled that a man had called at the shop on Thursday or Friday, and stated that a friend of his had lost a ring at a late night party.   The friend had valued the ring highly, and was anxious to replace it as soon as possible.   The man explained that his friend had not sufficiently recovered from the affects of his merry making, and sought to make an appointment for a jeweller to visit him at his room at the Grosvenor Hotel, with samples of rings.   Mr. Budgen said that it appeared that John Hindmarsh had accepted the request and made the appointment accordingly.   He agreed that taking jewellery to the hotel was unusual but said that his manager was conscientious and had apparently been satisfied with the arrangement.

On the fateful day, John Hindmarsh appears to have driven to North Terrace and parked his car near the Grosvenor Hotel.   He took with him three one-stoned diamond rings.    He did not report to the Hotel Reception Desk - probably because he already new the room number - and went directly upstairs to keep his appointment. Later it was to be reported that there had been a strong smell of chloroform in the room where the body had been found but this detail was never corroborated and may have been a supposition.   Indeed, the post mortem examination, revealed that no chloroform or drug had been used in the attack.   It therefore seems unlikely that the victim would have been overcome without offering stiff resistance.   Whatever happened, he was ultimately bound so tight by the wrists and ankles, that the ropes cut into his flesh.  Great welts were left on his face, too, from the cords securing the gags.   He also sustained a severe blow to the stomach which may have precipitated his collapse and there were marks on his neck.   The post-mortem evidence served to confirm that a violent struggle had taken place.    It was known that John Hindmarsh had high blood pressure and the fight, attempts at strangulation and subsequent gagging were probably all

"The Lounge at the Grosvenor Hotel"

  contributory factors to his death.  

Evidently, the crime was not a hurried one.   At some stage, the assailants untied the bonds - possibly when they suspected that their victim was not breathing.    They then placed him under the bedclothes, to give the impression that he was asleep, and made what appears to have been a leisurely exit.   No ropes or gags were left at the scene and not the slightest sound of a scuffle or disturbance was heard within the hotel.

What actually happened when John Hindmarsh kept the appointment can only be a matter of conjecture.   Various theories have been advanced as to the motive for the crime and the manner in which he came to his death.   John was of fairly strong physique, and for this reason - and because of the story recalled by Mr Budgen - it seems certain that at least two men figured in the attack.   A theory which has gained credence, is that the plan was to rob the jeweller's shop, probably under the cover of darkness, using the keys from the manager (if this is true then they would need to have had some knowledge as to the operation of the shop).   However, this plan was thwarted because of the untimely death of John Hindmarsh.   It is suggested that after the robbers had overpowered, bound and gagged him, he had succumbed, possibly from suffocation.   Clearly the robbers were aware that they had killed him - as evidenced by the removal of the bonds and gags - and this upset any plans they may have had to subsequently ransack Budgen's Jewellery Shop - the keys to the shop were still in John Hindmarsh's pocket when he was found.   It seems that they became alarmed - probably when they discovered they had killed him - and decided to abandon the original plot.   They removed the rings and money - of relatively little value given the elaborate plot - left the keys which they would probably have discovered during the search of the body - and made their getaway.

An Inquest was held a few days later, the conclusion was murder by one or more assailants intent on robbery.   No one was ever charged.

John Robert Hindmarsh lived at the Lothian Mansions, at the corner of South and East Terraces and may have been estranged from his wife.   She was stated to be out of town, but another report was that she was ill in a private hospital.   Evidently the Police were having trouble contacting her.   He was a member of the Naval and Military Club, where he was known as Captain Hindmarsh, and spent most of his leisure time there.   He was described as an excellent friend, a man of honour, a keen businessman, with a genial and likeable personality.   He had served in the British Army but he never discussed his service with his friends.   He was a powerfully built man and a fine swimmer.   Profound regret at his untimely end was expressed by all who had known him.

On Wednesday, 9 Feb, a brother and sister of John Hindmarsh, arrived from Sydney and attended the funeral.   At Adelaide railway station to meet the bereaved family, were Mr. A.B. Budgen, Colonel D. H. Smith (of the Naval and Military Club) and Mr. Arthur Stone, a personal friend of the murdered man.   The family were greatly distressed by the untimely death of their brother.   They didn't want to be interviewed and left with Mr. Budgen and Colonel Smith to go to the Cathedral Hotel, where they stayed.

The Jewellers Shop was closed all Wednesday so that the staff could attend the funeral.   The cortege left the offices of Messrs. Pengelly & Knabe, Rundle Street East, at 2.30 pm for the North Road Cemetery.   Rev. R. M. Turnbull (the vicar of Blakiston Church of England) officiated.   Many fellow members of the Naval and Military Club were at the gravesite, and several of them acted as pallbearers.

John Hindmarsh had only been in Adelaide for two years but members of the Retail Jeweller's Association, the president (Mr. H.M.Wendt) made a sympathetic reference to John Hindmarsh's death, at a subsequent meeting.   A letter of sympathy was sent to his relatives and to Mr. Budgen.

As a footnote to this story, it later emerged that on Sunday 6 Feb an envelope bearing the name 'S. Dutton' was found in the possession of two men who had been remanded on a charge of being without sufficient lawful means of support.   S.M. Dutton was the name given by the man who booked Room 304, at the Grosvenor Hotel and it seems likely that this was a vital clue.   However, at the time, the police were unaware of the murder and the name "Dutton" was not significant.    In any event, this potential lead was not discovered until some time after the event when the men on remand for a minor misdemeanour had been released.

The murder remains unsolved.