Fishing Story

The Shark Arm Case One of the most bizarre cases in Australian law concerned a 4 metre long Tiger Shark. In 1913, this Tiger Shark was caught and moved to Coogee Aquarium near Sydney. The shark did not seem well and moved very lifelessly around the tank in front of a good crowd. Suddenly it vomited up the remains of a bird, a rat and unbelievable, a human arm. When the police arrived it was noticed that a rope was tied around the wrist indicating foul play. On the forearm was a rough tattoo of two boxers getting ready to fight. An investigation soon proved the arm had been severed from a body with a sharp knife. The police were able to identify the victim from the tattoo as Edward Smith. This was quickly confirmed with fingerprints. It seemed that Smith was working in with some crimmals and things had gone sour. Although a number of arrests were made, no one was ever convicted. The shark unfortunetely was killed so its stomach could be examined. Nothing more was found.