Everybody stayed late that day, for they found a fully clothed skeleton wedged inside. It wasn't hard to figure out that the remains were those of a petty criminal who had been last heard from in 1985. His wallet was in his pocket. The chimney was that of an antebellum home in Natchez. County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell said there was a gift shop in the house back then.
Nobody suspects foul play.
The case has been closed on Calvin Wilson, age 27. When I heard the story, I wondered the same things you're wondering. Speculation is that breezes off a nearby river kept people from discovering it. Perhaps he slipped and suffered a fatal blow to his head when he entered the chimney. Mr. Wilson's story really isn't all that unusual.