The sun., 1870-08-13
A MYSTERY OF THE SOUND.
TIE CORPSE THAT FLOArED Ashore
MADISON, CONN.


An Arm Found Eleven Miles Distant from
the Trunk-A Hideous Obicct-Tbc Biud-
ucon and the Il niie-Neitber the MURDER
err nor the Murdered Known.
On Thursday evening, July 20, party enjoy
ing pleasure sail on Long Island Sound, OF Madl.
son, Conn, noticed the nude tody Of man floating,
lace downward, In the water. The usual sense OF
repugnance to handling unknown dead bodies. min
glcd perhaps with n little superstitious fear, de.
tered the party from making any efforts to rescue
the body.
On the following morning, July 90 some farmers
gathering seaweed on the beach back Of the resi-
dence Of H. D. Wilcox, Esq, Town Clerk, found
nopY CAST uPoN IuE suonE,
resembling the description given Of the one seen
anoat the previous evening II was the body Of a
man apparently between % and 30 years OF age, 5
feet IiX inches high, full and wc-deye!oped form,
and. though IT uch decomposed giving evidence that
up 10 the moment Of death It had enjoyed perfect
health. Tie body was nude, except the feet which
were encascd in white cotton socks Of good quality,
and pair OF low caltskin CATERS, nearly new,
pcgred. and with Napoleon tops. The hair was
tirely gone rrom the head, doubtless through the
process OF decomposition and the action Of the ele
mcnts bot his beard, evidently about weeks
growth, was black, or very dark brown. The hair
on the breast was aso Of tho same dark hue,
Tnr CAUSE OF DEATH.
Mr. Wilcox who "a also magistrate, was at once
informed OF the case. lie summoned a juy Of
twelve residents OF the town, and proceeded with
an inquest. Dr. Meiss was called to make post
morten examination. The doctor found bal frac
ture OF the lett temple crushing the skull at point
directly back Of tho eye aud extending over the ear
The wound was about three-quarters Of an inch in
width, perpendicular, and and lhreequarters OF
an inch In length, well defined. From this ghastly
wound several small fractures cracks were trace
able showing the tremendous force " the blow that
had been inflicted. This wound, OF eourse,was sum
eenl to Kill instantly That II was received before
death was made apparent by masses OF extavasated
| blood deposited about and below the eye.
YRrourFuL WORK Win A KNIFE.
In addition to this deadly wound there was fear
ful cut across the forehead extending from temple
| to temple, which was looked upon by the physician
and jury as having been given after death, for the
| purpose OF Disagreement. Then there were many
stabs all over the mans breast some near the throat
and others In the region OF the heart These seemed
to have been inflicted with prehetknife Owing,
these wounds defed al efforts TO probe them, AID
| It Is not known whether Me vita, organs were In
| and thigh, was gone TO the bone. The doctor
| thought this mad been purposely cut away TO lie.
stroy marks on the body ths. might have led to
ONE ARM Forsp ELEVEN MLts DISTANT.
| The left arm was fractured above the elbow and
the lower part OF the hulb had been torn oG at tc
|
In perfect state, were subsequently, found on the
beach at Thimble Island eleven miles distant in a
1 arated from the body by the decomposition OF the
Ness. The fracture Of tue arm corresponds with the
! wound OF the temole as though the unfortunate e
| man had seen tue blow coming. ana thrown mp his
elbow to ward 1t o GGt the force Of tie blow and
the weight Of tno weapon were 40 great as ~ break
| the ZONES OF tile arm and eT7f-h Tue sAull'
| MURDERED AND MURDERER uSKSowE.
| No evidence was discovered showing who the
\ Ip a .
| tie body that of an unknown man, and that he
" came to his death from a wound inflicted upon his
head. PRODUCING fracture OF the lett frontal and ten
| poral bones, by some person W persons to said
jurors unknown.' The eody had been In the water,
! IN tae opinion OF DR.. Meiss rom ten To fourteen
days. II was placed IN plain coffin and dcceBtly
buried In the village graveyard.
THE rELL.rALE SHOES.
The reporter OF TnE suS, who visitcd Madison
after the intcrment OF the body, asked to see the
shoes found on the body, IA the ony articles lett by
which to IDENTITY the man or 10 TESTIFY Of the man
nor OF his death. The shoes were promptly pro
| duced by the Coroner, wnen the quick eye OF thC
reporter discovered a telling fact which had
Seosp'd notice at 'ho ,aquos'' The doctor
! on Ne body were made solely Tor the purpose
| OF Disagreement; but tnc SHOES, ~ well. bore
marks OF the knife, having a, least dozen snl II,
clean cuts on them from sharp-cdgcd but blunt
| weapon. Possibly the point OF toe blade had been
broken OF by collision with the ribs OF the victim
! or In some other manner during the scufle. Al
all events y csc cuts on tie shoes, slight and acc
dJatil plainly. aud tSo tuen, on tne sol es
! or the snoe-, showed eonclusiycly tat there
lad N,cn speIate s,ru gle lasting at least some
! minutes 4,nd 1t Was not until - sniie wa found
10 be impgact that tne bludgcou Gated
into play.
WHERE WAS THE DEED DONE
This fact tislcs the c,rrcnt theory that the man
was murdered on one OF the Sound steamers and
| thrown overheard such \ contest ~ prccedcd 4
| death would have alarmed ali ON board vessel
Then again the shoes were of a style usually worn
/ by neither sailors nor cUuutrymen. They are OF
tle Kind very commonly worn b. the better cl OF
! vorkmcn or mechanics IN town, who can AFFORD "a
change lheir ouin, throus1out ~ith Tue chances o.
the seasons and the weather They are peeuharly
! summer shoe for town wear. This fact ani the
general arpc rance OF the BODY, settled pretty
dc1rly the !aet that
ne WAS NOT SAILOR,
and would not have been likely to be aboard sail
. ing crlft.
! no person correspond TO the description OF this
body has been missed. indicate that tle corpse wa'
the victim OF iracas and probable robbery N some
| large town or city bordering on the SQUAD. The
improsson oi the majority oil those who viewed tb,
body was that the man was a freshman though
they not positive AZ to that. At all events, IA,
was murdered. Was he simply killed IN 1sht, il
Which lac was an equal participants or
WAS nE KILLED BY RoBBrRG
The absence o. his clothing indicates robbery
But wnete and when was this mysterious crime per
pctrated Nas II done in New Haven VI Bridge
port' "r dd the body u0al to lie place OF deposi
IRON this city,
profound mystery, visited both New Haven anC
Bridgeport, but without success. The police O
neither Of those cities know of my racas Of the kiut
ntmatcd by this discovery. nor are they aware o
the disappearance Uf any person at all resembling
TIE one murdered rom their respective Jurit dctiDns
But II may be- femcp. cred that II was Sun r.
porter who FIR, brOuglt to the notice OF the police
Of bridgeport the mystcr1 1us murder OF one oi th'
workmcn IN Howe sewing machine iac'oYy SOM
time ago, and that the DO ~ found n CITY lsauC
| aud mistaken tor that Of the iuglINc EZOld q
Union Hill. Their ignorance Is not, therefore, to b
| accepted as proof positive that no one IL missinl
| hOm tGus" towns Lotus have little invest -a;Iuu
Ihesc SOUND mysteries are becoming a''ose'NeF 'o'
common.
THE SLATE IN RROOKLTN.