, 1880-09-26
Horrible Discovery on the pr.;,;.
Near the West Side Car. ''
Shops.
The Remains Of H. A.. f>on..
Found Rotting in the -
Sun.
A shroud Of. Mystery Covers t1a n,,,.
Taking-0T. =

Chicago avenue, ut 1:3n yesterday of,as.' saa
| stumbled upon the badly decayed remnIns y.
human being lying in some very tall wee1, y. .L
! grasses no5 far from the fence surrnrns.ue .o
the shops. The stencil Wis 50 1,,o,."1*
BILE that they we're unable tn s,a: .Dsas
any investigations, and they REPORTED the ~ -
shortly thereafter at the West Chicazo Avsaso
etauon. ofhcers q. c. Larson and Gross ve-e
sent al once TO the scene with wagon in wb,ch
to remove the body to the Morguc- The tnyesti.
cations nude by them und others fndIcsts =,
most concusively that the m6n found inf - -.
weeds was murdered and placed there h; ~ ~
murderers with the express purpose of h..'
Ing the evidences Of their crime to,,1l
obfiterated by, the action +of AZ
wind, rnin. and sun. Every one ~
has any knowledge Of the affair. either dlrrct1.
or Indirectly, have all reached the concluacn
that It was a murder. There are poa.fb,hf..
that the man may have died Of heart-dfsease ~
apopte1y, but "several' circumstances notn+
directly to the murder theory: :..
Otncer Larson states that upon reaching tn
scene yesterday afternoon be went directly i :
small frame cottage. which stands a.fav
feet north Of Chicago avenue, about. M
a line WITH West Forty second i strna,t
which does not run through at this mini,
He went there for two reasons: The De ID bddv
was in the immediate vicinity, aud the house q.
peared to be Inhabited: as one window and .ha
rear door were open. This cottage was paas.h,v
well built. and was originally painted wuita mi
age has rendered tt but little better, than a
shanty. It faces the south: The officers raped
sponse, they entered at the :sopen door
Within. they found three spaail apartment
The bedding, clothing, and such few articles as
the room contained
WERE ALL IN CONFUSION. =.
h&f <,f
been fashioned out. Of common deal plaa9
Without any pretensions Of gnod workrnaha6;n
The bed consisted Of a; few pIanks na.led t.
> letter which had inst been finished. but which
bad not get been addressed; It bore the sigma
ture OF II. A. Conant. and WAS an appifcs-
and agency to be esta1sssd %
small scale in that locality. A rfcketT stosei iu
one corner had IL few half f-cooked articles apo1
IT. as snS t. the GEen were Gf aRpl
served rs pantry wore several pans at dough,
which had hardened. htue!molaed, and finaH
become inhabited. These things ali tudicated
duties.
After possessing themselves Of several bonessi
st,me letters found ia the pockets. the 9dsaets m
proceeded to examine the body. They followed
their noses. Or rather were led by the smelling
sense, to point abeut seventy-fve feet north.
feet' in hight they found the body: % i isas was
ly,ns On h5a.+6 5hs back aad The p2tuEnsd es
81 zS2n ss T. sa.n .ss stl
The bands we're fa. ahd olaekened also Tho
snul looktng-glass. which the deceased was
evidently 10 the hahit Of carrying m IN inner
pocket fear BY we're found an old clay pipe. 2
! cistern had at some % tlne 1'l previous oeea s
located there, and lastly several billeu
of wood. But what most attr,cted the At
left pocket Of the pantaloons was turned instia
ont.- This and the position Of the looklne-glass
'Meemed M to indicate that the pockets bad been
oody was 50 fearful that the odicers could nos
summon the foFt1tude to search tha>- clothtngnr
% make any further Investigations 4 nd h
meal that they found Themselves abba
% remove the body from: the ground to thu
wagon. It was dirty job. The scalp with the
aair was loose, and 10 their h,1ste to leave the
olace they think they left that behind.
Corrupt as was this mass, 1t was identified a
the remains Of H. A. Conant, the sole inhablt-
mt Of the house The clothing: a. peculiar
Tho- knew Cuuant- 0tacer Larson spatcded
he party to the Morgue with the. remains, aud
1e remained to make what little ;tnves1isauoa
le ct,uld before nfRhtfal- He judged <hnmIhe
,ondi1on Of things
>. THAT II WAS A MURDER. ;...:-.
md made close examination of 7tna house, 1t
he hii1ets Of wood. and Of a hammer and aatch-
t which were found upon the premises. but no-
ondidon Of things In the house might or might
'oE indicate struggle One thing IN .parttcu-
,tr struck him forcibiy. The place where %
s' BODY %an was sou1S tGons Select rai m
rnoke- Neither was it in lire: nor ia:the Rstt
eading to any OF the outhouses, or to httle
n ffa fFHeF ff1 ha
he ctstern led him to think that the body after
lea had been dragged to the place Tor ne
nrpose Of hiding o. buryt9x Il Il, .a t9e ,old
erers concluded to iesvs It theirs uaburled.
The cottage is an isolated one. the nearest
hing to It being; the carsshops fence; omSer s
eop'e that the dead body Of q maa had been
hund on the prairie: ''I'u bet its Conant. Wai
be first reply made to 'hiu,. He nnally found
cared to know more about Connnt'e habtts than
ny one el "a. From him it was ascettained tnas
nnant was formerly cook on some lake vesse,
er husband as cook. on some vessel aIso; s
onant was very we'll liked il the shops, ana naa
rogressed from one department 70: anotnae
nring the few uonths he vas employee M II tae's ng.
'iatne twenty acres Of land some time tass
pring. and for a time his sister lived With MN
nd kept house wn: frugal and ,I7 1du.oa Ea,aoa;.
onant came to him and said that he
Id not intend to work the following day. WHICH
as Saturday. ~ while be was Ut work the PIT
eding Thursday burgiars had visited bis houso
1d had stolen bis Sunday suit Of clothes. Pats
hoots and some other articles Of some yaiae,
nd II vas big inte9on to gdeEn teSP X ihorSt
Of apprcheud the thieves. He: further
lid that he intended to watch oat
'r thieves. as he expected them to make az
her xis!t to the house and that LIE tae{ saa2
arm for them This was the last seen nf nm
i've, so far AZ known at present. Nor s.as
nown whether be -epUrted bis Loss. .ae pc III.
uded doing It was not until tha; fuahHta3
hursday that Mr-~ Tutt1e sent IN. en- lpin,a ~
amed Joseph Kerr to Conants dwelling 70 seo
,rted that the house was abandoned. ana has
80 = ConASr WAS not 70 BE rouKp.f ! !.
ugularly ennuah nu f,1rfher intention was Pn3e
rHotren HoDu. ~
Hut little Is known OF the dead mans antesl
dents- he claimed to be New fofkef. ~ ~
ae Of the letters in the house was fr1'm. ~
uther in Detroit He was about IS yeaFs =
e, five feet seven inches tall. stnutly buliw liz
ID manner of dress The pame Of his brntnss w
-law Is unknown. as Is also the name o. ~"
Close inquiry has been made at the shops snd
Lfeefer'6 boarding- house, where Conant me-
rmerly, as to whether he had anY eaemics "
e. robbers, and emphatic negatives .as tng
spouse to each question. There Ens 64o pnms
m at the shops, and though he might nate
zen miser with bis mouey; yet it Is fhonx1x
Mt be- had little else than the san
e him. Some. persons mora int,nnss t.1mn