Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-05
A Skeleton in the Woods.

The Bones of Supposed westchester
 Murderer Discovered in a Cave.
 From the New York Herald.l
 At the mouth of cave near the Connecti cut line in the town of North Castle Vest chester county, surrounded by dense wood and frowning ledges has been found the skeleton of man which must have lain there this city, being on 8 visit to his father near Armonk, took his dog and gun on Friday afternoon and started in quest of game Toward night the dog came rushing through the bushes toward his master as though something had astonished him. His hair stood straight up on his back and he parked Tn such peculiar and unusual way that Mr. Miller felt somewhat uneasy His first thought was that some wild animal might be in the vicinity. With the fear of partners in his mind and his gun before his eyes, he cautiously followed the dog, which readily led the way toward Q project ing ledge. Mr. Miller looked carefully at the priming of his gun and stood prepared to shoot upon the least provocation When the dog came to the mouth of the cave he parked and made such an awful fuss that the hunter thought the cave was the nest of some fero- clous beast. Creeping cautiously up behind the dog, MT. Miller peered into the mouth of the cave, and there he saw something that frightened him worse than anything he could have imagined of the wild beast species. Sticking out of the mouth of the cave were apparently the feet and legs sf man, the shoes and the pantaloons being all that could be seen. Mir. Miller lost no time in oettinp to the village and giving the alarm arriving there about an hour after dark Coroner Schirmer was summoned from White Plains. and arrived there about midnight, finding the whole village awake ready to proceed with him to the woods. Miller and his dog led the way, and after some delay and diff tv ha tha o;,l oeA Il, dog, who seemed to understand his impor- tance as a discoverer. The coroner caught hold of the shoes, and pulling at them he fell over backward, to the great consterna- tion of the spectators. The supposed corpse was Q skeleton, and the bones had given way when the coroner pulled at the feet. The coroner finally brought the skeleton out and carefully examined it. The body had been that of man of medium height and size The bones were encased in gaiter shoes pan taloons, shirt vest and coat, the texture of which were badly damaged. The hair on the skull was sandy and was in good state of preservation. The pantaloons were dark ribbed and the coat and vest were of dark cloth, the shirt being of some colored mate- rial. The forehead was of peculiar shape sort of deformity appearing in the bone which protruded just above the eyes.
 PROBABLY THE SKELETON OF MURDERER.
 This deformity, it is believed, leads to the identity Of the skeleton. It Is supposed to be that of Edward Weeks, who killed his brother in-law, James Fisher, near Mamaro- neck, Westchester county, on the 9th of Sep tember, 1875. The two men, who resided together, had quarrel in their dwelling that night, in the course of which Weeks shot Fisher with navy revolver, killing him in- stantly, and then attempted the life of Mrs. Fisher, his sister.
 Weeks fled, and although he was known to have subsequently, visited another sister, re- siding near Mount Kisco he was never heard from in any other place. The murder creat- ed considerable excitement in the county Sheriff Carpenter offered $500 reward for his arrest, and other rewards were offered. Officers secured the country for him, and at one time surprised him in the house of his sister but he escaped to the woods through the back door as the officers entered the front The thory of the coroner is tha5-ifShe skeleton is Weeks he tools,up his abode in the cave and either died of star vation, exposure, or committed suicide The cave bore evidences of having been occupied. A comb, knife, 8 rusty tin cup and several other articles were found inside, beyond where the skeleton lay. The cave is in Io- seek as hiding place. The bones were carefully examined and no marks of violence were found. The skeleton was apparently perfect. It must have lain where 1t was found at least five years and perhaps longer and as this time tallies with the time elapsed since the disappearance of Weeks, the gen. eral verdict of the Westchester officials is that the murderer's bones have been found.