The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-30
ATE HIS OWN FLESH.
The Tell.Tale Marks Found on
Fr0Zen Corpse.

\ couple OF hunters passing under the
long treStle of the Cincinnati Southern road
near Ludlow, KY, recently made horrible
discovery. The trestie is fully 800 feet in
length, and spans a wide, deep rayine,
through tile middle of which runs a creek.
Both banks are covered with thick under
brush and small trees and from the cross
ties to the creek there is a sheer descent Of
100 feet.
As the hunters made their way with diff
Guilty along the banks Of the stream an OBJ
ject On the rising ground, half concealed by
the Shrubbery, attracted attention. They
went closer and found it was the dead body
of a man. The corpse was in a ha!f-sitting
position, the head thrown back against a
stunted bush. On the distorted feat
ures was the very picture OF intense
agony. One side of the face was frighlfully
bruised and discolored. The eyes were
wide open, with the dull. stony stare of
death. The fingers OF the right hand were
stuffed in the mouth, almost bitten in two,
and the jaws had seemingly closed upon
them with the lock of desperation and de-
Iirium. CIutching the edge Of the coat was
the other hand, or rather what remained Of
the member. AS the hunters looked. they
sckened and turned from the ghastly sight.
Tile flesh of the fingers had been gnawed
away until the bones were almost clean ana
held together only by the shriyeled tendons.
SnredS of flesh hung from the skeleton hand
40 il held the cloth IN the death clutch.
The man had actually been driven to eat
LIS own flesh, and after tearing the meat
from one hand had begun on the other.
Desperate from the pangs Of hunger he had
showed the fingers So far in his mouth that
IN lis weak state death met little resistance
when it came to interrupt the CORY repast
The dead man was recognized by one of
the party, Frank Baldwin, as John Macin-
ash, a well-kn0wn young man OF Ludlow.
Tie deceased was 10 years old and the son
of Councilman Macintosh. Saturday after
noon he left town 10 go to Granger, trip
which he frequently made. He was we'll
known tn the trainmen and general favor
lie among them. He would often ride on
The engine or in the cabonse. Erianger was
REACHED without any mishap. Macintosh
decided to return home, and got In the ca
bgOse Of freight \ o u, which left Erlanger
at 30 o'clock. While on the trestle, which
is a mile southwest of Ludlow, the train
broke in two. That part attached to the
Caboose stopped in the middle of the
trcstle, which at that point Is over ninety
feet high. Macintosh got out on the top of
the cabOose and watched the trainmen re-
pair the damage. Just then passenger
train hove in sight. 1t was half an nour
late and coming at a high rate Of speed.
There was a shrek of danger, q changing OF
bells, and the putting, tossing engine was
brought to a standstill only half a car length
from the cabcose. 1t was a narrow escape
from frightful collision on the trestie, and
the trainmen rejoieed that horror had
been averted. No thought was given to
young Macintosh. He had been seen stand
ing on the top of the cab. and when he
failed TO make his appearance the freight
crew supposed that he had been taken up
by the passenger train. 1t was a terrible
surprise to All when the bruised. frozen
body was found.
An examination made by the railroad
hands Of the spot where young Macintosh
was found showed plainly that the unfortu-
nate man had crawled some distance on his
hands and knees up the side of the ravine
in a desperate effort to reach the top and
the railroad track, where he could attract
attention.
Night passed, then the day and another
night of horror. Either from the force of
hunger or else driven insane by pain and
suffering, he had deliberately torn .he flesh
from his fingers and devOured il. The body
wRs badly bruised on the right side, but
whether the injuries from the fall had
caused a lingering death could not be deter
mined. There were grounds for the belief that
exposure, more than the accident, had con-
tributed to the awful fate He had lain out
there in the rain, snow and bitter cold for
three nights aud two days.