The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-13
RACE WITH DEATH.
A Naked MBninc's Fatal Run Through
TorturingI Beds of Cactus.

A Naked Msninc's Fatal Run Through
.rorturinE Beds of Cactus.
Early in the morning q few days ago the
nude body of & man was found on the Ca
huenga branch of the San Fernando wagon
road, about twelve miles from Los Angeles,
Just south of Burbank and near the Los
Angeles river, says the San Francisco
Chronicle. A number of people soon gath
cred around the body, and sitter holding q
hurried consultation the remains were Gov
cred with pieces OF old carpet and sacks
and Coroner Weldon was notified. The
cnroner and his assistant. Ben Cove, hur-
ried to the spot and began an investigations.
The body was living in the middle OF the
road, and for several hundred yards from
the spot where the body was found the dirb
was p%loughsd up, showing that tho dead
man had fallen down a number of times
and had paved around in the most frantic
manner. Ills last struggle took place when
he died. and from the looks of the ground
it must have been terrible. The poor
wretch had ploughed his head into the
ground until it was horribly mashed and
his arms and hands were badly bruised and
scratched. but the %strangest part of the
thing is that there is no Indication that q
second person was present.
There were no other tracks in the vicinity
than those made by his bare feet, and if he
fought with aLy one the person must have
been on horseback. An examination of his
limbs showed that he had passed through
several beds of cactus, for his legs and
body were literally full of cactus thorns,
and the blood must have flowed freely from
his numerous wounds until death released
him.
No one in the neighhorhood could identify
him. On the way back to the city the
coroner and his assistant stopped every
! puo than mat mud Ind thar, rin,, tla Fona
but no one had ever zeen the dead man
before, and unless something il found in
his clothing which can be recognized his
identity will never be discovered. The man
is five and a-hnlf feet in height and blonde,
with a short chin beard and moustaches,
He is either u German or Russian Finn and
seems to be about ID or so years Of age. Ho
had the appearance of a laboiing man in
good health. He was powerfully built and
had rather Il good face.
Shortly after the coroner redched the
city he received a message that the mana
clothing had been found. The officers mt
Burbank followed the dead mans tracks
about four miles from where his body was
found, and discovered what at first APP
pearea to bs Il newly made grave. The dirt
was thrown up III the sha pc of Il grn 20, and
it had evidently been ma do only a few
hours before. On opening it they found Il
suit of clothes which evid emily belonged to
tho dead man, but the message did not
state whether or not any papers we're found
by which the man may be identified.
He had no tools with which to dig a hole,
and must have used his fingers, for the
nails are terribly tom and show that ha
dug the hole like a dog and then placed hin
clothes in it, including his coat and shoes.
The ground is hard clay, and it must have
taken him several hours to dig the grave.
He then covered his clothing and rounded
up the earth in the form OF a mound. Ii in
supposed that no did this early i'll tho
night, and then started out on his wild
chase through the cactus patches. He
passed through places that would cause a
man with thick clothing and heavy boots
to shudder and turn back, and il Ia \ won
der that he did not drop OF exhaustion and
loss OF blood and pain long before hs did,