The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-11
DIED A SOLITARY DEATH.
THE SKELETON OF TIE PEST
HOUSE KEEPER FOUND.


kin Discovered Under a Tree in the
Pest House Garden by a Farty of
Hunters-The Man Supposed to Have
Boer Killed by Fall From the Tree
Nearly a Month Ago.
The skeleton of Cornelius Larkin, the
keeper Of the pest house, was found yester-
day morning lying face downward under an
oak tree within 100 feet Of the hospital The
hospital is about two miles east of the city.
J. NJ. Asendorf and few friends started
out early in the morning for a hunt Assem-
dorf was well acquainted with the keeper Of
the pest house. He suggested that they go
and see him. When the hunters arrived
there Asendorf went up TO the house and
called tor Lorkin. Re received no answer
and called again.
The doors were open, and nothing came
back in response but the echo. Asendorf
then started in to find his friend, but no
trace of him could be found. 1t struck the
party strange that Larkin should go away
from the place aud leave the house open and
exposed, and his name was again shouted
out
SEARCH OF THE PLACE.
Asendorf waited few minutes aud, not
getting an answer, decided TO look around and
see what could have become OF the keeper
The first strange thing that greeted the eyes
of the hunters was the starved appearance
Of a few chickens and pigs which were wan
dering about In a droopy way. They started
toward the little garden where the keepers
raise vegetable truck and, upon entering it,
a sight met their gaze which caused them to
start backward with ordinations OF horror.
Under IA big oak tree, lying face downward,
was what had once been man but was now
a skeleton. One hand and piece Of the
arm was gone, and the bones of the neck
and cheeks were glistening white without a
particle of flesh upon them. The other
hand had few pieces of flesh clinging to 1t,
but that was rapidly decomposiug.
TUE AUTHORITIES NOTIFIED.
After waiting long enough to satisfy
themselves that the skeleton was Larku's,
tie hunters hurried into the city and mott
fed Coroner Dixon, Health Officer Drummer
and the police barracks Of their discovery.
Coroner Dixon and DR.. Drummer hurried
to the place at once and found things ex-
actly as had been related. The clothing on
the body was rapidly going to decay and
when the coroner turned Larkin over a
grinning skeletons face, with "a few pieces
of skin drawn like parchment on the fore
head, confronted him. The impression OF
the face in the earth was perfect, showing
that the body had laid in one
position long time. Under it
was broken saw and small limbs
were scattered around. A ladder
was leaning up against the trunk of the
tree.
A careful examination was made, but
there were no marks of violence visible upon
what was left of Larkins body. The theory
arrived at by both Coroner Dixon aud DIR.
Drummer Is that Larkin, while trim
ming the tree over his garden
in order to let the sun get to his
truck, fell from the ladder and was killed.
The limbs scattered around and the broken
saw under the body corroborate the theory.
LAST SEEN THREE WEEKS AGO.
The last time Larkin was seen alive was
March 10, On that day he talked with Sergt.
Lingg Of the police from the door
of the pest house while the
officer was making search
of the neiRhborhood for murderer Smith.
Coroner Dixon thinks from the condition of
the body that Larkin must have been killed
within day or two of that time.
The premises presented neglected APP
pearance and showed plainly that human
hands had not been in use upon them in
some time. In a coop were found several
young chickens dead and others on the
verge Of starvation. The poultry were
probably locked up by Larkin about the
time he met his untimely end. There was
only about a spoonful of water in cup 10
the coop and on this the few little chicks
which were alive, had managed TO sustain
themselves. The poultry around the yard
also was pretty well starved out and the
pigs had almost reached the razor-bsck
stage for want of food. 1t is thought that
buzzards must have eaten off Larkin's
missing hand.
DIED ALONE.
AS there has been no smallpox patients
in the pest house for several months there
was no necessity for Health Officer Drummer
to visit the place, and he hadn't been there
in some time. The road near the pest
house, however, is Travelled quite often by
colored people and it seems strange that
none Of them discovered the dead body of
the keeper. Had 1t not been for Mr. Assem-
DORIS visit it might have laid there another
month undiscovered.
There was nothing on which an inquest
could be based, and Coroner Dixon brought
the skeleton into the city and inferred it in
Laurel Grove cemetery.
Larkin was a man about 40 years old. He
had no relatives here, but Is said to have a
wife and children somewhere in the north.
He had been in Savannah about a year and
was appointed keeper of the pest house only
a few months ago by Mayor McDonough
Larkin was a man of very steady habits,
and liquor cannot be said to have caused
the accident. 1t was one of those unfort-
innate and unavoidable things which
ushered poor Larkin into the other world
when there wasn't a person around to
relieve his suffering, If any he had.