The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-27
HIS TEETH ON RECORD
Willard Blanch Probably the Man
Whose Body Was Found.
Close Identification by a Dentist-Rifle
Found on the Canal Bank
A Faint Clew.

The Identification of the body found in
the canal bank morass on Saturday as that
of Willard Blanch. as announced in the
Journal yesterday morning, was completed
yesterday afternoon by a careful examina-
ton made by DR.. Robert Oliver, the dent
list, OF the teeth in the skull of the dead
man. There is but little room for a mis-
take, closely did the description Dr.
Oliver had on file compare with the teeth
taken from the skull by the coroner, who
is also now positive that the remains are
those of Blanch. Superintendent Powell
present yesterday afternoon when the
examination was made and he has his de-
tectives now working a clew that may
lead to some interesting developments.
The identification by the teeth was some
what unusual, but it was made thoroughly
reliable by the record which DR.. Oliver
keeps of all the work he does. He has
blank diagrams of the human teeth and
the work a patient is sketched on one
of these diagrams. Different colored inks
are used for the different operations, and
the drawings made indicate every peculiar
ity about the filling or the operation on
the teeth. Blanch first came to DR.. Oliver
four years ago, and up to Oct 16. 1891, mad
six teeth treated. The dentist fairly
dition to the work on the teeth, further
aids in Identifying the skeleton at the
morgue. Coroner Beck brought the teeth
he had taken from the skull to DR.. oliver,
and the dentist produced his diagram to
make a comparison. The diagram showed
that the two central incisors had contour
filings of gold on the mesial surface, that
is, between the two teeth The work on
these two teeth was done in May, 1891.
Previous to that time Blanch had had one
Of these same teeth filled, but, one of the
teeth coming in contact with q spoon,
portion of the enamel had broken off, This
necessitated a peculiar filling in order to
give foundation. The gold was placed on
the tooth in the shape of an a." Both Of
the central incisors taken from the skull
correspond perfectly with the description.
The diagram showed that the right lateral
incisor had been extracted for the relief
Of an alveolar abscess, and both DR.. Oliver
and the coroner had seen evidence In the
skull where there had been just such an
abscess, and where the tooth had been re-
moved. The left lateral tooth had been
filled temporarily with cement, which had
partially worn away, and when DR.. Oliver
referred to the diagram there was the
proper description OF this tooth. There
were now two more teeth that had been
MY diagram" said DR.. oliver, shows
that the left superior cuspid and the BIZ
cuspid had been treated, the nerves killed,
one Of these teeth is filed open you will
find the little red material in the nerve
canal If the body is that of Blanch.
DR.. divers assistant in the presence Of
the coroner filed one of the teeth apart,
and there was the red filling in the nerve
Not in two cases in one hundred thousand
would you find six teeth treated in exactly
TINS manner, sad the dentist i remem-
Cnff hot
found near his body. remember the K.
of p. PIN and think remember seeing
| the alligator tooth on his cravat."
Blanch's father, who lives at Frankfort
was present. and he was convinced that it
was his sons body which was found on
the. canal bank; The young man, when
| last seen, was leaving the lodging house
| of Mrs w. ID. Chitwood, at 211 East Wash
ington street. During the latter part of
severe headaches. While he was confined
TO his room a committee from the K. of p.
| little money. but his father had promised
| TO pay for his board. The father intended
to come to Indianapolis early in June but
had been detained at Frankfort through
| sickness. Ee wrote his son that he would
come down as soon as he was able to leave
Early in June Blanch left the lodging
house one day, telling Mrs. Chitwood that
he was going out of the city He left his
watch with her TO give to his father, and
| told her TO also turn over to his father the
clothing which he left, and, in case his
AdlueT ulu not appear, 10 give the clothing
| to the first beggar that came along At
| that time he was moody and complaining
Of Of headaches t9lt les Mr. Chitwood feels conf;
| Saturday Is the same as that worn by
that b, when he disappeasred; He also says
habit Of occasionally going out to Fairview
Before his disappearance Blanch wrote
| his father that he was going to visit
| brother in Chicago, but inquiry afterward
showed that he had not been in that city
| The father Of Blanch heard yesterday that
| a colored man had told a friend that Blanch
| yer last summer. and that he was working
in a saloon there. The manner i'm which
| the negro told the story will cause the
| superintendent of police to hunt for him.
| The negro said that Blanch had formerly
| worked In Denver in 1886. but this is not
true.
Last fall, o. w. Sicklin. an employe of
the waterworks company, found a rusty
rifle within a short distance from where
F.; the body was found. Water works en-
| ployes say that towards the close of the
| summer they noticed an unusual stencil
in the neighborhood of the Lee farm but
| no investigation was made. The man found
| through the body and either burying itself
| in the ground or finding its way some dis
| lance from the place where the body was
| lying. Coroner Beck came to the conclu-
| sion, last night, that it was a case OF sui
| eide, although he finds several facts that
| would dispel this theory. The wire fence
| that was near the little spring where the
| children made their discovery was undis-
| turbed, and from this it would seem that
| the body was not carried to the place
| where IL was found. The rifled pockets
! and the empty pocketbook, however, keep
| the suicide theory from being a clear one
| unless, perchance, some one came along
| afterwards and robbed the dead body.
| Coroner Beck has sent Constable Brum-
| ley TO Broad Ripple to summon Sicklin, the
| man who found the rife last fall, to at
| tend the inquest to-day.
|