The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-29
DOWN AN OLD SHAFT
Accidental Discovery of the Dead Body
of Baby.
1T HAD BEEN BORN ALIVE
indisputable Evidence That the
Mother or Her Friends Made
Away With IL soon At
ter Its Firth.
1T HAD BEEN BORN ALIVE

The frail body of an infant that had
not lived more than "a hours at the
longest was found yesterday forenoon
In the Czaromah shaft at the corner
Of Porphyry and Idaho streets. The
mine has not been worked for a year
and It was probably supposed by the
inhuman mother and those who assist.
ed her in making away with the child
that 1t would fall to the bottom of the
200-foot shaft and all evidence of the
crime would soon be destroyed. In
falling, however, the body lodged on a
wall plate about 20 feet from the sur
face and an accident led to its discov-
cry.
On account of the location of the
Czaromah, unusual precautions have tc
be taken to keep children from falling
into 1t. The shaft is boarded over but
has trap door opening. and in order
to remove all danger the collar of the
shaft was surrounded by boards which
extended to height of Is feet These
protecting boards were torn off on one
side recently and Charles Walin was
sent down to the mine yesterday morn.
ing to replace them. He reached the
shaft about 10 O'Clock and found the
trap door partly open. More through
curiosity than anything else, he threw
the trap door back and at his first
glance down the shaft he saw the in
fant's body on the wall plate. He i'm
mediately closed the trap and came
up town and notified Officer J. j. An
derson, who turned the matter over &c
the coroner. The coroner and Chance
Harris accompanied Walin back to the
shaft and were Joined by T. b. Mulva-
ney who climbed down the ladder-way
and brought up the body. On the wall
plate beside the body he found a two
gallon tin bucket partly filled with
blood and a large piece of bloody brown
wrappingi paper. The supposition is
that the body had been placed in the
bucket and that the bucket and con-
tents had then been wrapped up in the
paper and thrown down the shaft
The body was taken to the Butte I'M
dertaking rooms, where DR.. c. V. Nor
cross performed an autopsy on il last
evening. He found that the body
weighed about 3 pounds and was that
of a healthy female child. The umbili-
cal cord was not tied. which is accept
ed as convincing evidence that the
mother was not attended by a doctor
and the body had not been washed
The examination established the i'm
portant facts that the child had lived
and that IL had never taken any nour-
ishment. The doctor stated that IL was
full term child, that II had never re-
ceived any care and he did not believe
that IL lived "a hours. He desired &c
make a further examination of some OF
the internal organs before expressing
an opinion as to the cause of death. 1t
might have died from neglect, and II
was his opinion that 1t was dead before
ii was thrown in the shaft. The only
evidence of violence was a bruise over
the right side of the head, which was
caused by coming in contact with the
wall plate.
The inquest will be held at the Butte
undertaking rooms at Z O'clock this
evening. The officers are working on
the case but have slight hopes of find
ing the brutal mother. Mrs. White
the matron Of the Women & Children's
home. called at the undertaking rooms
soon after the body was found but her
examination of II failed TO throw any
light on the matter She said that
about a week ago woman came TO the
home with a baby girl which had not
yet been washed. She wanted Mrs
White to take the child and offered &c
pay any price for its care. Mrs. White
refused to keep the child but washed
and dressed IT, She was positive that
the child which had been found was
not the one which she had seen.