Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-03-22
special to the Register.

Columbus Ohio March 21.-Chlel ol
Police Dietsch, of Cincinnati, has been
notified by G. V. Wing, matriculator OF
human skeletons for medical students,
to send full description of Pearl Bryan's
head. On Thursday morning early,
while Wing was still in bed, a man who
gave his name as Cole, brought a wo-
mans head in tin bucket to Wings
place. The back hair was braided, the
front hair combed back and the color OF
the hair, which is from sixteen to
twenty inches in length, is a beautitul
brown. The hair on the left side was
matted to the head by blood. Wing S
suspicion was aroused that something
was wrong for the reason that students
do not present work in which blood Is
a feature of the subject. In addition
dry leaves were in the matted hair.
Cole said he would call for the head in
a dav or two. He seemed to be in a great
hurry and had not been heard from
since. The presence of leaves IN the
hair and the fact that the back hair was
braided, led Mr.. Wings thoughts to at
once revert to the Pearl Bryan murder
mystery at Fort Thomas, KY, and he
at once notified the Cincinnati police
after which he had the head photo
graphed. Mr.. Wing expects to hear
from Cincinnati soon, and will then
know what to do with the head. In
any event he states that unless he hears
from the so-called Mr.. Cole who
brought the head to his home within
few days he will turn the head over TO
the city authorities.
A medical student who examined 1t
said the head in his judgment, had
been severed by person who under
stood something about surgery. The
cleavage Of the head from he body was
made on a line with the chin which
would leave most of he neck on the
body. On the back Of tle head Just
above where it was severed from the
body there is a cut in the flesh of the
skull. Cole said he would call for the
head in a day or two. He seemed to be
in great hurry and has not been heard
from since. He said he wanted the
bones preserved in good shape and not
cut. The head in the pail was wrapped
in a small blanket The student who
examined the head was c. S. Burnside.
The man who brought the head to the
house was about FIVE feet eight inches
in height, had a small light mustache,
and would weigh probably 155 pounds.
Mr.. Wing says if the head had come
from a medical college the hair would
not have been braided. Another sus-
picious circumstance surrounding the
mead was that if it had come from a
medical college the flesh would have
been taken from the skull. AS it was,
the head was in good state OF preser-
vation. The eyes were terribly sunk
and it was almost impossible TO con-
ceive an expression Of the features. Mr.
Wing further says if the head had been
taken from some grave there would
have been no blood clots about it, as
the blood would have been entirely
eradicated by death. The presence Of
leaves in the hair and the fact that the
back hair was braided. led Mr.. Wings
thoughts to at once revert to the Pearl
Bryan murder mystery at Fort Thomas,
Ky. He remembered having read about
the possibility of the head being buried
and as indications pointed to the fact
that the head which he had in his pos
session had been buried or preserved
in some like manner, he decided to ask
some advice as to what he should do.
Being gadvisedby Frank HoughtOn and
Chal Ferrell to notify the police, Mr..
Wing hesitated in doing this, but final
~ concluded that it would be best to at
least inform some official person of his
possession of the head, so he sent tele-
gram TO the chief of police of Cincin
natl, and asked that a full description
of the missing head of Pearl Bryan be
sent him. 1t was almost impossible to
tell how the hair was combed, but ap-
pearances indicate that the wearer was
in the habit of combing the front hair
back from the forehead. Mr. Burnside,
the medical student, says the head was
severed between the atlas and axis, just
above the hyoid bone.
A reporter requested the head to be
bundled up and taken to photoghaph-
er's, where a picture might be obtained.
This was readily acquiesced to by Mr.
Wing. who proceeded to bundle up the
cidence occurred about the time, which
is worthy OF note. In selecting a paper
to wrap the head in, preparatory to
placing it in a telescope, Mr.. Wing
picked up a copy of a Cincinnati paper
containing a full account of the Pearl
Bryan tragedy.
The head was photographed by Baker
It would probably be hard matter
to identify the head in its present con-
dition, but Mr.. Wing suggested that an
expression might be secured by placing
glass eyes in the holes where the eyes
have sunk. This will probably be done.
provided the Cincinnati chief of police
places any credenee in the story. Mr..
Wing expects to hear from Cincinnati
soon, and will then know what to do
with the head.
A Cincinnati newspaper man who
came up from Cincinnati tonight. ex-
amined the head, ant says the resem-
blance to Pearl Bryan is in some re-
sDects remarkable, but the teeth are
hardly as we'll preserved as those Of
the Bryan girl. The matter is being
investigated with great care
Late tonight, Walter Moccabee, a