The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-20

Italian, whose dead body was discov-
cred in a field near the corner of
Eleventh South and Fourth West
streets yesterday afternoon. The cir
cumstances point to a brutal murder
having been committed The evil
dences of foul play are. though purely
circumstantial. overwhelmingly on
that side, though there is a possibility
! that the deceased committed suicide.
The authorities are of the opinion it
was the former.
The place where the body was found
is low marshy field with water
standing over the most of it. 1t was
covered with bullrushes. and it was in
burning them off that the corpse was
found. In the throat of the dead man
was found three wounds made by a
knife. and in the body two gunshot
wounds. All were of a nature to have
made it practically impossible to have
been self-inficted
Delvecchio was the father Of Joseph
and Graciano Delvecchio, two produce
and fruit peddlers, the former OF whom
lives within a block or two of where
the corpse was found and the latter
in the northwestern part of the city.
Delvecchio ST. disappeared about two
weeks ago, and the fact was reported
to the police. and notice of it made
in the newspapers. No particular
search. however, is known to have
been made.
The circumstances of the finding of
the body were these:
AT about o'clock yesterday after
noon Adam Spears, who lives in the
vicinity of Eighth East and Fourth
South streets, reported at police head
quarters that the body of a dead man
had been found in a field near the
corner of Eleventh South and Fourth
West streets. He gave no details of the
condition of the body, saying he had
not stopped to make an examination.
but had come post haste to report the
find.
Mounted Officer. o.. P. Pratt was at
the station at the time and started for
the scene He was followed a few mo-
ments later by Coroner Offenbach,
who was notified by Desk Sergeant
Livingston. Arrived at the field, the
body was found at the spot indicated
by Mr.. Spears. about ten rods in from
either road. 1t lay on the right side
in slight impression it's weight had
made in the bog, in which the water
stood about two inches deep The
head lay on the right arm, and the left
arm, the hand of which had been
some time amDutated, rested on the
left side. The position was a natural
one and the dead man had all the
appearance of being asleep.
The body was dressed in q blue army
overshirt. blue demins overalls, coarse
underwear and coarse shoes. a sack
coat of common black material, lay
folded just behind the body. Imme-
diately back Of the head lay black
felt hat, quite new, bearing the imprint
of Mullett Bros
Officer Pratt had reached the place
considerably in advance of the coro-
ner and had made brief examination.
ITS a case of murder ne said TO
Coroner Ofenbach as he drove up. The
coroner's investigation tended to bear
out the CONCLUSION.
In the dead mans throat were three
gaping wounds, two on the right side
ard one On the left and all looked as
though a knife had been thrust in and
then twisted around. The jugular vein
was severed in each instance.
On picking up the nat a 44-caiibre
American Bulldog revolver was found
underneath with all the chambers
empty. Then the coroner commenced
looking for gunshot wounds and found
two.
The buiiet which caused one of the
wounds entered the right side just
above the hip and apparently ranged
down through the abdomen and the
other entered the right breast and
ranged toward the spine. Neither of
the bullets came out After a thorough
examination of the body a search for
the knife that caused the wounds in
the throat was made but though the
coroner and officer went over the
ground very thoroughly they found
nothing of it. This was rhe circum-
stance that created the suspicion of
foul play. The gIlnshot wounds might
have been inflicted by the deceased
himself, it was judged, although their
position was in each case such as 10
have rendered it a very difficult mat
ter for him to have done it. Even the
knife wounds might have been self in
ficted but their appearance made IT
seem highly improbable that they were
and when the knife could not be found
the suspicion of foul play became a
conviction.
Investigating further, wagon tracks
were found which showed that We
hicle of some kind had entered the
field, as a gate at the southwestern
corner, was open, indicating that the
team was driven to the spot where the
body was found and then back and
out. Mr.. Spears is said to have stated
that Re had never known of a wagon
being in the field. This was one more
suspicious circumstance and there was
another. The coroner, in his examina-
ton, found that the clothing of the
left side was saturated with blood.
whereas there was none on the right
side where the bullet had entered. and
on which the body lay 1t seemed
clear the man did not die in the posi-
ton found, but instead had been con-