Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-09
HOWD|DHEANO DEATH MEET
GrueSome Discovery in the VI
cinity of East Lake.
OEc Q 6EspOILEO
Remains ola White Man Past His Prime-No
Clue to Identity Orthe Manner of His
Taking OFF,

One of the most horrible and CHASTITY
finds ever reported in the history of Bir-
mingham since the celebrated Halves
tragedy was that made by Josh Wilson,
colored man, on Tuesday afternoon
late in hollow just over the hill to the
north from the rifle range of Camp Will
liam Luckie.
Wilson, while en- route home Tuesday
afternoon and in the aneighborhood de-
scribed, detected terribly offensive odor,
and, noting a number of buzzards, went
to where they had flown from and there
saw a sight which he will remember to
his dying day
Lying in small hollow was the de-
caying remnants of what was once a
human form, from which arose a stencil
sickening to inhale
The negro at once returned to East
Lake and notified some white people, and
a number of them, including Justice r..
Morris, repaired to the scene. The lat
ter made careful examination of the
surroundings and found on the ground
by tne body pair of Spectacles, copy
or the New York World of June 49, a
cob pipe, bottle, which evidently had
previously contained whisky, and a small
paper box. Almost all the flesh on the
upper portion of the body and head had
N~OAA
puzzards and only portion of his
pantaloons and vest were left, though
there was absolutely nothing found
whereby the body might be identified.
VINO the man was none of those pres
ent could say, nor had they the slightest
cue whereby to solve the mystery, and 1t
Is more than probable it will never be
solved. That the man was advanced in
years was attested by the gray whiskers
attached to the lower part of the face.
or rather of what had once been the low
er part OF the face
Coroner Jones being out of the civ
Justice j. M. Leonard is acting coroner.
and the Warner-Smiley Undertaking
company's dead wagon having brought
the remains to the city yesterday morn
ing, he had jury to view the remains,
which were ordered inferred at once in
lied Mountain cemetery.
Many and varied theories were adj
Vanced as to the cause of death, but each
was exploded or failed of affirmation.
1t was suggested by some that the man
had wandered out to where his remains
were found during the encampment and
while some of the soldiers were at target
practice stray bullet struck him and
cut short his career. This theory. how
ever, was exploded by the fact that the
paper discovered by his side was dated
June 2S and, having been printed in New
York, could not possibly have reached
III,
and on that date the visitors and occu-
pants OF Camp Luckie had almost for
gotten the existence of the camp
Another theory advanced was suicide,
still another murder and possibly others
that death came upon the man while in
a shady spot seeking rest and comfort
with his paper and corncob pipe
The only person as yet who claims to
nave seen any one who might possibly
have been the man who now lies in the
potters field in an unknown grave Is
Mr. Austin, gentleman living in the
nelghborhood where the remains were
found. On the 30th day of June he saw
a white man apparently about so years
old, wearing glasses and who had a bum
de- seemingly newspapers, and was GO
ing in the direction of where the remains
were found.
The remains, when brought to the
Warner Smiley company's Office were in
horribly decayed condition and utterly
In state which forbade handling them.
They were deodorized as far as practical
BILE and placed in a coffin and sent to
their last resting place.