The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-03
" l Was Murdered by John R"
He Wrote as Life Was
Ebbing Away.
COULD NOT FINISH THE NAME.
A Former Partner Suspected of Hav.
ing Stolen the DEAD Mans
Fortune.

PORTLAND, Or. Sept. 2.-Barney w.
Illden, who few months ago moved to
South Portland from the ghborhood of
Jacksonville, is in receipt of letter from
brother, which clears a mystery of over
twenty years standing. TIIden's brother,
who is a miner living ten miles south of
Jacksonville, writes that he and two other
miners on Saturday last came across a
human skeleton lying in large rift of
quartz ledge on the side of mountain on
which they were prospecting
The remains, all but the skull and
shoulder-bones. were covered with almost
foot of drift rock, which it had taken
years to accumulate. The writer and his
companions were prompted to remove the
debris in the hope of finding something to
enable them to identity the skeleton.
81 was amaZed-yes stricken with inde-
scribabe terror added the writer.
"when l found it impossible for me to
avoid realizing that the remains before me
were those of your long missing brother
in-law. There is no question of the iden-
tity, for on the left little finger discovered
the identical amethyst that mother gave
him on Christmas day, 1873 To satisfy
me beyond any possible doubt that the
skeleton was that of Tom found by his
side package of nodded papers, most of
which were yet quite decipherable.
Among these papers were two of your let
tiers, written from Sacramento in August,
1875, and the rest were from Mollie.
The most fearful thing connected with
this discovery was an indelible pencil
scrawl on the face of loose letter, closely
resemb bling Toms handwriting, reading:
i was murdered by John R and then
followed a scrawl which could not be read.
1t seems to me that Tom must have lost
consciousness before he was able to finish
the sentence.
IAN examination of the skull disclosed
that it had been fractured. But if he was
murdered it could not have been for rob-
berry, because in the rift close by the re-
mains, we found his gold watch and $50
in gold and silver. Do you remember any
one whose name began with John r. who
associated with Tom?''
TiIden, who leaves for the south to-
night, says that in May, 1876, his brother
in-law, Thomas S. Darling, who had been
in business here short time, wrote him
that he was going to Southern Oregon to
look after some mining property. That
was the last letter Tilden ever received
from Darling.
Darling came here from California bring
ing with him between $4,000 and $1,000 to
engage in the real estate and brokerage
business. At that time he was almost %
years old, and ne took with him an old
schoolmate, Chauncey Demming, rs sort
Of partner. Tilden found Demming here.
but he could throw no light upon the
probable whereabouts of his friend.
Without wishing to burden you with 8
long story" remarked Tilden, ''I will only
add that poor Tom never was found, and
neither was the money he brought here
with him. Deming, though, returned to
California shortly after 1 came here, he
taking very little interest in Toms fate.
and located in San Francisco. Six months
later heard that he doomed up as min
ing-stock operator. I never knew him to
have dollar in Sacramento, but it was re-
ported to me that Chauncey was quite flush
when he went into stocks. / don't think
he killed poor Tom, but II take an oath
that he robbed him. Demming died at
the bay about a year ago as poor as a
church mouse, although at one time he
was rated at 500, 900, all MADE out of the
money believe ne stole from his unfortu-
nate friend