The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-22
Rumor that It Had Been Left I'm q
Columbus, O., skeleton strfnger's
Place Found to he Untrue.
DIR. MEANs's EXPLANATION
THE HEAD WAS THAT OF A SUBJECT
DIssECTED IN COLLEGE.
TWAS the PROPERTY of q Medical stu
dent, Who Wanted n woman's skull
the Artfculator's Story.


ported here to-day that the head Of Pearl
Bryan, the Greencastle girl who was killed
near Fort Thomas. KY. hac been found In
this city. but the mystery of the head Is
still unsolved. The head supposed 10 he
that of Pearl Bryan. which had been turned
over TO G. V. Wing TO be prepared and
arficulated, was placed in the possession OF
Coroner Herbst tonight The medical stu
| dent who took the head TO Wing proves 20
be George Cole. of this city, who has
been attending the Ohio Medical University.
| Cole could not be found early this even
| ing, but DR.. w. j. Means. of the univ ,
sity, stated the head was that of subje L
which had been secured some time ago:
| that the students, in preparing IL for dis
section. had spoiled 1t by injecting too much
of the fluid used; that Cole wanted a skull.
and he presumed the head had been cut on
for that purpose. The head was buried for
several months in an ash barrel. Cole was
found later in the evening and corroborated
DIR. Means's story. DR.. Kahn. who ex-
amined the head. stated II was that OF
woman about thirty-five years of age. The
hair was blonde. sprinlsled with gray. The
only coincidence was that the head con-
| tanned twenty-three teeth. the same number
said 20 have been in the head OF Pearl
Bryan. The story of the discovery Of the
head. as printed in the afternoon paper. Is
given below.
| Pearl Bryan's head Is believed to have
been identified in this city. Chief OF Police
| Deitsch, of Cincinnati. has been notified by
| G. V. Wing articulator of human skeletons
for medical students. No. 81 North WASH
ington avenue. to send a fun descriD-
tion of Pearl Bryans head. On
| Thursday morning, early, while Wing
was still in bed, a man who gave his name
| Cole brought a woman's 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 beautiful
brown. The hair on The left side was mat
| ted to the head by blood. Wings 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. The head looked though
1t had been buried or frozen. A medical
student who examined IL said the head, in
his judgment had been severed By a person
| who understood something about surgery
A cleavage OF the head from the body. IL
Of Sn the nek %h on be ,ne be bas
| or the head. just above where IL was sew
cred from the body, there is a cut In the
| for the head In day or two. He seemed
| 60 be in a great hurry and has not been
heard from since He said he wanted the
M IN snape s s
hand. decided not TO clean the skull,
because he believed there was something
crooked about the case. The head In the
pail was wrapped in a small blanket. The
| student who examined the head was {. ).
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
college the hair would not have been braid
ed. Another suspicious circumstance surY
rounding the head was that II It had como
been taken from the skull AS 1t was. the
head was In good state of preservation.
The eyes were terribly sunken. and II wab
almost Impossible to conceive an expression
that IL the head had been taken from some
grave there would have been no blood cIots
posed. to be from second-growth ash, the
largest being about two inches across. both
ways. There are remnants OF other leaves.
The presence OF the leaves and the fact
that the back hair was braided led Mr..
| Wings thoughts TO at once revert 10 the
Thomas. Ky. He remembered having read
about the possibility OF the head being bur-
| "a, and as indications pointed 10 the fact
| had been buried or preserved I'm some ike
manner. he decided to ask advice as to what
he should do. Being advised by Frank
| Houghton and Charles Ferrell to notify the
police. Mr.. Wing hesitated In doing this. but
finally concluded that it would be best TO at
| least inform some official person OF his pos
| session of the head so he sent telegram
on Friday to the chief of police of Cincinnati.
| and asked that a full description OF the
| missing head Of Pearl Bryan be sent him.
1t was almost impossible 10 tell how the hair
was c0mbcd, but appearances indicated that
| the wearer was In the habit Of conbing 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 that the head be
bundled up and taken to a photographers.
where picture might be obtained This was
assented to by Mr.. Wing. who proceeded 10
bundle up the gruesome object. A remark
which is worthy of note. In selecting a
paper 10 wrap the head i'm. preparatory 10
placing IL in a telescope, Mr.. Wing picked
up a copy of Cincinnati paper containing
The head was photographed. IL would prob
ably be hard matter to identify the head in
its present condition. but Mr.. Wing suggest
ed that an expression might be procured by
placing glass eyes In the holes where the
eyes have sunk This will probably be done,
providing the Cincinnati chief OF police
places any credeDce in the story. 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 ne hears
head 70 his home. within few days. he win
turn tie head over 10 the city authorities.
A local newspaper recently published an
extensive description OF Mr.. Wings place q
neighbor having complained 10 the health
officers of the boiling Of bones. The sub
stance of this statement was wired to Cin-
cinnnati and elsewhere, which leads Mr..
Wing TO believe that his place was found nv