San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-16
MYSTERY GROWS DEEPER.
Supposed Dead Man Turns
Up Alive.
HE WAS THOUGHT TO HAVE
BEEN KILLED, PLACED IN
A BOX AND SOLD.
But Now Writes His Relatives That
He Is. Very Much Alive And
Has Never RepOSei In A
Cemetery-The Story
Complete.

Salt Lake, Utah, trunk mystery, has
turned up. He has written to his
mother and friends in Fayette, Ohio,
where his body was supposed to be
reposing in a grave in the Fayette
cemetery.
To the Fayette Record he has writ
ten a letter in which he says:
Il wish to inform my friends through
your paper that am living, notwith-
standing contrary reports. When 1
wrote home a short time since / found
some trouble in proving that l was
myself, for a strange combination of
circumstances seemed to prove that /
was dead.
Il lived in Fresno, Cal, two years;
in Halford, two years and the past
year in Los Angeles and Redlands.
Since leaving Puget Sound 1 have
lived under an assumed name, and any
one wishing to inquire will learn moth
ing discreditable by writing to the
places mentioned and asking for Harry
Price, by which name am known. OF
the cause which led me to take the
course 1 did 1 will say nothing, for
do not think could do it satisfactorily.
Il am a laundry man by occupation,
which business 1 have followed for
nearly five years.
"(Signed) OLIVER PIKE.
The letters to the Ohio newspaper
and his mother and friends are taken
as authentic and they no longer doubt
his identity. AS explained in his letter
he had some difficulty in establishing
the fact of his existence to his relatives
81 l,s fhnxy
thought, beyond a shadow of a doubt
Pixies temperance opens up the en-
tire case again and makes it a greater
mystery than ever. March Il, 1896,
Phillip Cries and Charles Haas, of
Austin, purchased large box at auc-
ton from an auctioneer who was SELL
ing a large quantity of unclaimed
freight for the Chicago and North
western railroad.
Two days after the box was opened
at Austin and found to contain a me-
dunn sized green trunk bound with
iron strips. The space between the
trunk and the sides of the box was
packed with sawdust. Several layers
of white oil cloth were wrapped around
the trunk. Within the trunk was a
zinc box, the cover soldered tight.
This box was also wrapped in oil cloth.
Within the inner box was found the
decomposed body of a man. 1t had
been bound with light rope, so as to
fit compactly in the box and some
chemicals had been placed around it to
destroy the flesh.
The box was shipped from Salt Lake
City, Utah, on the morning of Febru-
ray s, 1898. 1t was left at the freight
office of the Union Pacific at that place
the day before by a man giving his
name as G. NJ. Morgan and was billed
to G. NJ. Morgan, No. 166 Jefferson
street, Chicago. The freight was pre-
paid and the shipper took train os-
tensibly for the city. 1t was shipped
as household goods and weighed $40
pounds. The box arrived in Chicago
February Is and remained in the Chi
cago and Northwestern, freight depot
until July %, 1898. 1t was unclaimed
and notices sent to the address on the
box elected no reply. On that day it
was delivered to the ware house be-
longing to the auctioneer where it re-
manned for nearly three years. On
February it was decided to sell the box
at auction to get back the freight and
the consignee at Salt Lake, that he
would be given until February 2S to
pay the charges and redeem it. No
reply being received, the box was sold
and the discovery of the body follow
ed.
The address at 166 Jefferson street,
is the home of Mrs. Fred Mueller. She
knew nothing of the man Morgan, who
shipped the box except that an ex-
pressman had called few weeks be-
fore the box was sold and asked for
G. NJ. Morgan.
An examination of the body showed |
that the skull had been fractured in
two places, plainly indicating a muir
der. The blows were supposed to have |
been struck with a Ratchet.
Two clews were followed by the po- |
lice. Henry Devere and Bas. Marcel, |