The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-19
MADE A GRUESOME FIND
A Startling Discovery in the
Mountains Near Neihart.
ASkElET0N IN THE WOODS
Papers Found Show 1t Was the Body OF
Victor Emile GIrardin. Who Disap-
peared in Ise3-Probably
Lost the Trail.

All that is known concerning the skele-
ton recently found at Neihart. and which
was Identified as that Of Emil Girariin. a
swiss who formerly lived in Butte, where
he took out his first naturalization papers.
is told by the Neihart Herald. as follows:
"A most startling discovery was made
last Sunday by b. o. Kempfer and w. 5.
Jennings. while they were out hunting on
the slope of Dry Fork Badly, about 10 or
Il miles east of Neihart. They were on
the ridge between the waters of the North
Fork and the Dry Fork of Belt creek and
not far from the head of Carpenter creek.
when, in one Of the widest places of the
mountains, they stumbled upon the skele-
ton of a man far advanced i'm the stages
or decay. The bones of the trunk lay
very nearly i'm their natural position, but
the skull was found about 20 feet away
and down the slope, with the lower jaw
broken.
About Is feet up the hill from the
trunk, and lying close to a clump of trees.
was found a coat and vest, both of which
had gone far into a state of decay. The
coat was of dark c~heckered wooden. There
was no overcoat, and only a few traces of
other clothing. principally those Of under
wear.
"Wha had led a man to such a place
was naturally a mystery. 1t is a dry ridge.
FAR from water, and there was no sign of
a camp having been pitched I'm that place.
IL was a place where nobody would camp.
hempfer and Jennings searched diligently
for any signs to indicate that death had
resulted from violence. but found none
further than the fracture of the lower law
as mentioned before. The other bones are
intact. They locke for knife or other
weapon, but found none. Neither was
there a pick or other tool to indicate his
calling.
But upon lifting the coat. the lining
and pockets of which had rotted. they
saw a pocketbook and some papers fall
to the ground. The pocketbook. or purse.
was of fine Russia leather and silk lined,
but all il contained was a silver 5O-cent
piece. The papers were too weather.
beaten TO permit of much handling, but
the boys found from one of the papers
the mans first name was Emile, and that
he had declared his intention to become a
citizen of the United States i'm the district
court of Silver Bow county when Ben or
Reuben l.. Davis was clerk Of said court
and Montana was a territory.
"Other papers showed that he was n
French-Switzer. He was five feet eight
or nine inches high and wore a No. 40
coat. He must have weighed 40 or $50
pounds. His coat and vest had evidently
been hung upon a limb of the tree and
had fallen to the ground.
"All else had persisted. There was no
sign of either shoes or hat. The bones
had been somewhat knawed by squirrels
and rats and looked as If they might
have been exposed to the weather for "A
period Of five or ten years. The teeth
were good, but some Of them, dried loose,
were dropping from their sockets.
The chain Of evidence thus gathered
would seem to indicate that the lead
stranger had been passing over the range
to or from Yogo or Wolf creek and had
been taken sick at this place. where he
persisted. II II had been winter time his
coat would not have been off or he would
have had an overcoat, which Is not true.
This also dislodges any theory Of his
having frozen to death.
IF he had been killed by wild beasts
the ribs and other bones would have been /
broken and many of them would have
been eaten. The bones are not broken.
The fact is fairly wei established that he
died i'm the summer time from sickness or
from heart failure superinduced by oN-
after he had been lost.
The discoveries of this CHASTITY object
brought the pocketbook with the papers
and money to town and turned them over
To the Herald for the purpose Of inyesti-
cation. They also brought the skull down
To their cabin on Cardrnaer creek. The
declaration of intention" was so far de-
cayed as to be almost imposs, BILE to han
But II has been pasted together upon
a sheet OF strong paper and sent to the
clerk of the district court Of Silver Bow
for comparison with the records
and possible identification. No word has
been received from 1t.
'"The other papers were carefully ar
ranged upon a table I'm a strong light and
to a microscopic inspection.
The evidence was fraEmentary. The
leaves were black with age and the ink
had become pale. But enough was learn
"a 20 p.4frF.= a.vrg.ag,.. - A.. III.
he subject, William Mueller. who reads
lent valuable assistance I'm the
translation. The paper was a certifcation
" Identification of Victor Emile Girardin
ssued by the council Of citizenship of
de Berne, Switzerland. and signed
W the project or police commissioner II
states that he was born I'm 1863 in the dis
riCt branches Montague. and that he Is "A
son of Jos. Gustav and Cecile F,
He was baptized i'm Besancon,
France, on the goth Of some month In 1863. {
rhe paper was issued in 1885, and said {
something about If ever the bearer was (
auEht broke. and anyone should give )
i'm "A gentle lift, the charitable individual +,
ould charge IL up to Canton de Berne, {
Confederation Suisse (
MANY people about Neihart remember {
emile GiTardin. He was Of ruddv com s
Lexion and stout. Notwithstanding his )
a%nguine. phlegmatic temperament he was Z
cTvous. eXcitable and inclined to what Z
hey called 'nuttv.' He came to Neihart (
n 1857 and worked about camp TIL 80. )
rlncipally on the concentration and tram J
ray Of the Hudson Mining company. {
ie also worked on the long tunnel Of the {
s mine. He did considerable work also {
Dr. Robert Barker. This gentleman de- !
rribes him as genial. cheerful. indusrri- Z
US, and honest as a priest OF Buddhl. {
.ater he went home. but returned in 1891. {
c~compInied by a sister and brothGr-in- {
w. whose names we cannot now recall. !
'ogether they lived at Jericho and Emile q
'orked In the mines lie was a musician G
nd blew a horn in the first brass band z
yer organized at this place. His T la Y
YES returned 20 the old country. without =
arrtrE i've words OF English, but Emil 3
80 ciurE 10 <sihart. 3
III had once been cheerful and com 2
10 a degree extreme. he nava~ =
rank nor wasted his money. but someone \