Cañon City record., 1899-10-19
WAS 1T MURDER OR SUICIDE
Continued from first page.


were discolored and the features dis
tcrted. The skin of the fingers was
shriveled and dried to the bonss; the
eyesockets vacant; hair slipping from
head, and one side Of long, sandy
moustache gone. 1t was a horrible
spectacle to look upon, and the little
fellows who had come upon it so un-
expectedly scampered of toward
home as fast as their ponies would
carry them.
4 Mr.. Freek was told of the situation
but discredited the statement that
the man was dead, it being in the
neighborhood Of common camping
ground, and cautioned the boys to
not repeat the story elsewhere. He
investigated and found not only that
the body was lifeless, but that either
suicide or murder had been commit
ted. He sent a bicycle messenger to
Sheriff Hawkins, apprising him of the
fact, and the sheriff 'phoned Coroner
Baker, who issued instructions to
to have the remains brought to this
city. Securing the services of Mr..
Lewis of the undertaking firm OF
Alice, Lewis & Co., Sheriff Hawkins
proceeded to carry out the order,
reaching the city about o'clocl,
Sunday evening.
Coroner Baker arrived on the $50
Santa Fs train next morning and pro-
ceeded with the investigation, Il,
addition to the facts already related,
the sheriff and Mr.. Lewis told the
conditions as they found them The
body was leaning with the back
against small tree. A stout cord
around the neck extended over the
lower limb, (perhaps four feet above
the ground. Ten feet away lay {
light brown leather pocket book, con
! tanning a letter and the naturaliza
! tion papers of Charles A. johnson
4 A quarter of mile away the man.
hat was found. There were no evi
J dences of scuffie and as no marks o
! violence were discovered on the re
I mains, the coroner decided it to be
! plain suicide and ruled that the i'm
paneling of jury for further investi
cation would be an unnecessary ex
pense and useless procedure.
The person was clothed in nev
n suit of dark colored clothes, ney
. shoes, underclothes, ETC., all of whicl
: we're well preserved. considering tha
they had been exposed to the vari
ations of the weather for month ol
more. In the pockets were found !;
purse containing three pennies, pei
0 knife and two or three minor articles
/, The letter found in the poeketbook
was evidently written by relative
1t was written in the Swedish lang
uage and bore no signature, but was
dated and mailed at Bruceville, Hi.
nois, August IA, 1899. From the
receiving stamp on back of envelope
T it is known that it was received at
the Cripple Creek postofice on the
18th of the same month.
The legal document was executed by
County Judge A. R. Jordan and at
tested by the clerk of Grundy county.
G. H. Overocker, at Morris, Illinois.
on April Oath, 1884. Both were
clean and the legal document bore
evidence of having previously been
carefully preserved. Nothing else
. was produced that would serve to
furnish clew to the identity of the
man, where he came from or where
he was going, and so far as is known
at this time he was a stranger in
these parts.
The remains were those of a man
perhaps 40 years of age, FIVE feet six
: inches tall and weighing about lac
pounds.
kilograms we're sent to the officers
of the towns mentioned and Monday
night message was received asking
that the remains be sent to Bruce
vile, but the request could not be
complied with. Burial was had here.
How's This2
We offer One Hundred Dollars Re.
ward for any case of Catarrh that can
not be cured by Halls Catarrh Cure.
F. j. CHENEY & Co. Props;
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