El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-20
MET DEATH
MYSTERIOUSLY
Decomposed Remains Of A
Man Found Near the
Foot Hills
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

s. Hardwick, OF Phoenix, Who Had
Been Missing From Fort Bliss For
More Than A Month Supposed
That He Committed Suicide.
Early yesterd sy morning VIM. N.
Irwin, cowboy in the employ of Major
Logan, while driving bis cows toward
the foothills discovered the dead body
of man lying half concealed in the
grass.
The remains were badly decomposed.
The eyes had been picked out by buz-
yards and the ears we're missing.
| Irwin hastened back to Mayor Log
ans house and told the family of his
grewsome discovery. A son of the ma
j0r's was sent to town to uotify the coro-
ner. Justice Ellis and Undertaker Ross
went out yesterday afternoon to the
spot where the body was found, which
is three miles northwest OF Fort Blies.
They took q coffin With them.and aft
er thorough examination placed the
body therein and drove back to the
post.
The man was lying upon his back.
His hat and shoes were missing and he
wore no coat. The pockets of the
pants were cut open indicating that the
body had been robbed. There were,
however, no marks of violence visible.
A small bottle of strychnine, with
the cork missing and one third of the
contents gone, was found by the right
side of the deceased within easy reach
of his right hand.
REMAINS IDENTIFIED.
When the coroner and undertaken
reached the post with the body, in
quiry was made as to whether or not
that q man by the name of J. s. Hard
wick had been gone and his absence
unaccounted for since January Is.
Hardwick had been in the hospital
undergoing treatment for erysipelas
and several of the men in charge of
that institution who had nursed Hard
wick gave q minute description of him.
They told of scar on the back of
his head and OF other peculiarities.
The coffin was opened in their presence
and the back of the dead mans head
examined. The scar was there just as
described. The soldiers then said the
remains were those of Hard wick be-
yond q doubt.
They we're at lose, however. to ac-
count for the change in the wearing
apparel of the missing man. When he
left the pot he wore uniform and the
body found on the mesa was clad in
citizen g pants.and shirt, but the un-
derclothing was the same as furnished
by the government.
After taking the sstatements of the
two men Nv. 81. German and Warren
Beoford-who identified Hardwick,
the coroner and the undertaken pro-
remains, returning then to FL Paso
at six o'clock.
WHO WAS HARDwICK?
From the hospital records and from
the statements of those in charge,
ov-ls foI~ 90 l.
ber and represented himself to be
member of Company E, Territorial
volunteers, which was formed of troops
enlisted in Arizona, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Indian Territory. The
regiment was ordered to Georgia, but
got no further during the war and was
mustered out q short time ago.
Hardwick enlisted at Phoenix, so he
clsimed, where he had been boiler
maker. His brother resides there
now.
When the man came to Fort Bliss he
was ill and was admitted to the hospit-
al for treatment. When he recovered
sufficiently he was detailed to nurse q
smallpox patient, he being the only
immune at the post. A few days later
he was taken i'll again, himself, and
town and was not heard of for fully
two weeks, when he again showed up
at the post.
MISSING MONTH
Sunday, January Is, Hard wick and q
companion procured permission to at
tend the bull fight at Juarez. The
other man came back next day and re-
ported that he had drunk too much
tequila and while stupified from effect
of it had been rolled by Hardw and
robbed of about $40.
Hardwick was not seen again, nor
heard of until yesterday when his
lifeless body was found.
Justice Ellis has concluded, after
deliberation. that Hardwick commit
ted suicide. He says enough strych-
nine 1s missing from the bottle to have
killed fifteen men. He says the body
was closely examined for marks of
violence and none were found, except
slight discOlOratiou of the throat
which indicated that he might have
been choked.
The hospital steward, who was in
the city this morning, seemed at first
more inclined to the murder theory,
but after hearing the full particulars
and examining the bottle of poison
concluded that Hard wick probably
com mitted suicide, for il murder had
been committed it would be hard to
establish the fact and the guilty parties
who hauled the remains to the lonely
spot where they were found had taken
every precaution to cover up their
tracks and to indicate that the man