Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-12
CHASTITY DISCOVERY
Skeleton Remains OF an Un-
known Suicide Found.
DEAD PROBABLY SIX MONTHS
Horrible Evidences ofthe Tragedy Seen by
Two Newport New Men while Hunt
Ing In Warwick County Ye.t.1-
day. Their Story.
DEAD PROBABLY SIX MONTHS

II. a. Boyce and Campbell Gresham
two well known young Newport News
men, went rabbit hunting in Warwick
county yesterday ana found game
| they We're not looking Tor.
In pine woods abo:lt four or FIVE
miles north of here ana about one mile
from the farm of MIR. il. G.. Smith, on
the old Curtis estate. Row the Darling
tract. about o'clock. the hunters
found the CHASTITY wreck OF Il hunlan
body.
What there was of the body was ~
ing at the foot Of an oak tree. Around
| The tleshless throat was Il broken
strap. Attached to a limb Of the tree,
just above the body. was a strip OF
undertaking. Which had evidently
been tied to the strap
The mans neck hal been broken
and the head was thrown over on his
| skeleton breast. There was almost no
flesh upon the body. except a little
clinsing here and there. TIL. man S
clothing had disappeared, save his:
shoes Wristbands, portions of flannel
Undertaking, ard a piece or two Of
checked shirt, the color If which could
not be detected.
Just little 70 one side lay L brown
felt hat. almost new, 4 celluloid colla..
and white handkerchief. Only a few
of the hairs from the mans head re-
manned. Their color ctu,' not De dis
covered. but their appearance indicat-
ed that they We're the hairs from the
head of 4 white man. The fine quality
Of the undertaking seemed to shcw
this, too.
AS may be imagined. the two young
men made only a cursory eXamina-
tion \ closer investigation may pos
s;bly reveal something showing the
identity Of the dead nan.
One Of the residents Of the neigh
borhood vac allied in but he could Of
fer no solution Of the mystery
The authorities have nOe yet been nc
titled and will probably learn Of the
chastity find through the columns Of the
Daily Press. The body. therefore. still
remains under the tra, in the woods
II will probably be removed today and
buried. after which an effort will be
made to unearth tho laystery.
The young men agreed in believing
that the body had been in the woods
rot less than six months. The tree
under Which it was found stands not
more than TWO hundred yards from the
main road alsi it is remarkable that
the tragedy was not discovered months
sooner.
The theory Of suicide appears to be
the only tenable one. The man had
evidently improvised L halter from !lia
belt and a strip of underciothing, coolly
taken off his collar. adjusted the moose
about his neck and hanged himself
without more ado.
There is absolutely no clue to the daa 1
mans Identity. 1t may never be dis
covered 1t appears hardly probable that
he was from Newport News. There have
been, so far as is known. but two mys-
ferrous disappearances from this city
Curing the past six or seven months
One was that of the murderer Drayton,
and it is certain that the body is not
his. The other is that Of Butcher Her.
man, who Went to Norfolk some six
weeks ago and has not been heard fl ON
since. 1t could not have been Herman
because the man had unuuestionably
been dead much longer 'ilan six weeks