The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-24
PROBABLY SLAIN
FOR HIS VEAL tt
Tragedy in a Mountain
Cabin.
AGED FERRYMAN FOUND DEAD
JACOB BRAGGER KILLED NEAR
ANGELS CAMP.
Evidence That the Old Man Was
Murdered as He Slept by Rob-
bers in Quest Of His
Gold.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

ANGELS CAMP, Jan. 23.-What ap-
pears to have been a murder occurred
at a lonely cabin near Reynolds Ferry,
about eleven miles from this place,
some time last night. The victim was
Jacob Bragger, 72 years of age. he
lived alone and ran a small ferry boat
across the Stanislaus River, which is
about 200 yards from his cabin. He was
seen several times yesterday by differ
ent persons. Several parties had stopped
at his cabin during the afternoon ana
had drank to a greater or less extent
Bragger had put several OF his guests
across the river with the aid OF his
small skiff. G.. r. Stone, who runs the
Reynolds ferry, about two miles up the
river, was in the vicinity at o'clock.
He says that two men were in the
house with Bragger, and both were the
worse for liquor.
This was the last seen of Bragger
until he was found in his bed dead this
morning by John Wannamaker ana
Amizo Morrow. These men came to the
rivers brink and called to be put
across. There being no sign OF nfe
around the place, Stone, who was work
ing at placer mining in the vicinity,
took the boat and pulled the men across
the river. They went directly TO the
cabin, and, finding the doors unlocked
ventured in, to find the corpse.
The news was at once brought to this
place and Deputy Coroner Prince, ac-
companied by an undertaken, started
for the scene. The BODY was found ~
ing upon the bed in side room, garped
in a nightrobe and with several marks
upon the head, wrist and knee. The
nothing appeared to have been dis
turbed so at the first glance robbery
was not supposed to- have taken place.
The effects of the dead man were eX-
amined and many papers OF minor I'M
portance discovered. Some of the wit
nesses state that paper was 1ouna
upon which was written something
about finding some money. sst
One theory 3 S that Bragger had Faeen
drinking during the day and had lett
the house during the night and STUN
bled and fell, inflicting the wounds
upon the face and head; but after a
careful examination the relative posi-
ton of the marks do not bear cut TINS
theory. There was an abrasion upon
the right cheekbone as large as a dol
lar and one Immediately above the
right temple and triangular in shape.
Another wound was to be seen directly
in the center and on the top OF the
head.
This mark was about two inches in
diameter and was somewhat diScolored.
The wound upon the cheekbone was
not a deep one and might have been
made by a fall, but the one directly
above it, triangular in shape, showed
well-defined lines and was undoubtedly
made by some small instrument. Even
granting that these two wounds were
made in falling, the wound on the top
of the head could not have been made
by a fall. No evidence could be found
that Bragger had even been outside of
the house The ground was soft from
the recent rains, but there were no
footprints.
Bragger's neighbors say he handled
much money and as he had continually
indulged in placer mining in the vicin-
ity since the early sixties he undoubted-
ly had some gold dust. 1t is believed
that whoever committed the crime was
familiar with the old mans secret and
got away with the gold without dis
turbing the order of the house.
Bragger was always known as
harmless old man and no one had ever
seen him drunk. This fact disproves
the theory that he was drunk and fell
while staggering around the place. He
had a niece in St. Louis, Mo-, Minnie
Turner, and another niece in Chicago,
Mrs. Carrie Sherman.