Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-31
GREWSOME STORY
Finding of the Body of Charles
BraCken at Divide.
MANGLED BY WILD BEASTS
Inc Story OF an Old Man Who CraWled
Away in a Deserted Cabin
to Die.
MANGLED BY WILD BEASTS

Coroner Julien returned on the 1:4O
traln from Divide to which place he was
called yesterday afternoon by a telegram
announcing the finding of the body of a
man in a deserted cabin. He brought
with him a grewsome story. The body |
proved to be that of Charles Bracken, a
carpenter, who was employed on the Big
Hole dam a little more than a year ago,
and who disappeared some time ago. The
remains were in a state of putrifaction,
and had been mangled by wild beasts in
search of food.
Bracken had evidently succumbed to
the inevitable nearly two months ago.
The cabin in which he died is situated in
a lonely spot, about a mile from Divide
station. 1t is a log structure, built long
ago; the thinking had fallen out in many
places. making it a place not to be de-
sired by one in search of protection from
the storm. The sash in the two windows
OF the cabin was gone. When the coroner
entered a sickening sight presented
itself. Behind an old table, where he had
probably, in his last hours, crawled to
put some barrier between himself and the
anew i'oiit 'coS dN1CSS, ii
the body of Bracken. 1t was wrapped in
some old comforters, the lower limbs be-
ing covered with a blanket and an old
coat. Wild beasts in search of food had
torn the clothing from the body, and
eaten away the flesh in places. The ribs
were bare, the stomach and entrails gone.
A portion of the head had been eaten,
and the bones of the right hand stripped
of flesh.
The horrible condition of the remains
made it hard for the coroner to get a
good idea of what the man in life looked
like. The dead man was evidently about
60 years old. The hair, closely cropped,
was nearly white. as was also the mus
tache. An old cap, a carpenters rule, a
pencil, a truss that had been broken,
shoes newly half-soled, pipe and tobacco
were found in the cabin. Not a scrap of
paper that would serve to identify the
man was found in the clothing.
The coroner caused the remains to be
removed to Divide station. where the in
quest was held. f.. l.. Sabin testified to
the effect that Sunday morning he and
several others were cutting ice on a
| stream in the vicinity of the cabin. Be
| ing in need of a plank he went to the
| cabin to get one. His dog jumped into
the cabin and barked furiously. He en-
tered the cabin and found the body as
| described
Patrick A. Lillis, a Divide sa~loOnkeep-
er, testified that when the body had been
removed to the station he examined 1t
and identified it as the remains of
Charles Bracken, a carpenter with whom
he had been acquainted in Idaho. Some
time since he met Brackcn in POcatellO,
and a little more than a year ago Brack-
en- arrived at Divide and secured employ
ment On the Big Hole dam. After work
ing for a time he left, r~eappearing about
November 20 of last year. He stopped
about witness saloon for ten days, and
did not go to work. During this time he
drank very heavily. Witness renlon-
stratcd with him, Bracken became great
y offcnded and with the statement that
there were other places, took his depart
ure, and witness saw him no more. LilliS
said he had made diligent inquiry later
and getting no news as to his where
abouts concluded he had left the coun-
try. He also said l3racken WAS an X
| cellent mechanic, and had at one time
been a resident of Anaconda. Hrackell
| told him on one occasion that he was a
native of Iowa. Nothing could be learned
concerning the dead mans family.
The verdict of the jury was to the eff
feet that the deceased came to his death
from exposure and dissipation at a date
unknown to the jury, but within 90 lays
of the finding of the body.
The body of the unfortunate man was
brought in from Divide on this mornings
train and is at Tachell's undertaking
rooms. The remains will be inferred in
the ~potters' field sometime tomorrow.
$50 sets teeth $40. Ir. Wix.