The daily morning Alaskan. (Skagway, Alaska) 1899-1904, 1900-06-03
THE FINDING Of THE
BODY 0F CLAY20N
Contirmatory Telegram from
Major Wood.
TWO BULLET WOUNDS
One in the Head and One in the
Breast-Body Will BE Taken to
Dawson on First Boat as Evidence
Against O'Brieu Held There.

The BODY of the long missing Fred
ClavSon Is believed, almost beyond pos
sbllitv of doubt, to have at last been
found, and the last links of evidence need
ed In the famous Mimic mystery to prove
the committal of a murder in connection
with the mystery Is thus just as certainly
obtained.
The reported finding as given yesterday
In the DAILY ALASKAN is substantiated
from the highest official source in the Up
per Yukon valley, namely, from Mai. I. r..
Wood, of the Northwest Mounted Police,
tn It branch OF the Canadian government s
frontier force which has laYed an active
part and is now credited with the honors
of ferriting out the mysteries that sur>
rounded the crime. The following sub
SANITARY telegram has been received bv
Will Clavson from Major Wood, now at
Tdgish:
"A BODY, supposed to be vour brothers.,
has been found bv the police on a sand
bank north If Selkirk. Two bullet holes
in the chest and head; bicycle marks on
felt shoes; clothes correspond, Body goes
TO Dawson by first steamer"
Nothing further ia regard to the finding
was received in Skagwav Yesterday, but
the fact that BODY has been found bear
ing such parallel description to that Of
Fred CI,vson when he started out on hi,
trip from Dawson to Skagway is ACCEPTED
as his almost beyond the shadow OF
doubt. The fact that Mr.. CIayson was
making the trip with bicycle accounts
for the marks on the bottoms of the felt
shoes. The fact that Mr.. Clavscn WAS
last seen at Mimic, some % miles this side
of and up the river from Selkirk, is logical
enough In its indication that the bodv had
dritted do IN from the direction of Mimic.
The bullet holes referred to in the tele-
gram, one In the head and one in the
breast, are corroborative Of the conclusions
drawn months age tha. Mr., ClaNsnn. had
been murdered. The faet That there are
two holes in the BODY point to a corrobor.
alton of the conclusions drawn by Dete.-
tive Mcclure and Others that Clavson and
his two companions, Olson and Refe,
must have made desperate fight for their
lives. The fact that two shots were nee
essarv to dispatch Clavson tells only too
strongly that one shot had not sufflced to
oive him his mortal ouietuc
Two well known Skagwav surgeons, in
speaking on the matter Yesterday. drew
the inference that the first shot that struck
him must have been the one in the breast,
and that the one in the head proved fatal.
The first evidence the searchers for the
DO lies had of struggle on the part of the
victims was the clots of Hood found in
the melting and besmirohe1 virgin SHOWS
that marked the spot OF the heinous and
murderous deed. This blood was found
about the time the spring sunshine began
to reduce the snow. At the same time
bullets were found in the trees about the
spot. and the trees bore evidence of having
been cut bv the swift and death dealing
leaden missiles.
From these signs and possibly others of
confusion the deduction of determined
and desperate effort on the part of the vic
TINS to defend themselves wGs drawn by
the officers. 1t was also thought that per.
haps O'Bren, now held for murder, was
at first assisted BY another man, who was
crippled IN the battle, and that O'Brlen,
rather than have wounded companion,
turned and, in cold blooded and mercless
way, dispatched the one who had thought
to be partaker In the spois of the crime.
Articles belonging 70 Clavson and his
companions were found about the bloody
spot in the woods, AMI there were signs #
what were supposed to be sled tracks Lead
Ing to the river, where the victims were