Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-02-16
OLIVER H. Pike
IS NOT DEAD.
Body Found in Illinois Was Sure
Iy Not His,
WRITES TO CHIEF HILTON.
Mysterious Murder Recalled - Body
Now Believed TO be That OF
william Crawford.


Dear slr:-.In the spring Of 1896 there
was body found in Chicago supposed
to be mine. II was also claimed to be
that of a man named chazzell. This lat
ter claim was made by his friends in
your city. II you know anything Of the
whereabouts Of these friends Of Chaz-
zell will you please inform them Of the
mistake. and II II will be OF any in
terest TO them TO establish their claim
to the body win give them all the as
sistanoe can TO rectlfy the mistake.
The body was given Christian burial
here BY my friends. but think It would
benefit the friends OF Cbazzell to have
established his Identity. and II 1t viii
be Of any advantage to them would
like to see the mistake rectified. Yours
truly, OLIVER IL, PIKE.
The foregoing communication was re-
celyed by Chief Hilton last evening,
bearing the date Ambrose. o.. February
~, 1900
Many who Nperuse It will recall to
mind a most mysterious murder sup
posed 10 have been committed here
some years ago. On the 9Th Of March,
1896, there was sold to Kari Haas and
Phillip Cries as unclaimed freight a
box with the inscription: 90 NJ. Nor
gan, 1866 jefferson avenue, Chicago"
The box was shipped from Salt Lake
City by G. NJ. Morgan. The box which
was very heavy, was sent from Chicago
by the purchasers TO Austin, ILL.,, where
It's contents were revealed. After open
ing the box a trunk wrapped in oil cloth
and packed with sawdust was disclosed.
As the men worked a strong and sick
ening odor arose and for a time the men
were compelled 10 suspend operations.
The trunk was 26x2sxlO inches in size,
and was evidently new. Inside the
trunk was found Theoretically sealed
zinc box and In this Box the body Of a
man his legs bent over. the joints
broken and the head bent forward until
IL rested on the breast and held there
by rope a moose being around the
neck.
This box. which was supposed to con-
tain household goods was deposited at
the Union Pacific freight sheds. Feb
ruary Z. 1898, the freight amounting TO
si755. being prepaid. The man who
shipped the box left for the East the
day OF the shipment and that Is the last
seen OF him.
The discovery Of the body In Austin
created co <eoerable excitement here
and specuafY was rife as TO who the
murdered M was. Some claimed in
Chicago tst ~ gas the body OF Jolnns
Prosper ,her who Is supposed TO
have disbes,.dZ a in this city In 1913.
Prior tbs,H time Cheval lived with
a Frencbma IT n OF shady character on
Frankllge9Ap ue' She C was EnoT Slao as as
pearancq !. was believed that the
woman had another lover and that he
had murdered Cheyal. Prosper Cheval
was better known as Chazzell and the
probabilities are that that name Is cor
rect. When he first came here win the
Rolande woman he had about S5VoO
worth 81 diamonds, besides consider
able cash. After his disappearance the
woman sent a friend named Leon to
the Deseret National Bank TO draw the
money left there by Chazzell In safety
deposit box. A few diamonds and some
pieces OF French coin were all that
could be found. About this time the
| disappearance OF Oliver n. flke OF
! Chicago was announced. and when the
body In the trunk was found friends OF
PIKE Identified II as his. But the letter
from pike. alive and well, dispels that
ldsa. Detective George Sheets says that
he il quite sure that the body found IN
| Austin was not Chazzell. Chazzell was
| fully six feet tall. while the body meas
| ured five feet six,
Detective Sheets stated this morning
that he believed that the body found
| was that OF William Crawford. ranch.
r. who so mysteriously disappeared
| from Evanston. Wye, two weeks prior
/ A. ~. ehtpu,anf ~ the body.