The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-03
A MAN FOUND MURDERED
THE BODY DISCOVERED ON THE
FARM OF b. VI. MORGAN.
Henry Mayer, n Farm Hand. Tells of
Fight of Three Men That
He Witnessed.

The body of an unknown man with a bull
let hole and several bruises on his head
was found yesterday morning on the farm
of b. NJ. Morgan on the Madison pike about
five miles south of the city The body was
found by Mr.. Morgan when he went to
Lick creek to get load of sand. In the
hand of the dead man was a revolver, and
1T was at first supposed he had committed
suicide. but later Henry Mayer, farm
hand, appeared and told of a fight Sunday
afternoon about 4:So o'clock, which led to
the belief that the man had been murdered.
Mayer said he was sitting on the j., NJ.
& 1. track near where the body was found.
The man later found dead asked Mayer if
there were any fires along the creek Mayer
pointed TO burning log and then the man
said he would go and get drink at the
spring, the location of which he seemed
TO know. A few minutes later Mayer said
he saw two other men digging at the root
OF an old tree near by. The man who had
been talking to him shouted at them and
then jumped behind a fallen log. He con-
tinued to shout to the men, one OF whom
dared the man whose dead body was found
to fight. At that instant the man behind
the fallen log drew a revolver and fired at
the two men.
Mayer ran away, but before he came to a
stop in the middle of cornfield some dis
lance away he heard many other shots. He
said nothing of the fight and thought little
OF 1t until he heard of the dead body being
found. He said he was positive more than
one revolver was used and that the two
men returned the fire. The bullet wound
was in such position as to indicate the aim
or his assailant had been true, the bullet
striking him as he held his head above the
fallen log The other wounds on his head
mad the appearance of having been made
with the butt of a revolver. Yin the re-
volver found in the hand of the dead man
there were but two empty shells and none
was found upon the ground. Several per-
sons living in the neighborhood said they
had heard number of shots about the time
Mayer said the fight occurred. He said the
TWO men were running from the place when
he stopped to look back from the cornfield.
They separated, one running eastward and
the other north along the track.
Detectives Dugan and McGuff, who went
TO the scene of the tragedy, arrived before
Mayer had told his story, and they were
until that time of opinion that 1t was a
case of suicide.
Mayer said the two men who ran away
had the appearance of tramps. That vicin-
ity, and especially along the railway track
and the creek, is a sort of rendezvous for
trampS. The dead man did not, however,
have the appearance of being a tramp at
| least of the hobo variety. He wore pair
OF corduroy trousers and coat lined WITH
corduroy, blue shirt and soft hat. He
was about thirty-hve years Of age and
| weighed about 10 pounds. In his pocket
was 81 in change
The body taken to Wieses undertake
| ing rooms, where an autopsy was held yes
| terday afternoon. The autopsy failed to
| show which one Of the wounds resulted IN
| his death. The body had not been iderti-
| fed last night. There was nothing in the
| pockets which would give a clew to his
| identity except a memorandum book in
| which there appeared the names of Harry
Wilson" and Fred o. Mason or Moran,
| written in an almost illegible hand. Neither
of the names was thought TO be that of the
| dead man, but rather a memorandum or
account. since with each name there were
| a few figures.