The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-17
BEAVER CO.
CITIZENS FIND
SKELETONS
All Piled Together in a ShaI-
low Hole.
SKULLS ARE CRUSHED
May Have Been Party Of
Oklahoma Surveyors.
SKULLS ARE CRUSHED

Beaver. 0. T, May 1s-The people OF
the vicinity Of Cline n this county have
been much interested IN the finding Of
four skeletons on the farm Of J. Z. Over
Since the unearthing OF the skeletons
there has ben much speculation as to
the cause Of their being there. but as
yet no one has come forward with
plausible explanation
The skeletons wers found BY John
Graves. who was blowing on a portion OF
the farm. While making 8 round OF
the field he unearthea a skull IN a sandy
piece OF the ground Interested and ex-
cited over the strange find, Graves went
to the farm house and secured a spade
and began to dig for the rest Of the skeI-
eton- He did not have to dig far when
he found the skeleton. He uncovered it
to the hips. and while working 70 get
the skeleton out he found another skull.
This SO surprised him that he stopped
his digging and went to the house 10 in
form Dir. over, the owner OF the farm,
what he had found. Over and Graves
decided to get another man, and secur-
ing Captain h Mott, who i4ves near the
farm they went back to the field and
began to dig for the skeleton to which
the second skull belonged After digging
for some time nj the sand they brought
out four skeletons.
A close examination of the skeletons
was made BY lie party, and from ali in
dications the men were murdered. The
skulls of the two skeletons We're crushed
and the third skull was so mashed ia
removing it from the ground that it was
impossible to tell whether il had been
mashed previous to It's interment or not
No skull could be foun4 for the fourth
skeleton After repeated efforts to find
it, the task was given up.
1t is estimated that the skeletons had
been in the ground for at least twenty
years. or perhaps a longer time The
burial place of the bodies was on a sandy
knoll, and the first skeleton was not over
foot beneath the surface of the ground
It seemed as though round hole had
been dug to receive the bodies at the time
that they were buried an they were
spilled in on top Of one another uncere-
moniously. The bodies had evidently
been piled IN the hole IN haste as they
were all doubled up. In the hole was
found shell watch charm and a flint
arrow head. By the side Of the fourth
skeleton was a piece OF an instrument /
which IS supposed TO be a part Of sur /
veyors outfit.
Since the finding Of the skeletons there /
have been stories told of a band Of sur 4
veyors who started out TO survey Okla /
homa in the seventies, and who were
never heard of after eney LEFT Fort Sup
ply. Bands Of Indians were on the war I
path at that time and Il is Supposed that 7
perhaps these men met their death IN !
this manner. This is hardly probable. /
though, as the Indians are not supposed /
to bury their victims. It might have (
been, however, that their bodies were /
found after the assault and buried IN 1
shallow hole.
Previous to the time tlat Mr.. Over took
the farm there was a skull on a pole [
near the large spring on the place. This /
might have been the skull Of the fourth 4
There IS talk OF aband Of horse
thieves which was captured and the ven
geance Of the early days taken out on
them. and they were buried IN a hole as
though they were the Indians who were
despised at that time by the settler Of I
the territory or the cattlemen OF the
strip.
Nothing else that would give any clue
to the mystery has been found, and as
there was nothing else to do. the bones Of
the four men who met their death IN a
sudden manner. as II would seem, were
Inferred IN the cemetery by the persons
Of that vicinity.
The mystery which shrouds these skei-
stons wiz probably never be cleared up
unless some character OF the early days
comes TO the front and tells the stories
IF those interesting times. Il IS not likely
that such viii be the case as affairs Of
hat nature were so frequent Il would be
hard TO remember the details OF every
eyent which resulted in the death %
human beings or even four Of them. Tn
In the mystery IS cleared up the citizens
Il this county win an have their ideas
IS 20 the manner in which the men net
heir death and Who they were