The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-12-08
MuTELY TELLS
P|TIFUL TALE
CHASTITY RELIC OF DEATH AND
POSSIBLE TORTURE.
A MYSTERY OF The HILLS
Boys Shoe, Weather Hardened and
Twisted, with Moulderlng Bones
Found on Rivers Edge.


speech, an object left in the editorial
room of The Gazette yesterday could
in all probability tell a terrible tale.
It. might tell of suffering, OF agony,
of physical and mental torture and
slow, lingering, painful death. Even
in it's muteness it relates q pltllul
story and but little demand is made
upon the imagination to weave about
the gruesome thing a tale that would
make the heart sick and fill the mind
with pity for the young lire OF whose
passing it gives eloquent, yet speech
less testimony. Perhaps, some day the
facts connected herewith may become
known and the mystery now enshrOud-
ing it be lifted. If not, it will remain
only another of the untold tales held
by the precipitous bluffs that guard
the turbulent Yellowstone and which
the winds in their flight across moun-
tain and prairie whisper to each other.
A child's Foot. =
A shoe. curled and twisted by years
of exposure to the elements, alternate
ly drenched by soaking rains or heavy
SHOWS and dried by tlerce winds and
burning rays of a fiery sun. Its heel
loosened and hardened like wood, still
held together by rusty nails. The
counter torn and part of it missing;
the sole turned upward until it forms
the segment of circle and the upper
almost the hardness of iron tell of the
length of time it had lain until found
by a man CHANGING to pass that way.
| Still holding portion OF what ap-
4 pears to have been a stocking, and
packed with earth, the toe OF the snoe
retains it's hold on bones that once
formed parts of little toes By the side
| of the shoe were picked up three
other bones, weather beaten and
4 honey combed by time and the ele-
ments. In appearances they also form
ed part of the foot, possibly the meta
tarsals.
The shoe, left one, gives evidence
1 of but little wear before it became
the sport of wild beasts and still wilder
elements. In appearance it seems tc
i be of quite modern make. In place
of the eyelets that extended the entire
!, length of the old fashioned shoes, II
has the hooks now used for retaining
the string after it reaches that par
of the upper that covers the ankle.
Where Found.
John Burke left the shoe and bones
with The Gazette. He said ne tount
them on the south side of the Yellow
stone, between the mouths OF Sprlnt
!, and Duck creeks, about IL miles Wes
of the city. Because of lack OF TIM
, he was unable to make search for othe
parts of the body of which the 100
once formed portion, but thinks tina
if some one were to go there and mak'
. closer examination undoubtedly NOR
: could be found.
From the appearance OF the sho
/ it apparently belonged to white boy
e seemingly or years old, as tn
> length of time it had evidenuly lail
/ where he found it makes it seem I'm
5 possible to have been worn by a.
) Indian, as the latter in only YER
n recent years have taken to wearin
4 other foot covering than moccasins.
K The shoe and bones are still at In
t Gazette office and may be seen by tn
e curious. The fact of their discover
may prompt someone into taking U
e the search and if found the poor littl
e body will undoubtedly be accorded d
t cent interment, even though 1T ma
|, never be known to whom it belonged