The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-20
CHASTITY FIND
BleaChed Skeleton Dis
covered in a Lonely
Savannah
w. W. YOUNG
DIR. C.. ID. Bell. of New Han
ton and Ascertained That the Re-
mains Were Those of the Above
Named Party-He Has Been Missing
Nearly Three Years.

Mr.. Scott Craig, Of Masonboro Sound,
came to the city yesterday and report
ed the discovery of a mans skeleton IN
a lonely savannah off the Federal Point
o about six miles south of the city.
He stated that the report among the
negroes in the neighborhood for sever
al days was that the remains Of a man
had been found by some negroes who
were out hunting in a savannah on a
lonely stretch of the Federal Point
road. There are no inhabitants in the
vicinity for miles around. and at the
Point the sandy road runs through 4
savannah on which grows tubby gall
berry bushes and thick wire grass
about two feet high. Last Saturday,
upon hearing the report. Mr. Craig
went to the spot and fOund a trail
running from the road to the spot
where the skeleton was lying ON the
ground. The trail had been made by
people who had one in to see the
skeleton, and upon going to the spot
Mr.. Craig found that the report was
true.
Yesterday about noon, DR.. c. ID.
Bell. the coroner, was notified Of the
discovery of the remains n as there
was a probability of foul play, he drove
down in his buggy and took with him
Mr.. w. w. King, the undertaken. who
carried a coffin in a wagon. They
found the spot and easily located it by
the trail leading through the grass and
bushes. 1t was about two hundred
yards. off the road, but as there are
no trees on the the oroner
says he cannot conceive how the body
Of a man could have lain there without
having been seen from the road by
people who were passing from time to
time. Nothing III the bleached bones
were left of the man. They were
scattered around and there was no
flesh on them. The fragments of cloth
ing were lying there, but they were SO
rotten that they crumbled to pieces
when an effort was made to pick them
UP. There was not enough Of the
clothing to be identified, but a pair Of
shoes were found in the heap. The
shoes had been weather-beaten so long
from the uppers. No one in the neigh
bOrhood Knew of any missing man,
and could not identify the shoes.
DR.. Bell had the bones and shoes
and scraps of clothing carefully pick
ed up and searched for money, but
found O There was not wen a
knife and only the buttons and u.s.
pender buckles We're left of the mans
clothes. The remains were placed in
the wager and on the way to the city
the party met Mr.. George Rodgers, Of
Masonboro Sound, who had been TO
the city. 1t was from him that the
first clue 10 the identity of the re-
mains was gotten. He told DR.. Bell
that a man named Young had disap-
peared some years g n that MIR.
J. B. Fales, who resides in the city Ut
Seventh and Castle streets. might
throw some light on the mystery.
When DR.. Bell returned to the city he
| found Mr.. Fales who told him of the
disappearance of a man from the city
| about three years ago. He said that
early one morning abo three years
| ago, the man who was afterwards re-
ported as missing, knocked at his
| door. He was sick and nearly frozen
| and Mr.. Fales took him in. warmed
| him up n gave him breakfast. The
| stranger told him that he lived at SO
Princess street, between Eighth and
| Ninth streets and that he was a car
| penter and a walked from Carolina
| Beach, where he had been working.
s seeing that h unfortunate man was
very weak and nervous and hardly able
IL walk Mr.. Fales had his horse hitch
ed to the buggy and took him to his
home on Princess street.
Upon getting Mr.. Fales' statement
DR.. Bell went to SO Princess street.
but the family who resided there
three years ago had moved. Mr.. S. II.
Hardwick. who keeps a store. in the
vicinity, told the coroner that he re-
collected the incidene referred to by
Mr.. Fales and stated that the missing
mans name was William w. Young
Or. Bell then ascertained that two sis
ters of Mr.. Young were living in the
cid Nef building at 109 Dock street
between Front and Second. He found
there a maiden lady named Miss Tenn
perance O.. Young M Mrs. E. Gator
who Informed him that their brother
had been missing since May 3, 1900. H
asked them if they would know his
shoes and upon heir stating that they
could identify them, he had he shoe:
shown them. They positively identified
the shoes as those worn away by thel1
brother n also identified the re
mains by filings in the teeth. DR.. Bel
says from what his sisters infOrmet
him the man was suffering from loco
motor ataxia. The sisters Of the UT
fortunate man instructed the cOroneI
to have the remains buried in thei
/ lCl at Bellevue cSlllSltI anu lldl INC
would pay the expense. Undertake
King will accordingly bury them a
Bellevue this afternoon at 4 O'Clock.
Coroner Bell, in the short time h
had to Investigate the finding of thu
skeleton. ascertained that Mr.. Jane:
Hines. who lives on the sound, saw tn
missing man OF the Federal Point roa;
about three years ago, opposite the sa
vannah in which his remains wer'
1y-I Ar II.-1- ho1 boon 10 tho Hify
with his family and they were return
ing hom in a cart when the man il
the road stopped him and asked hin
to let hin ride. He said the man stag
gered and caught hold of the cart t
steady himself. He told the man tina
he had a load and when he drove of
7 the man in turning loose the cart, fel
7 In the road. Mr.. Charles Stokely, VIII