, 1905-06-28
GRAVE OF
UNKNOWN
REMAINS OF WOMAN LONG SINCE
BURIED FOUND AT PLASTER
MILL BY THE MEN AT
WORK THEREIN.
Discovery Made by Accident and
Bones Exhumed and Reinforced in
the City Cemetery-CIothed in
Calico, With Cloth Shoes and
Small Crucifix on Foot of Coffin,
Latter Furnished by Laramieite.

Late yesterday afternoon an un-
known grave was discovered at the
plaster mills, one of the mules draw
ing a scrapcr of material breaking
through the box and exposing the
bones of the corpse within, the coffin
having also been broken open. The
body lay about four feet under the
surface of the earth, with its head to
the west, the box and coffin indicating
that the interment had been done in
a regular way, although hastily, per-
haps, with nothing on the surface Of
the ground to indicate a grave. The
officers today Investigated the matter
more fully than they were enabled to
do last afternoon, and the bones were
removed to the city cemetery by or.
der or Coroner Robinson and rein
TERED, the grave having been suit
ably marked.
The discovery of the body was made
by the men at work in the pit and
was Immediately reported to Mr.. d.
l.. KILLER of Sl9 Eighth street, the
superintendent of the mill. who in
turn communicated with Sheriff
Reals and Acting County Physician
Swigart, who went to the scene. DR..
Swigart made a brief examination, or
dering the grave again covered and
left until this morning, when a more
careful examination was made. The
doctor was soon satisfied that the
woman, anywhere from 20 to 80 years
of age, the teeth being perfect and all
present. The skull indicated a wo-
mar of more than ordinary intelli-
gence. The burial had been in a cot
fin furnished by the late j. Boies, a
good many years ago an undertaken
lined and padded, black cloth and ex-
ceisior being used. 1t was also Gov
cred with black cloth on the outside,
and a small white metal c~rucifiX had
been attached to the foot of the coffin,
on the outside. The arms had been
crossed as in ordinary deaths and the
those of the left. The body lay upon
its back, the clothing having greatly
decayed.
DR.. Swigart examined the remains
this morning and found that the wo
man had had brown hair, ordinarily
long, and had been buried in a calico
worn. There was nothing to give the
identity of the deceased and little to
give an approximate date of the
burial. On the coffin box, which had
been made of white pine II not nj
tive, had been stenciled the name, -.
Boies." showing that it dated from
the lifetime and business connections
of Mr.. jeremiah Boies. a resident of
this city and a prominent business
man. The coffin was a properly con
structed one, of wood, the cover hav-
ing been made of two pieces.
Mr.. KILLER says the first intimation
his men had of the presence of the
grave was when the hoof of one of
the mules went through the cover of
the box and into the coffin, exposing
the face and breast bones. He went
at once to the scene and gave orders
that nothing be touched until the ar
rival of the officers, DR.. Swigart being
the first to respond. The doctor is
inclined to the belief, a. are others,
that the young probably be-
longed to some camping outfit when
she died. A coffin was purchased, the
body being buried on the open prairie,
perhaps there having been a marker
of some kind at the time, which had
rotted away long ago. He says the
body might have been buried forty
years s or only twenty, the name
on the box being the only thing to
give any clew whatever. Mr.. Boies
has not been in business for the last
score or more of years.
The finding of the body was a SUR
prise to the plaster mill men, as they
were entirely unsuspicious of the
presence of the grave where they have
been working for a long time. II
there was any difference in the ap-
'pearance of the dirt with which the
grave was filled they did not notice it.
The grave exists nea an old wagon
trail across the country from Chey.
enne to the Black hills, which was
abandoned years and years ago. The
idea prevails that the woman was
buried on this trail by parties who
did o live here and who did not
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