Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-03
Bones of Young Lad and Middle
Aged Woman Unearthed at
Webster City
MYSTERY SURROUNDS THE CASE
While at Play Crowd of Youngsters
Dig Up the Bones and Continue the
Search Until Two Complete skeIe-
tons Are Found-How They Came to
be Buried There is Not Known.
Special to Times-Republican

Special to Times-Republican.
Webster City May 3.-Residents In
the northeast part of the city adjacent
to the Illinois Central track are arous-
ed over the finding of the skeletons
OF two human beings yesterday by boys
who were playing on the George Lee
property. The skeletons were complete
and showed that either a foul crime
had been unearthed or that the re-
mains had been left there by show
man who resided in this city by the
name Of Sykes who is known to have
visited the spot on Friday of last week
carrying a gunny sack filled with
something which he disposed Of before
returning
The skeletons were found by a
crowd OF small boys who were at play
in that vicinity and CHANGED to be
digging in the ground under the
shade of the evergreen trees. One
of the little fellows took hold of one
of the legs of the smaller skeleton,
and when seen at play on the op-
posite side OF the track had the
grewsome object swinging it about.
The skeletons were inspected by sew
eral people residing in that vicinity
Of the city who pronounce them as
that of boy OF about ten years of age
and OF a woman of perhaps thirty
five or forty years of age. On the
section of the limb carried by the
boy was the bones from the hip
down, including the toes on which
the toe nails were still intact, 1t hay
Ing the general appearance as II the
flesh had simply withered away and
dried fast to the bone. The skeleton
claimed to be woman IS perhaps
five feet six inches in height, all,
parts having been we'll developed,
showing that it was doubtless
woman of perhaps one hundred and
twenty five pounds in weight. In
the skull of one was found the full
set OF teeth, one of which was filled
with some kind of a composition
closely resembling gold, but which
was hard to distinguish on account Of
the length of time that had elapsed
since the death of the person either by
natural or foul means
The skeletons were not buried deep
and were therefore easily unearthe9
by the boys, who used sticks and var
ious instruments for the purpose Of
dissecting the grave. The work was
soon accomplished, not as ghouls
would have done, but rather as boys
bent on pleasure whitted by boyish
curiosity would naturally do. AS
soon as the statement of the discovery
was made there was much excitement
in the neighborhood, and all sorts OF
stories have been heard floating Oh
the breeze. AS soon as Mr.. Lee who
owns the property where the find was
made, heard Of the find, he at onc1
took it as a part of his duty to see
that the grewsome find was given q
burial where it would not be a source
of terror to the neighborhood. Many
of the neighbors questioned his authors
ity for the action and gave 1t as their
opinion that according to law he had
no right to take the action for the
disposaI-he did They feel that the
matter should be Investigated at an
early date and whoever is responsible
for the find be made to dispose of the
skeletons in proper shape. They feel
that the mere statement of the man
who placed them there would not be
enough, but that detail of how pos
session of such property was secured
and for what purpose should be made