The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-21
BULLET IN HEAD,
FOUND IN RIVER
Body of Man Evidently Murdered
Discovered by School
Children.
1T LOOKS LIKE FOUL PLAY
DECEASED WORE ENDOWMENT
GARMENTS.

The body of an unknown man. bIoats6
with water and with two bullet wounds
In the head. was found yesterday after
noon by school children, stranded on a
sand bar in the Jordan river about twenty
Ieet north Of the White bridge. When
the body was dragged from the river and
searched by Captain John Burbidge Moth
ing was found to identify ii.
1t is probable from the nature of the
bullet wounds that the man was muir
dered- The corpse had evidently been
IN the river for at least three weeks ac-
cOrding to the statements of Citv Phv-
SCclan NJ X. Stewart and his assistant.
". samuel G. Paul, who made a super
fetal examination of the body yester-
DAY afternoon at Evans morgue.
Couldn't Shoot Himself Twice.
The murder theory is established by the
fact that two bullet wounds were in
Lhcted- 1t would almost be impossible
Ior a man to shoot himself twice in the
mead One wound is in the middle OF the
ICrehead and ranges to the left side. The
bullet did not enter the brain. but frac-
tured the skull. The other bullet en-
tered the right ear and ranged downward
and backward into the base Of the brain.
The shots were fired at close range.
Powder burns were inflicted about both
wounds.
The school children saw the corpse yes
teTday morning in the river while on their
was. When they went home in the aft
ernOOn they stopped on the bridge to ex-
anime the object more closely. One boy
walked out to the edge of the sand bar
where it was deposited before it was
known that it was the body Of a man.
1t was then reported to the police
According to the Childrens story the
body was not on the sand bar Monday.
Several boys have played there every aft
ernOon and say it was not noticed until
yesterday morning 1t is evident from
he I-p %
down the river and lodged there The
hands and feet appeared to have been
frozen and the flesh had started to de
cay The skin had peeled from the face
ana hands and there were several places
on the body that looked like bruises in
flicted by some kind Of a weapon.
Contents of Pockets.
The man had a knife. pocket mirror. A
comb and pocket book containing SLID in
silver coins. His pockets had nptbeeR
rifiCd and this fact would indicate he
was not murdered for the purpose Of rob
berry. Some Of the officers are inclined
to believe the suicide theory on this aC-
count. 1t is advanced by them that the
nan sat down on the river bank or per
1SpS on the White bridge and committed
suicide. afteTward falling into the river.
They hold that the first bullet wound
Inflicted IN the middle OF the forehead
would not cause instant dea tn, and that
he man shot himself again in the ear
This wound in the ear, according to DIT.
l.
hat the other would not. 1t would rem
Ter the man unconscious. however. and
De would not be able to fire into his head
he second time.
The immediate vicinity Of where the
BODY was found was searched by several
)ciice officers There were no tracks Of
my kind along the bank and no blood
stains were to be found on the bridge
hat would indicate that the man had
killed himself there and fallen into the
liver. The river bottom was dredged for
Ia "
nan had killed himself in that vicinity
he gun would probably have been found
Were he had dropped it
The body is that Of a man about five
eet eight inches tall and weighing be-
ween $50 and 40 pounds. The body is
muscular and well proportional The fea-
ures and head would suggest that he
vas a German The hair is light brown
md the eyes are either blue or gray in
,OIOr. The teeth are good and as near
is could be told no dentist work had been
lone on them The man wore a stubby
sandy in color He had no
,eaFd and had shaven a few days before
lis death From the general appearance
# the body il would be safe to say that
he man was at least 10 years Of age.
Wore Endowment Robes.
The man wore endowment garments
nd was undoubtedly Mormon The
uit Of clothes on the body were dark
nd had not been worn long. His shoes
we're new and had only been worn a
material with a soft rundown collar. He
lso wore a fOur-in-hand necktie,
The detective force was detailed on the
ese last night, but no information could
= obtained that would lead to his ideu-
ity The records of mysterious disap-
e&rances' were looked UP. but there Wers
one recorded that had not been cleared
T. Word was sent to Murray and Sandy
nd other places along the river to see If
nvbOdy had disappeared from there in
mysterious manner, but no information
as ObtainabIe- The fact that the corpse
ras clothed in endowment garments es-
sbIishes the fact that the body Is that
( a Mormon and Is undoubtedly resi-
eut of Salt Lake county
An inquest has been ordered by Jus
.ce of the Peace Dana T. Smith and will
2 held at 10 O'Clock this morning at his
ffice The evidence at hand will be in
reduced and efforts will he made TO OBJ
ain information leading to the identity