The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-24
where an autopsy was held later by
DR. Blandel and DR.. Keith.
The Unidentified Victim.


The Unidentified Victim.
So badly was the head of the mur-
dered man mutilated by the train,
which struck it. that it would have
| been Well nigh impossible to Identify
linn by the face even if one had known
him. What little of the features were
left, a portion Of the left side of the
face, including piece of the nose, chin
and an eye, were necessarily destroyed
by the doctors in performing the
autopsy, so that all that is left of the
face and head now is a mass of flesh
and bones. The body appears to be
short and slim stature. He was possi-
bly, feet 4 inches in height and did
not weigh more than 135 or 40 pounds
He had heavy black raven hair, straight
as an Indians and it was quite long.
His face was smooth shaven and had
beard of possibly a days growth on it.
His complexion was swarthy and the
skin on his body was OF dark nue.
But he was not sufficiently dark to
warrant calling him Mexican, al
though some who have seen the body
are inclined to think that he was
Mexican. Others express the opinion
that he was a foreigner, possibly an
italian and still others believe that he
was an American of unusually dark
complexion.
His clothes were not of the best quail
ity but they were hardly as ragged as
a tramp's would be. His coat was OF
a dark mixed material, of the pepper
of black wOrstsd or wool. He wore a
hickory shirt, a suit of gauze under
wear, heavy gray socks and heavy
shoes which were in good condition and
not of the kind usually worn by labor
ers. He also ore a black felt hat
that had been pretty badly chewed up
by the wheels of the train which had
hit his head.
There was nothing in the pockets of
the clothing or on the body that
would lead to the identification of the
man. All that was found in his pock-
ets-and it was such q collection of
stuff that a tramp usually carries
was a piece of soap, a small towel,
chunk of bologna, a small comb and
small pocketbook which was empty.
The mans hands and feet were un-
appearance of having been accus-
toned to manual labor. They were
begrir.ed and calloused.
Results of the Autopsy.
DR.. Q. P. Bandel and DR.. Keith per-
formed an autospy on the body soon
after it had reached Shellabarger's
undertaking rooms. The head and
skull. Or what was left of ii, were first
examined. 1t did not take long to find
the bullet in the head that had made
the wound under the chin. 1t was
evidently a thirty-two caliber bullet
and was found in the rCof of the skull.
1t had gone up through the brain
from the chin. The bullet which made
not found in the body. An examina-
ton of the deep and long wound in
the throat by the physicians con-
vinced them that it had been made
with a knife and could not possibly
have been made by the train. If the
train had made it the mans chest
would have been crushed. The top of
the left shoulder had been crushed by
the train but there vas only few
slight bruises on the body and the
doctors are convinced that the only
part of 1t which was hit by the train
was the head and shoulders. The doc
tors think the man had beer dead for
six or seven hours when his body was
found.
No Good Clues to Work On.
Hard and quick work was put in by
Sheriff Wilkerson and the members of
the police force on the case but they
did not get much in the way of results
for their first few hours of work. They
were working under the disadvantage
of hunting for murder clues when the
victim had not yet been identified and
not much in the way of results can be
expected until an identification is made.
The recent movements of the man up
until a few hours of the time he met
his death then could possibly be traced.
John Foley, who lives at the corner of
Thirteenth and Lane streets, went to
the police station this morning and told
that he had been a passenger on the |
west bound Union Pacific train which is
que mere ABOUT L O'CLOCK InlS morning.
He said that he and man from ST. |
Marys were standing on the platform of |
the rear car of this train. for some |
time before 1t reached Topeka. He de- |
clared that he saw three men fighting |
in the roadway just as the train passed |
by the place where the Granville road |
crosses the railroad tracks He says |
that the moon was shining brightly at |
the time and the men could be seen
quite plainly. He said that there was a |
horse hitched to a top buggy standing |
in the road near where the men were |
fighting and that this fight was going on |
about one o'clock this morning. The |
peace officers are working on this clue. |
Weather Indications.
Chicago, June 24-Forecast for Kan |
L.