The Cairo bulletin., 1908-01-14
MUT|LATED BODY
AND HEAD FOUND
RIVER GIVES UP FORMER AT
WickLIFFE-HEAD DISCOVER.
ED AT PADucAH.
CASE is MYSTERIOUS
As Body is Thought TO Be That Of
White Man While Head Was
Was That Of Negro--Double
Crime Suspected.

! The finding of a decapitated and
mutilated body OF man at Wickliffe
Yesterday almost at the same time
that Paducah detectives accidentally
discovered the head OF an unknown
negro on the river bank In the lower
end ofthat city has brought to light
foul and mysterious murder The
authorities Of McCracken and Ballard
county are now at work trying to
solve the mystery and it may be that
their efforts will disclose a double
crime.
The coroner at Wickliffe is of the
opinion that the body found at the
mouth Of, little creek is that OF q
white man, although the members of
the jury which held the inquest seem
J. think the body that or a negro. The
CHASTITY head found by the Paducah
officers Is undoubtedly that OF ne
gro. What is the second puzzle In
connection with the case is the fact
that according to the Paducah corcn
er, the negro had been dead only a
few hours, while the body found al
'Wickliffe had been dead for several
days. so long in fact that decomposi
ton had set in.
Besides the head both arms were
missing from the body.
Until word was received from, Pa
tlucah that the head of a negro had
been found. the case looked as though
ii might be one for the local police
to solve as it was supposed that the
body was that of fisherman named
Henderson from Island No |, who
came to Cairo six weeks ago to pur-
chase provisions and who has not
been seen since. Acting on his opfn-
ion that the body was that of white
man and that 1t had been thrown IN
to the river above Wickliffe the cor.
oner there notified Cairo parties.
Henderson, 1t is said went to Is.
land No. /, six miles below hers,
from Owensboro, Ky. Six weeks ago
he left there and started to Cairo to
buy groceries for himself and family.
He never returned to his cabin on the
Island and after several days fruit
less search here the wife and four
children returned to Greensboro, be
lieving that Henderson had either
met with foul play or had been drown
ed on his way.
There was no means Of identifying
the body found at Wickliffe. Around
the waist there was leather belt
with nickle-plated buckle and a por
ton of an cid jacket.
Regarding the finding of the head
yesterdays Paducah Democrat
says:
With eyes wide open, CHASTITY and
blood chilling, the head OF negro
man, that appears to have been chop
ped from its body with an ak, was
found this afternoon below the ILL
nois Central railroad incline by De
tectives Gourieux and Baker. Ac-
cording to Chief Collins. and the two
detectives the negro was of brown
skin, about 80 years old. and his face
is unfamiliar to them.
Detectives Gourieux and Baker
were in search OF a "shanty" boat
case and were troddmg through the
mud at the rivers edge below Camp
bell street Observing new and
muddy tow sack that looked as if it
contained watermelon the detee-
tives took look into it. They
dropped it in hurry wnen negro's
head greeted them. Then they took
courage and carried the sack to the
corner of Sixth and Campbell streets,
The patrol wagon was called and the
head delivered to the office CT DR..
?. H. Stewart, who figured that the
negro had been dead but a few
hours"