Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-09
OFFICERS ON TRAIL
OF BABES MOTHER
Police and Sheriff's Forces Work
ing on the Case Of Muir
dered Infant.
BUGGY TRACKS NEAR SCENE.
Believe That II VIII Develop That a
Man Disposed of Body in
The Canal.

The identity Of the mother of the
new-b born babe found on the banks of
the Tenth South canal near West tenn
pie street yesterday afternoon may soon
been disclosed. Under the direction
of Justice Dana T. Smith, acting coro-
ner. the sherins office and police de-
partments are following leads which,
though guarded carefully, are said to be
full of promise An vestigation of the
black sateen skirt and newspaper In
which the child was wrapped when
found Is believed to have given clue
of value. The conversation between
the children who made the md yester-
day and the officers at work on the case
Is also said to have furnished good
leads, though the detectives from the
police department and the sheriff's Of
fee are inclined to give the impression
that nothing OF value was secured from
the boys IN their stories of the affair.
MYSTERIOUS BUGGY TRACKS.
Mysterious buggy tracks near the
south bank of the canal were closely
observed by the officers yesterday
Some attention was paid to them, but
they are not regarded as very import
ant III the infant was taken there in
a buggy. a man threw the bundle
across the canal, say the ofhcers; for no
woman could cast so heavy punule
the distance to the opposite bank,
where 1t was found by the boys while
fishing--a distance of 90 feet from Inc
roadway. 1t Is generally believed that
the buggy tracks We're made by We
hicle while allowing another TO pass,
the only theory advanced against this
belief being that the footprints I'm
the center of the track indicate that the
buggy was moving eastward, which
would make necessary the passing OF
the vehicles on the left of each other.
THE BLACK SKIRT.
When the baby was found it was en-
tirely without clothes and had not been
washed 1t was wrapped In an appar-
emily new black skirt. 1t was very wet
with the canal water and minute ex-
animation could not be made by the
police. The child, wrapped as when
found. was taken to the O'Donnell
morgue. When the skirt had been
dried. officers examined 1t closely. They
appeared to have uncovered good lead
i'm doing so. but were very reticent as
to their discovery. The newspaper
which also inclosed the child bore no
marks of any kind except the imprint
upon it. 1t is not being considered in
the investigation.
WORK FROM TWO POINTS.
The officers have two theories to adj
vance. One is that the mother of the
child lives nearby. What evidence
i'm the vicinity exists to support this
theory, they are unwilling to say. An
other view taken by the officers Is
that the mother was taken to the place
I'm a buggy by some other person,
man. and that he threw IL across the
canal or that II was taken there In
buggy by the man alone TO he cast
away. The officers believe II this
theory Is correct, the mother lives In
a place somewhat remote from the
place where the child was found.
EVIDENCE OF MURDER.
In the minds OF the officers. there is
little doubt but the child was killed by
its unnatural parent after birth. The
child was boy and on its head is a
thick growth of very dark hair. In
appearance the child Is fully devel-
oped. and those who have examined II
say II was perhaps only q few hours
old at its death.
The child's left ear is almost totally
torn away, and when found, coagulat-
ed blood was clotted about an ugly
wound extending for some distance
about the ear The scalp is discol-
ored, the bfuise extending over the
frontal portion of the skull nearly to
the eyes The skull at the point where
tn" hair is found over the forehead is
crushed in upon the brain
INQUEST LIKELY.
Justice Smith may order an inquest
after the investigation under way has
progressed further. An examination
of the body to determine the cause of
death VIII probably be made today.
If the identity of the parent is estab-
llshed' the opinion Of those working
on the case is that a conviction might
be difficult
However strong effort Is being made
TO ind the mother and the officers In
innate that their clues are developing
rapidly. They expect TO conclude their
preliminary investigation this even
Ing.