The daily tribune., 1908-03-26
CAUSE OF DEATH OF
KICkHAM A MYSTERY

The cause of death of Peter Kick
ham, found dead on the Rio Grande
tracks east Of here, Monday night. is
still mystery although there are
several theories. 1t develops that
Hickman was employed in one Of the
local hotels until last Monday morn
| ing. having worked there for week
and half, but WAS discharged from
the service early Monday morning on
account of his intoxicated condition.
He WAS too drunk to attend to his
duties and the proprietor discharged
him. He was employed as rpust-
about and his position bore no respon-
sibility.
The proprietor Of the hotel did not
know what became Of Kickham after
leaving the hotel. One of the track
walkers in the employ of the Rio
Grande saw Kickham walking east
ward on the Rio Grande track about
3 80 Monday evening and he was then
more or less intoxicated. The q aes-
tion now is did he lay down on the
track and falling asleep n passing
train run over and kill him?
Coroner Whitmoe last evening made
an investigation of tile flrebox of the
engine which pulls train No. 8 at
Canon City aud found lot of hair
aud other stuff sticking to the bottom
Of it. This shows that the man had
been lying ON the track instead of
walking, for, if he had been walking
he would have been knocked off to
one side of the rails and not thrown
in under the engine, for the train was
moving too rapidly to permit the
body to fall in under Now the ques-
tion is was Kickham asleep on the
track or was he the victim of foul
play and laid there by his slayers.
This latter theory is given consid-
cradle credeuce today from the fact
that Kickham's body did not bleed
much, either on the railroad track or
at the morgue after it was taken there.
There 10 theory .hat- Kickhain
might have been killed some consider
able distance from The track, his slay-
ers waited for hin. to bleed, then
the body was deposited on the track
for a passing train to destroy the evil
dence of a murder having been COM
mittei.
The mans body was so badly mu-
tilated that if he had been killed on
the track there would be pools Of
blood deposited at some point, but a
close Investigate ON reveals the fact
that only an occasional drop was de-
posted here and there.
Officer Furniss is making quiet
investigation aud inquiring into the
reason why the two railroad torpedoes
should be found near where the trunk
of Kiokham's body lay ON the track.
Investigation discloses the fact that
the torpedoes were laid on the track
baout 200 yards west Of the point
where Kickh WAS first struck by the
train. A candle had also been light.
ed near where the torpedoes were
found but it had burned itself out
II Kickham had been murdered, and
there are several persons in the
city who entertain that belief, did
the persons who placed his body on
the track have designs on one of
the Rio Grande passenger trains
and was robbery one of their mo-
t'ves? II it was and the fact that
the torpedoes were laid west CT the
body. 1t would seem that the muir
derers-holdups were to have held up
eastbound train No. 1. as the engine
in passing over the torpedoes would
have exploded them, which would
have been warning to the engineer
to keep close lookout ahead. The
the engineer would have seen the body
laying ON the track and brought the
train to n standstill. II the proba-
BILE plans had worked out the holdups
would have entered and robbed the
passengers on the train This is mer-
ely theory, but there seems to lie
no one who can shed any light on the
a..