The San Francisco call., 1908-07-11
Workman Sees Hand Sticking
Out From Refuse and EX=
humes Corpse
Aged Father Seeking for Son
Arrives at Works and
Makes Identification
Crushed Skull and Scalp Cuts
Lead to Theory of Murder
Police Now Hold

With his right hand proruding
through a mass Of garbage and the
remainder OF his body doubled up in z
position which would indicate that he
had been killed and his body placed in
q barrel. the body OF a a year old
boy, later identified as John Buchnof,
was found by the employees Of the
Sanitary reduction works yesterday
evening just as they were preparing
the contents Of one Of the bins for in
Cine-aCon. Ten minutes later and the
body would have entered the furnace.
John Firpo was working at bin No. 6,
il which tile body was found. when he
saw the hand sticking up from the mass
OF debris
AT hrst he thought that II was a part
of some wax figure that had been
thrown i1 some ash can, but he tele-
phoued Tor Superintendent Dominic Be
namati. who ordered the men to dig
into the mass and see If 1t was 2 body.
Three shovelfuIs disclosed the body Of
q Young boy.
IDENTIFIES SONS BODY
i was while the detectives and coro-
uers deputies were questioning recuc-
rien works employees L4ar an aged man
pushed his way into the crowd to get
look at the dead boy. lie gaZed for
several seconds before he recognized
-le features Of his own son. and then
broke down, throwing himself upon
the body.
The aged man, with tears rolling
down his cheeks. was lifted from the
dead form and questioned. Ia broken
@T- rF.-r- nrse l-T. "a
was Fred BUchuoff, ana that the dead
boy was his son, John. He said that the
lad had been home 10 lunch, but did
nor put in an appearance when his sup
per was served, and that as soon as the
family had finished their evening meal
he had started out 10 search for him.
BuchnOf lives at $50 De Haro street,
about 10 blocks from where the body
was found. and the police are mystifed
as 10 why the father should search in
the neighborhood Of the reduction
works.
Captain Of Detectives Kelly stated
last night that il was certainly a case
of murder as there was no possible
way for the boy TO fall into the bin
without being noticed by some OF the
enployes Even had he fallen into the
bin il would not have caused his death,
as the bins are only y feet deep and
from noOntime until the discovery OF
the BODY Llere was more LAdl cAs IL
feet Of debris waiting to be shot into
the furnace at night
SAW NO BOYS THERE
Benamati, the superintendent, said
last night that Il was strictly against
the rules for boys TO play around the
plant A Delmonte, whose duty at
the plant is 10 direct the drivers where
10 dump their loads, saw no boys in
the vicinity OF the bins.
At the rnorgue II was found that the
boys skull had been fractured, and
there was q deep cut behind the right
ear. According TO appearances the
wound had been caused by some sharp
instrument. Several bruises were found
about his body, but none that would
have been liable to cause death.
Policeman Gus Mogan took Benamati.
the superintendent. and Delmonte, the
bin tender TO the central station last
night and let them tell their story to
Captain Kelly, who stated last night
that all evidence pointed to a murder
He was Of the opinion that the boy had
been killed and his body carried to the
works in garbage wagon IN the ex-
pectation that II would be cremated
Fred Buchnof. the father Of the dead
boy. was allowed 10 proceed to his
home at $50 De Haro street
Delmonte has been ordered to ap-
pear at Captain KelIy's Office this
morning with his books TO show what
drivers dumped their loads into bin
No yesterday. The police think il
strange that the father, who had only
been searching for his son since the
supper hour, should go almost directly
10 the reduction works and find the
body.