Arizona republican., 1909-05-21
EAST SIDE MYSTERY
STILL UNs0LVED
DIGGING AT NIGHT uNDeR,A VA
CAN'T HOUSE.
Police Search For Treasure or Body
But Find Neither.

Residents of the eastern part IF the
city are thoroughly aroused over the
mysterious actions Of a number of
men and one woman who were seen
digging a hole by the light of a candle
underneath the house at HOG East
Adams street in the Murphy addition
When the men, who were digging
frantically in the ground, discovered
they were being watched they blew
out the candle and stationed guards
so that they could continue their work.
whatever it was. The people in the
neighboring houses were so frightened
that they neither interfered nor did
they notify the police till the following
day.
The house at 1106 is one OF three
frame houses placed close together. II
is vacant and has been for some time
The house is elevated about foot and
half from the ground. II was at the
rear of this house and just underneath
1t that four or five men and one. wo-
man were seen digging industriously
about IL o'clock Wednesday night. The
light under the house was seen at
about that hour by C. NJ. Miller. whose
to the north of the house. He did not
investigate. Miller is a barber en-
ployed by the Worcester shop on North
First avenue.
Immediately next door at the corner
of Eleventh street Mrs. Libby Shissler
lives. She heard strange noises pro-
ceeding from the house next door
which she knew to be vacant She
was alone at the time as her son Harry
Shissler. who is stewart at the Aztec
club. does not arrive at home till rath-
er late at night. However, she de-
termined to investigate. The noises
seemed to come from the rear of the
house. At first she could not see any
think as there IS kitchen door built
out on the house at 1106 and II was
from the other side of the Kitchen thai
she heard low voices and the sound OF
digging.
She stole softly around the corner
and looked.
Lying flat on their stomaches and
part way under the house she saw dim
figures at work while several others,
one Of them a woman, stood by appar-
emily deeply interested in the work.
One of the men held a lighted candle
which he shaded with his hands while
two others were digging with a pitch
fork and spade, both of which were
broken off close to the iron portions
so that they could be used effectively
in the close quarters
Mrs. Shissler wore a white dress and
was quickly perceived by the woman
who whispered something in Spanish
TO the man who held the candle In
stantly he blew IT out. Mrs Shissler
was sofrightened that she did not stop
to see anything more. She ran across
the street TO a friends house where
she remained till her son arrived. AS
a sort of an afterthoight the police
were notified yesterday morning. Mar
shall Moore and Officers CASTOR and
Troutman went out to investigate.
They found a place two feet wide by
five feet long that had been recently
dug UP. The earth had been carefully
replaced and even washed down with
water so as to destroy quickly the ap-
pearance of having been turned. The
sawed-off spade and pitchfork were ly-
ing nearby. With these implements
the officers climbed under the floor
and preceded to dig. Opinions were
diverse as to whether II would be a
body or a case Of jewels that would
be found at the bottom of the hole
A small bit of a child's dress was
discovered near the surface. 1t was a
piece Of bright Bingham but in the
general litter under the house it might
rot have any significance
Finally all of the soft dirt was re-
moved and hard pan struck 1t was
evident that the party OF the night be-
fore had not come to bury but to re-
move the treasure or body or whatever
it may have been. The east side mys-
terry is still unsolved.