Arizona republican., 1909-02-15
MYSTERIOUS FIND
 ON THE RIVER BANK
Blood Has Been Shed But By Whom, Of Whom, Which or What, Is All Coniecture

Otpuly SneTlII JelI AudfIlS anu
 Constable James Murphy begin the
 week with a good working" mystery
 on hand and neither man can find
 anything in 'the Detectives hand
 book or any other reference volume
 at their command, to tell them how
 to proceed to solve 1t. Nevertheless
 they will get an early breakfast this
 morning and grapple with the situa-
 tion as best they can with the knowl-
 edge born of experience. Apparently
 there has been tragedy on the bank
 of Salt river, at the end of the Nor
 ris road, southwest of the city
 Whether it was the murder of a pet
 dog or some graver transaction, re-
 mains to be discovered. It is possi-
 ble, though hardly probably, that
 some human being, and if so most
 likely an infant, has been disposed of, yet all is conjecture.
 Yesterday afternoon about o'clock
 a young gentleman and young lady who were strolling along the river bank, came upon the only clues in the possession of the officers. The
 Norris road does not cross the river
 but ends at its north bank. Just over the bank, which is several feet high,
 on a rough sandy place left by the wash of the receding water, they saw a gunny sack, a comparatively new and clean one. Within it they found a knit woolen fabric that might be ladies shawl, a buggy robe, or the coverlet to an infants crib. The shawl is white, not worn and but little soiled except that it is covered with hlpn6 nIIitA npNylU Inside the shawl was found a red felt article that is undoubtedly a blanket for a pet dog. There is no blood on this. An old horse track near by was filled with blood, though no recent horse tracks were noted. A mark in the sand indicated that something quite heavy had been dragged across the beach" and thrown into the water. They say they saw what seemed to be blood. on the surface of the water not far away. A short distance from where the fabrics were found was the end of a rope, apparently a window sash cord, tied to a tree and it had been cut off instead of being united by whoever had used it for a tether And that is all anybody knows about 1 It.
 The young people reported to the | sheriff's office as soon as they got | back to town and Coroner Johnson | was notified. He intimated that the | case was hardly ripe for his profes- | sional services, though he gave the | officers the benefit of his wide ob- | in solving mysteries and | helped to elucidate or shatter, various | theories proposed, as he saw fit The | wo officers lit a lantern and repair d to the riverO bank in the early | piloted by the young people, who made the find, and secured the irticles above enumerated, as well IS some clots of blood which were picked up, still in liquid form on one
 tide, showing that it had not been here long, and transported back to he sheriffs office in a tin bucket. The officers will. make a search for he corpus delicttf this morning.
 The case is confusing for two or hree reasons. If it was a pet dog, aken to the river and tied to a tree hen knocked in the head, why the estruction of a nice shawl or blan- ct. If 1t was a sick dog, its owner 'Ould hardly goi to all that trouble, hen cruelty beat it to death when it ould be sU much more easily dis osed of up town. And if not a dog { all, why the dogs blanket, except ] leave the imftession that it was
 dog in the event an infants body 'as found. And if a dog. brought } the rvier in sack, why take it ut and tie it to a tree to kill it hen 1t could better be done through ne sack. And why lay the dog on shawl to beat it's brains out, nd spoil the shawl And finally how )uld a dog small enough to fit that lanket, or a baby either, furnish nough blood to fill up the horse racks, saturate the shawl, bespatter ne sand and float on the water. The oung people said the only person ley saw in that vicinity was a man, )me distance up the river wearing
 white shirt. They believe he lis a Iexican, though at the time they did ot associate him with their find, nor IT that matter do they now, only 5 a mere possible theory that he light be concerned and know the