The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-09-16

would indicate about thirty eight cal
ibre bullet. The point of entrance was
about at the hip bone.
A strange and mysterious thing about
the hip wound was that the clothing
was not punctured by whatever made
the wound in the flesh. Still, the cloth
ing was all properly and carefully on
and buttoned, there being no indication
of its having been put OH after the
injury was inflicted. The clothing was
soaked with blood, on the right side.
and it had soaked out into the road
and where the man had fallen and into
patch of weeds, where he seems to
have dragged himself or been laid.
Man Is Joseph Wheeler of Iowa.
Papers found in the clothing indi-
cate that the mans name is Joseph
Wheeler and that his home is at Web
ster City, Iowa, where he has wife
living. 1t appears that he is a cham
berger steak man. He had receipt
from the secretary of the committee
on privileges of the state fair, for $50,
lol tilN vi
burger steak stand. lie also had re-
ceipt for $50 from fair at Sioux
City, Iowa, dated August 2G. In a
hip pocket was found $6l4 in silver
and small change. There was no money
in any other pocket, nor was there a
watch. There was no revolver or weapon
of any kind. That Wheeler is a man
of property is shown by a notice of
assessment on real estate at Webster
City.
Wheeler seems to be about forty-two
years of age. His temples are begin
ming to show a little gray. The con-
cussion of the brain has resulted in
paralysis of the right eye.
Chief of Police on the Scene
Chief Pond, accompanied by the re-
porters of the daily papers, went to the
spot, this morning, where the man had
been found, and the pools of blood
were plainly desernable. There was no
blood on the culvert timbers, nor was
no signs of a struggle. People living
i'll the nearest house said that they
had heard no shot fired nor cutlery of
any kind, but that the dog had barked
a good deal during the night.
The hobo camp near by was visited
and five hoboes were found there and
We're rounded up and escorted to the
city hall, where each was searched and
examined separately. One, Charles Con-
| foy, who claimed to be laborer, but
who had lot of spectacles and phoney
rings for sale, said that he had heard a
shot fired in the direction of the slough
at early dawn. He and the Others
had come in on the a. M freight
train and had gotten off and been in
the camp ever since. He did not heal
any cutlery or sounds of IL struggle
nor sound of footsteps. No one had
left the camp or come to it either be-
fore or after daylight.
None of the tramps remembered hav.
ing seen anyone dressed as Wheeler
was, on the train. Twenty or thirty
tramps had been on the train and tn,
most of them had gone on. or at least
had not gotten off in West Mankato.
Three Theories Advanced.
There are three theories open as to
how the accident happened, as long as
Wheeler is not able to give an account
of it. One is that he was struck b,
a passing train while on the culvert
perhaps trying to steal ride, and wa.
thrown off to the ground below. This
might account for the bruise OH hi,
head, but not for the injury to tn,
hip. If some projection on the train
a spike or something else, had strucE
him on the hip, it would have torn
hole in the clothing, and perhaps
made more jagged wound. A maI
would hardly stand on the culvert t,
steal a ride, as it would be easier else
where.
May Have Been Assaulted and Robbed
A second theory is that the man wa
held up and assaulted and robbed b,
hoboes or footpads. This might accoun
for the blow OH the head and bulle
wound in the hip, but if the shot wa
fired while the man was dressed Their
would have been a puncture through
the clothing, and perhaps powder burns
The fact that the bullet entered from
above would not sustain this, unless i
was fired by someone on the culver
at the man while he was in the roa,
below. Then, again, the puncture il
, the flesh is not exactly round, but i
: somewhat flat, as though made by
, stlletto, and still if so made the de
Election and change in course of til
wound could hardly be accounted fol
; and there would be cuts in the clothing
May Have Attempted Suicide.
The theory of attempted sucid
might be advanced, yet it does not hay
much to support it. The man coul
easily have managed to have been ru
over by the train OF shot himself i'm
vital spot. He may have sat Oh tn
edge OF the culvert and opened hi
clothing and fired into his side. as h
thought, and the bullet have taken
downward course, and he may hav
toppled over and fallen into the roa
below and received the injury to hi
head, but he could hardly have but
toned up his clothing after carefull
pulling down his under and QUITE
shirts. OF course, he may have slo
. himself, and then changed his min
and arranged his clothing and then hav
fallen off, but there was no sign d
| on