Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1912-01-18
BODY IS
BURNED
Bones Of Person Believed 10 be !
Woman Found in Ruins Of
a Burned Shack.
EVIDENCES POINT TO MURDER
Body Of Victim Had Been Placed
on Pile Of Rocks and Fire
Built Underneath.

Rapid City, Jan. 15.-A dog belong
ing to Anton Beckman of the Rapid
City Dairy company was found Thurs.
day gnawing at the charred thorax of
corpse in the foundations of shack
about half a mile north Of Canyon
lake on the land owned by George P.
Bennett.
Charles Johnson and Alton SchroeG-
er later visited the place and inform
ed Sheriff Hewett and Coroner Robin
son of what had been found. They,
went out to the site of the shack Fri.
day ana made thorough examina-
ton Of the premises, bringing away
what is left of the burned remains.
Eight Weeks Ago
The shack was burned on or about
the night of Nov. 49,, at 10 o'clock in
the evening. On that date Mr. Beck
man, who has several stacks of hay
near the creek, was attracted by
bright light and walked as far as
where the wagon road crosses the
tracks Of the r. C.B. H. & w. railroad.
When he saw that his hay was safe
and that the shack at some consider
able distance was burning, he return,
ed home, thinking that probably some
hunters had gone into the shack ana
set it on fire. Nothing more was tn IT
of the occurrence altho the scene If
the fire was visited several times by
different people. Falling snow, cover
ed the spot where the body was burn
ed and no suspicion was aroused un-
til Thursday when Mr.. Beckman, who
was waiting at his stack for teams Is
arrive walked to the scene of the fire
for exercise. His dog began digging
in corner of the foundations and
soon uncovered mass of charred
bones and the upper portion of a
corpse.
Remains Removed
Coroner Robinson and Sheriff Hew-
ett made careful examination of the
premises and brot away with them
what remains of a body, badly charr-
ed, burned beyond recognition. The
examination of the premises reveals
that the person who incinerated the
corpse laid his plans we'll In the
northwest corner of the stone founda-
tion a fireplace Of stones lying at
hand had been roughly thrown togeta-
er to the height OF about foot. Out
side of the shack there had been be-
fore the fire pile of old boards, these
were broken UP and out Of them a
pyre was built on which the corpse
was laid, Several oil cans, all having
been subjected to the heat, lay near
by, showing that the person who burn.
ed the body took good care that the.
fire should have sufficient fuel on
which to feed.
Lying outside the foundation walls
is a charred cart wheel, which was
evidently used to weight the body on
the pyre and hold it in position while
the fire did its work Of obliteration 85
Coroner Robinson and Sheriff Hew-
ett carefully scraped away the snow
and then sifted the ashes and enbe~s
laying at the bottom Of the impro-
yised oven. Besides many charred hui
man bopes there were found four hair.
pins. safety pins, buttons, corset steels
and the metal parts Of what may have.
been a pair Of woman's garters or!
mans suspenders. One significant
/ find is a button such as is worn by the
employees of the Northwestern rail-
road. It has the insignia Of the G. N.
e w. r. r. on its surface and may have
been worn by q woman as souvenir.
Placed in Sack
Placing what was found in sack
the officials returned to the city and
later Sheriff Hewett took coroner,s
jury to the scene, composed Of Fl. w.
Jones. Gene Bangs and A. w. Ian
phere.
Dr. Robinson performed on autopsy
on what Is left Of the corpse Id the
afternoon, Under the left arm, which
had apparently been bent under the
I body while I. burned was found scme
cloth ara part of a pocket. IN the poe