Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-04-17
FALL 300 FEET TO
: DEATH IN CANYON
JIM McMAsTERs, MASON AND
WELL KNOWN MAN OF JER-
ONE, WHO CAME FROM 5OS-
TON.

TWIN FALLS, April 1s-Con-
siderable of sensation &C.
casioned in this city Sunday, says the
Times, over the finding of the batter
ed remains Of a man below the cliff ut
this end of the Perrine grade. The
coroner's Office was notified ana Mr..
Crosby Immediately left for the scene.
With neck broken and nearly All Of
the bones of the body in a similar
condition, face bruised from fall and
exposure for a long time to the wealth
er, with fingers of his hands stripped
clean of flesh by rodents or vultures
the remains were discovered resting
on a ledge three or four hundred feet
below the rimrock upon which rests
the toll house at this end of the Blue
Lakes grade. From the marks on the
lodges above, the body had shot down
ward, nit one ledge and bounded off
to another below only to make the
third drop to the place where it was
found. From the story of the man in
charge of the toll house the body must
have lain in the canyon for at least
three weeks, but was still in condition
to render identification fairly possi-
tive.
Papers found upon the person Of
the dead man showed two possible
identiications, for grocery order
slips to the number of four or five
were found made out to L. Thompson
by the mercantile firm of Morris-Ro
berts Mere. Company Of Bliss and
Hagerman, while with these slips was
found a receipt form made out to J. p,
McMasters.
Coroner Crosby took the statement
of the toll tender that he and his as
sistant had helped an intoxicated man
up the grade on Saturday evening
about dusk, March 21st. That night
the coal house showed evidence of
occupancy by some person and the
supposition was that the intoxicated
man had slept there and in the night
had arisen and in his wanderings
plunged over the cliff to his death.
The Identification, in no doubt until
today because of the two names ap-
pearing in the receipts found, was
solved beyond a reasonable doubt by
the testimony of r. S. Frazer, presi- |
dent of the Farmers & Merchants |
bank of Jerome, who viewed the re-
mains this morning at the morgue and /
was very certain that the victim was
Jim McMasters, a man fairly well
known in Jerome. Positive identifica-
ton, however will be had upon the
appearance of c. f. Massey of jerome, |
who has observed McMasters more !
closely during his sojourn there.
According to Mr.. Frazer, McMasters
came here from Boston, where his |
family lives and that during his stay
in Jerome INDUCED in periodical
drunks The size, complexion and
general makeup of the victim coin
cides with the description of McMas-
ters so that there is little doubt in
the mind of the coroner as to the
identity of the man. According to
Frazer, McMasters exhibited to the
men in his bank several Masonic re-
ceipts showing his good standing I'M
that order.
The Times comments upon the trag-
edy as follows The death of the
drunken man by falling from the cliff
and the lack of relatives or friends
to mark his passing, is indeed pitiable
in the extreme. But the record of the
events leading to his death presents
a very strong temperance lesson to
all men. For several months drink
had claimed a mastery over man
with much ability, great in
tellect and still greater personality.