Imperial Valley press., 1925-07-22
new CLUES FAIL
TO SUBSTANTIATE
SUICIDES NOTE

Early morning search made today
by Sheriff GilIett, Undersheriff
Underwood. Coroner Lemons and Of,
fiecrs Harris and Powell of the I'm
perial police department. in the vi
entity where Henry Kirk 5 murder
ed body was found Monday morning
failed to reveal any additional evi
deaee to substantiate the belief that
Kirk did not die in duel with John
Truden. who killed himself ri ia
ran.ba Monday. but that Kirk was
taken bound to the spot where his
bedv was found and there murdered.
The Officers made the trip TO the
place al daylight this morning, III
order to avoid the fierce beat of
midday. which makes il extremely
difficult to 7over any considerable
area of ground
This mornings search was
prompted by the finding Of several
articles Yesterday afternoon bv Har-
ris, which seems 10 prove positively
that Kirk was bound when he was
taken to the spot where his body
was found.
These articles consist of a belt
made of webbing, such rs worn by
soldiers. and said to be owned by
Truden; q khaki colored neektie and
woman s orange colored stocking
OF cheap material. The officer also
found several small sections of
dlothcs similar to n pair Of trousers
wh:ch Kirk purchased some time
ago from !. Wallace Stevenson at
Imperial. Thd trousers. however,
have not been found, either among
Kirk 5 personal effects, at the
scene Of the murder, nor We're they
on Kirk s body when it was found.
The belt and tie had apparently
been used to bind the feet and hands
Of the victim. Both were doubled
around twice and had been cut with
duh instrument. as though who
j irrer looseucd the bonds did not stop
10 unbuckle the belt and unite the
; tie. The stocking, covered with
blood at one end. had apparently
been used as a gag, in the opinion
Of the officers.
Harris found the articles stuffed
into a hole in the wall of the gulch
where Kirk : BODY was found, sew
cral rods away and around a bend
! from where the unfortunate man
lev. A well outlined trail led from
. the latter spot TO the hole in which
! the articles were hidden.
While the finding of the belt, tie
! and stocking seemed TO throw a
/ light on the manner in which Kirk
met his death. it still further deep
! ened the mystery rs to how Kirk
/ could have been brought to the spot
! hy Truden. The country in that
vicinity is full Of gulches and ra-
wires made by the Colorado river
when il broke through in 1905 and
! 1906. 1t would have been practi-
callv impossible for Truden to carry
I a bound man over such land. par
/ ticularlv man of Kirk s size.
Discrepancies In Tale
/ Checking over various statements
I made by Truden in the letter he left
I behind him reveal several discrepan-
( cieg TO the authorities. In the first
/ place Truden s letter states that
+ each man had a Colt revolver. The
/ gun taken from Kirk. now in the
J possession Of Coroner Lemons, and
( lie gun found with Truden IS body,
! now in the custody Of Coroner Kelly
Of San Diego county, are both of
| Spanish make, resembling a Smith
ana Wesson make more than the
| Colt.
Truden also mentioned making
several trips with Kirk to ditch
to obtain drinking water. To reach
| tie ditch no stated they had to
cross through a barbed wire fence.
/ Careful search of the country this
morning revealed barbed wire
fence. but there was no ditch IN the
| Immediate vicinity from which wa
ter could be obtained.
lie also asserts he went TO th'