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A DESERT MYSTERY.iIIit 111 mit Kevualitft Fount! TIih! toSuiCK*** h Murder.From Pick and-Pan*, On Wednesday of this week Sher-lt; man Norton and a friend named Mun-1 zer went out early m the morning for a hunt. About ten o’clock after circling around, they were coming back to town and were crossing a gulch about three miles southwest of town, where the water had washed out a gul'ey. There Norton, who was some distance away from his friend, dis-covered the leg bone of a man and the foot still in a heavy shoe, clinging toit. He called Munzer and they examined the uncanny sight and discussed the matter of bringing it into town. They decided to let it lie and report their find. A little farther on they found a pair of pants made of some blue cloth, and about a mile farther down, close to this washout, they found a great many small bones belonging to a human body, these being scattered around over an area of probably one hundred yards. They came on to town and told their story.What they told excited no little curiosity and a search party consisting of J H. t'nderhill, John Koran, Sherman Norton and the editor of|Pick-and-Pan, went out to look at the remains and make a thorough investigation of the matter. The party guided by Norton, took the back track (of the two hunters and by watching closely a peculiar marking on Norton’s j heel, were enabled to locate the spot where the leg was found. From there lt;they made a thorough search of the * vicinity two or three miles and gathered up and loaded into the wagon T every bone they came across. Some j of the party not being up in anatomy i as they might have been, the result ' was that the wagon had a good many | portions of departed sheep and other , animals in it, but among the heap 1 were a great many human bones. All along the gully were numerous holes where some one had ‘been recently ^ prospecting and near one of these was ( found an old leather belt which had ; been cut open. The cut was new, ] showing undoubtedly that some one ’ I had recently discovered it and cut it j open. Inside were marks of gold coins, , I some being twenties and otherssmal- , ; ler coins. There was also a place where a roll of paper had been, and the search party, to a man, declare that a roll of bills nestled there till the man who cut open the belt re- ( moved it. lt;Near by was a prospect hole that | had been filled up and this excited ' the curiositv of the boys. They dug into it and found a small black soft felt hat to which was still clinging a t mass of gray hair with the impression of tin* skull, but the latter had dis- \ a opeared and has not yet been found, though every prospect hole and loose ' spot of earth was searched for it. lt;Strange to say the trousers were not 1 to be found, having disappeared since , morning. It is possible that the spot i where the\ had been found was not re-tlocated. Pieces of an old flannel , shirt w ere picked up and some fragments of underclothing. (A great deal of spi* illation has i been indulged in as to tin- identity of ; the dead man and two theories have . been advanced lt;ne was that the i deceased was Henry Brachtnan, the . old man who disappeared several \ months ago in the vicinity of Tehach- * api, and who was laUr said to be liv- j ing in Seattle. The objection to this « theorv is that it is believed the manI flhad bejn dead at least t wo years. About three yiars ago old Captain IBuckles, a native of Indiana, about 6o [cn■years of age left Bakersfield to pro- s spect in the Goler region. It was at 1 the time when thlt; people went wild over the Golti plac eis and many par- a ties left Bakeiafield to locate mines. Buckles left M me friends with a pro- s mise that he would write in about two a weeks and inform them how he was £ getting along, and if the mines were any good he would advice them to w come out. Huekl* has never returned. and while hundreds of in-(juines have been made by friends forhim not a trace of him has been found. They now fear that the old man per- j ished and that the remains discovered mar hen Wednesday were his.A question had arisen as to tin- j identity of the man who cut open that v lelt. A well known individual r«- h siding in Moj ive is believed to be the mau. He admits that he was prospecting out there and found a silver watch ^ nearby engraved with I C, Buckle, w the end of the name br ing indistinguishable This man 1 as been spending money freely of late some of it being Knglish gold coin. When asked where he made his rane he said that he had found a place where gravel j panned out $22.50 to each pan. He will not admit that the money came j from the belt. The coroner came up j this morning to investigate and hold Ian inquest. |11aa8PItNc
Newspaper Details
The Daily Californian
Bakersfield, California, US
Fri, Sep 04, 1896
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
David D.
UT, USA 05 Aug 2017
Other Publications Near Bakersfield, California
The Berkshire County Eagle
Southern Californian and Kern Weekly Courier
The Weekly Californian
Kern County Californian
Daily Californian
