Historic Union Cemetery

Times-Gazette Saturday, June 15, 1895

Coroner Crowe was notified Thursday afternoon that some boys from San Francisco, who were out hunting, found the body of a man dangling from the limb of a gum tree a mile and a half south of Baden station. The Coroner, with Under Sheriff Mansfield and District Attorney Walker, at once left for the ghastly scene. The body was cut down and brought to this city, where an iquest was held over the body yesterday morning.

Deputy Sheriff Mansfield testified that he received information from Coroner Crowe at3:30 o'clock Thursday afternoon that the body of an unknown man was found near Uncle Tom's Cabin hanging to a tree; that he, with District Attorney Walker and Mr. Crowe, proceeded to the place where the body was haging. The place is the old Lux race track, about a mile and a half south of Baden station. The body was suspended from a limb of a gum tree, which was a short distance from the county road. The witness was satisfied that the cause of death was suicide. He thought the dead man had been haging at the place where he was found at least a couple of days. Mansfield further testified that he believed that the deceased was aged about thirty-five years and by nativity a Swede.

District Attorney Walker testified that when the body was first seen by him the feet were on the ground and the knees slightly bent, the right arm of the deceased was by his side and the other around the gum tree. Walker further stated that a common bailing rope was doubled, one end of which was fastened to the limb of the tree. At the other end a running knot was fixed and placed around the neck of the dead man. The witness searched the body for means of identification, but the only thing found was a memorandum book. There was nothing in the way of writing on the book that would lead to the identification of the deceased. The clothing wore was described to be of a dark color. A thin cotton shirt was on the body. The deceased, so the witness testified, weighted about 190 pounds.

After hearing all the testimony the inquest jury, consisting of D. D. Parsons, P. B. Jamieson, Ch.H.Offermann, F.W.Glennan, Henry Grimmenstein, C.B.Barton, Dan Mullen and Jas. Horn arrived at the conclusion that the deceased, whose name is unknown, came to his death by strangulation, the result of his own suicidal action.

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Unknown, Man FoundHungSoSF

HUNG TO A LIMB.

An Unknown Suicide Found Near South San Francisco.

Times-Gazette Saturday, June 15, 1895