PA PA - Bedford, 'Mr. Bones' WhtMale 30-35, 585UMPA, 30-06 rifle, gold dental wk, camping equip, Oct'58

[shadowangel]

That's an intriguing thought, he was near the road through that area. Richard and I speculated on whether he may have been a disenchanted war veteran, which would fit with the protest scenario. The College of New York, one of whose campuses was very close to the Active Lock and Key Shop, was known for its radical activism.

I think I'll take a look through NewspaperArchives soon to see if anything of a political nature would have been occuring anywhere in the area.

 

[Beyond Belief]

I tried digging through Ancestry's papers but found nothing.

I just found this site on Bedford. In 1958 they opened a rebuilt Fort Bedford for the 200 aniversary. Lot of history there.
http://www.memberbbb.com/bed.html
I also saw something that said the presidents summer home. I don't know if their talking about Truman or Washington. Have to go find more on that.

 

[shadowangel]

Was the fort near the town? Would any dignitaries have been in attendance for the opening? Someone very unhappy about his military service might not have appreciated the "glorification" of a historical military installation.

After your (very insightful) post, I began wondering if any members of the goverment would have been "in transit" along the turnpike at that time? Is it possible he fired two shots, missed, then returned to his campsite and in a final fit of despair (or thinking he succeeded and LE were on the way) killed himself?

 

[Beyond Belief]

I don't know, I have been trying to find something, but it looks like the celebration took place in Aug.

I did find this name who examined the remains in 2001.


Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat, director of forensic anthropology for the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute, was cited in an Associated
Press story that appeared in the Nov. 26 issue of the Erie Times-News. Dirkmaat volunteered to examine the remains of an
unknown man whose body, which had a bullet wound to the head, was found in a wooded area near Bedford, Pa., in 1958.
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:LdEQXh_gWXcJ:www.mercyhurst.edu/ne/publications/monday-morning/pdf/mm_2001-12-10.pdf+presidents+visit+bedford+pa+1958&hl=en

 

[Beyond Belief]

I think it was James buchanan summer home, nice hotel there for the wealthy.

I have to get some sleep, I actually have to work tomorrow. Back at you later.

 

[shadowangel]

Tell your boss I said you need the day off, we might be onto something here!

G'night!

 

[Beyond Belief]

LoL, I am the boss. Merry Xmas.

 

[Richard]

I have a feeling that this guy may have been an Army veteran of the Korean War. Another possibility is that he had been a boy scout once. The reasons are that he seemed to be traveling fairly light and was intent on camping in the open. He also was familiar with firearms to the point that he owned a highpower rifle.

Other reasons that I suspect he may have been a Veteran are that he was an older guy going to college (possibly), and there were many Veterans going through school on the GI Bill in the 1950's. Also, if he was drawing a pension for a service related disability, he would have had some spending money without having to work a job.

I have not seen all of his camping equipment, but what has been described, and what I have seen, is not military issue type of gear. It is more like what boy scouts had back in the 1950's.

The amount of ammunition would have been about 60 rounds, given that there are normally 20 rounds per box. My feeling is that he was simply taking his hunting rifle and ammunition home with him, after using it to deer hunt the previous fall. That would be the most common reason that anyone would be traveling cross country with a deer rifle in the spring.

The idea that he was traveling by motorcycle or car and that he left it at the turnpike oasis is a good probability. The amount and type of stuff that he was found with would have made walking and hitchhiking difficult.

I am thinking that it was more likely that he was traveling by motorcycle, based on his choice of clothing, and the fact that he had the rifle with him in the woods. Had he been driving a car, he could have left the rifle and ammo locked in the trunk. At the least, he could have left two of the three boxes there, rather than carrying them into the woods. He could have left the poetry books in a car as well, but carried all with him in a back pack. A motorcycle parked at a public oasis for any extended period of time could easily have been stolen by anyone with a pickup truck or trailer.

I am not sure what "presidential summer home" you may have seen reference to, but Dwight Eisenhower was President in 1958, and when he left the Presidency in January 1961, he drove to his home in Gettysburg, PA where he retired to and resided until his death in 1969. He may have owned his farm and used it as a "summer home" prior to his retirement, but I do not know for certain. Gettysburg is a good distance east of Bedford.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Bedford springs was President James Buchanans summer white house in the late 1850s.He debated many pressing government issues here including the Monroe doctrine and states rights before the civil war.James was elected mainly through the southern voters, and was neutral biased during the sucession years and left office before the war.A famous first,documented in the smithsonian, was his first speech via telegragh to the queen of England.

http://www.memberbbb.com/springs.html

 

[Beyond Belief]

Maybe he was a vet or maybe he was stalking someone. With the civil rights movement in full swing he might of had ideas of harming someone. Just because there were poetry books doesn't mean this was a gentle soul. All that ammunition is screaming "hey, i plan on shooting something or somebody". He could have driven to that location/area, hidden the weapon and ammo, taken his car a hundred miles away and hitched back so it wouldn't be traced. I think he was up to something. I wonder if men like Martin Luther King were passing through that area in that spring of 1958.

 

[Richard]

When all is considered about "Mr. Bones", and all of his gear, the thing which seems most odd is that he had no identification of any kind. Many people would write their names in their books, or mark their camping gear. Certainly carrying some sort of Drivers license or student ID or something would be normal. Yet this guy had so many things but no identification. Almost like he intended to kill himself and have nobody notified. Perhaps he had an elderly mother or somebody that he was trying to protect from hearing about his death.

I tend to lean more toward suicide than homicide in this case. If someone else had killed him, why didn't they take the rifle with them? It would seem most likely that he was actually killed where he was found, rather than having been killed elsewhere, transported to that remote woods near Bedford, and then having everything staged to look like a suicide. If it was staged as a suicide, one would expect to find some kind of identification, or note.

 

[shadowangel]

The best indicator of whether or not this was a suicide might be the angle of entry of the bullet. I would assume the most practical way to kill oneself with this rifle would be an upward shot into the neck or mouth, with the butt of the rifle resting on the ground...He may have pulled the trigger with his toe, as is commonly seen in shotgun suicides, but if the remains and clothing were scattered that may never be known. A person six feet or better in height could probably pull the trigger.
I would think he may have been propped up against a tree at the time...The fatal bullet may still be there.
If the bullet entered the rear of the head, then I would seriously begin to wonder!

 

[Richard]

The best indicator of whether or not this was a suicide might be the angle of entry of the bullet. ... If the bullet entered the rear of the head, then I would seriously begin to wonder!

I agree, however, that information has not been released by police. I would think that they considered the trajectory when some theorized that it was suicide. There are other wound/damage indicators, as well, which might point to suicide vs homicide.

If he had put the muzzle in his mouth, there would have been extensive damage and powder burning into the bone. If he was shot from a further distance, no powder burning would have been present, and the entrance wound would be small and clean, while the exit wound would have been larger.

No word on what kind of bullet it was, and whether or not it was recovered.

 

[Beyond Belief]

I wonder if there had been someone with him. Perhaps an argument. Other person leaves by the transportation taking i.d. so he can't be traced. Was there so much gear that it would take two people to carry it to that location? If that was his rifle it would make sense to leave it.

Who owned the land he was on? Did his family once own it? Was it taken away from his family to put in roads? Was the other clothing for cold weather? Flannel shirts etc. What was the weather like there at the time? Where are his glasses?

 

[Richard]

I wonder if there had been someone with him. Perhaps an argument. Other person leaves by the transportation taking i.d. so he can't be traced. Was there so much gear that it would take two people to carry it to that location? If that was his rifle it would make sense to leave it.

Who owned the land he was on? Did his family once own it? Was it taken away from his family to put in roads? Was the other clothing for cold weather? Flannel shirts etc. What was the weather like there at the time? Where are his glasses?

All good questions. I believe that the land was privately owned farm land which was being cleared for some reason by the owner in the fall of 1958. It was persons doing that clearing work who found the body.

As I recall, there was some extra clothing, but no indication that it was for cold weather. I would think that he had glasses with him, but no word as to whether or not they were found. The police have a very detailed inventory of all his personal effects. There was more than is listed on the doenet website, but I did not get the impression that it would have taken two people to carry it, or that the camp was meant for more than one person.

 

[shadowangel]

According to one of the articles, the crew were clearing brush for a pipeline. I'm supposing the scene as it was in '58 is totally gone today.

Since he had his contacts with him (in a case, according to the newspaper article) he may not have had glasses (at least not with him). If he were hunting, I would think he would be wearing something to correct his vision (if he had any thoughts of hitting his target). The contacts being in their case (if this is correct) adds to the likelihood of suicide in my opinion.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Would a person with glasses have a difficult time aiming this rifle? Would the contacts aid in a more accurate aim?

 

[shadowangel]

The Army thought I did pretty good wearing mine...:angel:

I've never worn contacts, but I thought it would be more difficult shooting with them in...

 

[mysteriew]

The Army thought I did pretty good wearing mine...:angel:

I've never worn contacts, but I thought it would be more difficult shooting with them in...

Braggart :blowkiss:

I have worn both, so I can see pluses and minuses to both.
If you squint much when aiming, then hard contacts could be a possible problem. Unless you had worn them for a long time and so would be kind of desensitised. Or if you were wearing soft lenses.
Glasses could be a problem if you wanted to be able to use a scope, but again- if you were used to it, and done it a lot you would automatically adust to how tight to hold the rife to your eye. You might just need to clean your glasses later.
And yes SA, I have shot a small gauge rifle, shotgun, and small revolver.
A country girl will survive! (target shooting, LOL , I wear glasses and didn't do too bad- for a girl they said).

 

[shadowangel]

I was wondering what the technology for contact lenses in the '50s was like...Were they plastic? Glass? (Ouch...) Didn't soft contacts come into use in like the mid- to late-'70s?
I would never question anyone's familiarity with firearms, remember where I'm originallyfrom! Some of the best shots I knew in the Army were female, especially when confronted by angry Saudi men shouting that they should be covered head to toe...Never yell at a woman behind a loaded machine gun...:angel: